Projects Note 1: If one hopes to be a successful professional, it is insufficient for an animator to only understand the theory of animation and art. He or she must also understand the rigors and demands of commercial animation production. The projects classes create academic production environments where students learn the principles, practices, and habits that will help them adapt readily to the demands of the commercial animation industry. Each projects class focuses upon a series of related production problems and culminates in the students generating professional-quality work on a rigid deadline. This work will serve as the foundation for their graduation portfolios. Weekly production meetings with an instructor ensure that the production stays on schedule and that students maintain professional-quality standards.

Projects Note 2: Generally, students decide the subject of the projects class animations, but the instructor must consider the undertaking within the scope of a student’s skill set, commercial marketability, academic soundness, and appropriateness in nature. DigiPen reserves the right to refuse any student production proposal that it deems inappropriate. Students are also expected to maintain an exceptional level of professionalism within these production environments, striving to produce quality work. Failure to meet this standard may result in academic discipline.

PRJ 105

Introduction to 3D Production (4 Cr.)

Prerequisites: None

Concurrent Courses: ANI 101, ART 101, ART 115, CG 105, ENG 115

Description: PRJ 105 introduces students to the basic concepts of the production process utilizing small-scale applied problems in 3D animation. Additionally, students will learn how to work within the professional animation production pipeline, which they must successfully navigate in order to achieve professional results and hone their professional critical thinking skills. The course culminates in students creating the pre-production work for their PRJ 155 project.

PRJ 155

Personal 3D Production (5 Cr.)

Prerequisite: PRJ 105

Concurrent Courses: ANI 151, ART 155, CG 275, FLM 151, FLM 275

Description: PRJ 155 addresses two of the more serious emotional challenges facing commercial animators: professional focus and realistic expectations. Animation is a team sport, and it requires a significant commitment of time and resources to accomplish even the most mundane tasks. During this course, students will face a series of choices. Each student will use the pre-production work they created in PRJ 105 to generate a single piece of limited animation. They must limit themselves to a production scale that allows for extensive professional refinement and meets the stringent speci- fication criteria established by the faculty. Students will be introduced to realities of commercial art direction and quality control in conjunction with production deadlines. They should be prepared to repetitively revisit the same material with a relentless attention to subtle detail.

PRJ 201

2D Sprite Animation Production (5 Cr.)

Prerequisites: ANI 151, ART 125

Concurrent Courses: ART 201, BIO 200, CG 201, CG 225

Description: PRJ 201 introduces students to the basic concepts of the production process utilizing smallscale applied problems in 2D sprite animation. These digital artists heavily employ sprite animations in hand-held devices such as watches, cell phones, PDA’s, and hand-held game platforms. Sprite animations are also a cornerstone of Internet graphics and fundamental to animated texture maps. Their restrictive nature makes them excellent teaching platforms because they cannot be readily solved through brute force. Digital artists must account for each pixel and thoroughly plan for issues such as color management and movement. Students must successfully navigate the production pipeline in order to achieve professional results and hone their professional critical thinking skills.

PRJ 205

Team Projects (5 Cr.)

Prerequisite: PRJ 155

Concurrent Courses: ART 205, ART 225, CG 300, ENG 316, FLM 201

Description: This course introduces students to the realities of teambased production environments. Each student will pitch a proposed team project to the faculty and the class for consideration. (Select RTIS program junior and senior level projects may also be presented by academic approval.) The animation faculty will then decide which team projects will be produced and will assign students to specific teams based upon their artistic strengths and career goals. Each team will be assigned a primary and secondary faculty advisor. Each student’s individual effort will be assessed as well as the overall success of each team. All members will be evaluated for the overall teamwork and professional success of the group. Just like a professional work environment, student teams will not be allowed to jettison individual members due to production conflicts or performance. Only the faculty will possess the ability to remove a team member for failure to perform.

PRJ 251

2D Vector Animation Production (5 Cr.)

Prerequisites: PRJ 201

Concurrent Courses: ART 225, ART 251, CG 251, CG 275

Description: Students will build upon the foundations of their first two years by exploring a 2D vector- based animation production. 2D vector animations are found throughout the Internet, video game, educational software, and broadcast entertainment industries. Students will apply the production pipeline to a sustained project spanning an entire semester. The course will give special consideration to concepts in research, project development, workflow projection, scheduling, time management, administrative documentation, and quality control. Additionally, it will emphasize appropriate work habits.

