Datasheet

Fairly soon, you will begin to see CG as a bigger part of the everyday computing envi-
ronment, as we are seeing with image editors and digital-video editing software now.
The more familiar you are with it, whether with Autodesk Maya or another package, the
greater your part in the computing future. The day will soon be on us when we can
custom-make our own environments for our 3D Windows desktops.
Animation
Although Maya can be used to produce remarkably lifelike 3D still images, most Maya
artists also work with a fourth dimension, time. That is, most Maya art is animated.
Simply put, animation is change over time. A solid foundation in animation involves
understanding the simulation of something changing over a period of time. Underlying
all animation, from paper flipbooks to film and on to Maya, is the following principle:
when we see a series of rapidly changing images, we perceive the changing of the image
as continuous motion.
In creating CG animation yourself, you have to create scene files with objects that
exhibit some sort of change, whether through movement, color shift, growth, or other
behavior. But just as with flipbooks and film animation, the change you are animating
occurs between static images, called frames, an analogy with film. You define the object’s
animation using a “timeline” measured in these single frames.
You’ll learn more in the section “Basic Animation Concepts” later in this chapter.
The Stages of Production
The CG animation industry has inherited from the film industry a work flow, or pipeline,
a way of doing things that consists of three broad stages: preproduction, production, and
postproduction. In film, preproduction is the process in which the script and storyboards
are written, costumes and sets are designed and built, actors are cast and rehearsed, a crew
is hired, and the equipment is rented and set up. In the production phase, scenes are taped
or filmed in the most efficient order. Postproduction (simply called “post”) describes every-
thing that happens afterward: the scenes are edited into a story; a musical score, sound
effects, and additional dialogue are added; special visual effects may also be added. (In a
film that has special effects or animation, the actual CG creation is usually completed in
post but may have started in the preproduction phases of the film or project itself.)
Although the work performed at each stage is radically different, this is a useful frame-
work for understanding the process of creating CG as well.
Preproduction
Preproduction for a CG animation means gathering all reference materials, motion tests,
layout drawings, model sketches, and such together to make the actual CG production as
straightforward as possible.
4 chapter 1: Introduction to Computer Graphics and 3D
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