PRJ 255

Final Projects (5 Cr.)

Prerequisite: PRJ 205

Concurrent Courses: ANI 125, ART 125, ART 255, CG 350, FLM 250

Description: Students will use this course to complete an independent or team project. This project will help round out a student’s portfolio and will demonstrate an appropriate level of professional challenge. These projects may focus on any aspect of 3D digital animation. Students will contract with the faculty about the content of their project. Completed projects will assist students in marketing their skills and knowledge to a specific animation industry segment upon graduation.

PRJ 300

Limited Scope 3D Production (5 Cr.)

Prerequisites: CG 275, PRJ 251

Concurrent Courses: ANI 300, ART 300, CG 300, FLM 201, PHY 115

Description: PRJ 300 addresses two of the more serious emotional challenges facing commercial animators: professional focus and realistic expectations. Animation is a team effort, and it requires a significant commitment of time and resources to accomplish even the most mundane tasks. During this course students will face a series of choices. First, they must choose one area of focus within 3D animation and spend the entire semester working on a project within this narrow scope. Second, they must limit themselves to a production scale allowing for extensive professional refinement. This course will introduce students to the realities of commercial art direction and quality control in conjunction with production deadlines. Students should be prepared to repetitively revisit the same material with a relentless attention to subtle detail.

PRJ 350

Applied 3D Animation Production Problems (5 Cr.)

Prerequisites: ART 300, CG 300, PRJ 300

Concurrent Courses: ANI 350, ART 350, CG 350, ENG 315

Description: This course challenges students to apply their knowledge of 3D animation and general art theory to a series of problems in 3D production. Historically, memory and bandwidth limitations have forced commercial animators to restrict themselves when producing 3D animations. Often the power of the 3D software has outstripped the technical and storage capabilities of the delivery media. Using a series of game and simulation problems, students will face a series of real-world production restrictions they must overcome while maintaining highly professional aesthetic standards. Problems will include polygonal face limitations, frame limitations, levels of detail, texture map scale, limited color palettes, simulated lighting illusions, compositing, and cyclical motion.

PRJ 400

Team Projects (5 Cr.)

Prerequisites: ART 350, ENG 315, PRJ 350, Senior class standing

Concurrent Courses: ART 401, FLM 250, FLM 275, SOS 115

Description: This course introduces students to the realities of teambased production environments. Each student must first declare an area of specialization in either 2D or 3D animation. This area of specialization will apply to PRJ 300, PRJ 350, and ANI 300. Each student will then present his or her pre-production work from ART 250, ART 300, ART 350, and ENG 215 to the faculty and the senior class for consideration. (Select RTIS program junior and senior level projects may also be presented by academic approval.) The animation faculty will then decide which team projects will be produced and will assign students to specific teams based upon their artistic strengths and career goals. Each team will be assigned a primary and secondary faculty advisor. Each student’s individual effort will be assessed as well as the overall success of each team. All members will be evaluated for the overall teamwork and professional success of the group. Just like a professional work environment, student teams will not be allowed to jettison individual members due to production conflicts or performance. Only the faculty will possess the ability to remove a team member for failure to perform.

PRJ 450

Final Projects (5 Cr.)

Prerequisites: ART 401, PRJ 400, Senior class standing

Concurrent Courses: ANI 400, ART 400, CS 115, LAW 115

Description: Students will use this course to complete an independent or team project in their area of specialization as chosen in PRJ 300. This project will round out a student’s portfolio and demonstrate an appropriate level of professional challenge. These projects may focus on animation pre-production, 2D digital animation, or 3D digital animation. Students will contract with the faculty about the content of their project. Completed projects will assist students in marketing their skills and knowledge to a specific animation industry segment upon graduation.

PRJ 475

Summer Animation Team Production (3 Cr.)

Prerequisites: Two full-time semesters, interview by permission of Department Chair, and a portfolio evaluation

Description: This advanced projects class will allow students to gain invaluable experience and knowledge on a short animated film (approximately one to two minutes) in a professional production setting. The instructor will direct and supervise the film, and students will carry out staff roles as designers, layout/ lighting artists, animators, riggers, modelers, and texture artists. This is an opportunity for students to work in a professional setting, which fosters responsibility, teamwork, and artistic excellence.