Course Title: Create 2D digital animations

Part B: Course Detail

Teaching Period: Term2 2014

Course Code: COSC6173C

Course Title: Create 2D digital animations

School: 360T Education

Campus: City Campus

Program: C4327 - Certificate IV in Tertiary Preparation

Course Contact : Program administration

Course Contact Phone: +61 3 9925 4017

Course Contact Email:stephen.skok@rmit.edu.au


Name and Contact Details of All Other Relevant Staff

Darren Ballingall
darren.ballingall@rmit.edu.au

Nominal Hours: 35

Regardless of the mode of delivery, represent a guide to the relative teaching time and student effort required to successfully achieve a particular competency/module. This may include not only scheduled classes or workplace visits but also the amount of effort required to undertake, evaluate and complete all assessment requirements, including any non-classroom activities.

Pre-requisites and Co-requisites

None

Course Description

This unit describes the performance outcomes, skills and knowledge required to use industry-current software to create 2D animations.


National Codes, Titles, Elements and Performance Criteria

National Element Code & Title:

CUFANM301A Create 2D digital animations

Element:

Finalise animations

Performance Criteria:

1. Clarify 2D animation requirements, including design specifications and storyboard in consultation with relevant personnel
2. Clarify target users/audience and requirements with regard to output formats and delivery platforms
 

Element:

Generate and assess ideas

Performance Criteria:

3. Review animations, artworks and other creative sources that may inspire design ideas
4. Obtain other relevant information that may influence design ideas
5. Generate a range of animation ideas that are technically feasible, respond to specifications and provide creative solutions to all design issues
6. Present animation ideas to relevant personnel using appropriate design techniques
 

Element:

Identify animation requirements

Performance Criteria:

7. Assess the range of industry-current 2D animation software available to determine compatibility with design specifications
8. In consultation with relevant personnel, select the most appropriate 2D animation software for a given purpose
9. Evaluate initial design ideas and specifications against findings and discuss with relevant personnel to select final design concept
 

Element:

Plan approach

Performance Criteria:

10. Apply basic screen principles, visual design principles, communication principles, animation techniques and animation principles to produce animated sequences
11. Source and import, or generate sufficient quantity of key drawings to establish required actions
12. Combine animated objects to produce single sequences according to creative requirements and specifications
13. Integrate audio assets where necessary
14. Save and store animations using appropriate output file formats and standard naming conventions
 

Element:

Produce animations

Performance Criteria:

15. Review animations to assess creative solutions to design specifications, appropriateness to users/audience and technical feasibility
16. Discuss and confirm with relevant personnel additional requirements or modifications to overall designs or animations and undertake necessary amendments
 


Learning Outcomes


On successful completion of this course, you will have developed and applied the skills and knowledge required to demonstrate your competence of the above elements. The outcomes described in this unit relate to the Australian Core Skills Framework (ACSF) They contribute directly to the achievement of ACSF indicators of Reading and Writing competence at Level 3:
http://www.deewr.gov.au/Skills/Programs/LitandNum/ACSF/Pages
 


Details of Learning Activities

You learn through:
1. In-class activities -

  • Demonstration and practical application
  • Teacher directed group activities
  • Observation and questioning
  • Workshops

2. Out-of-class activities:

  • Independent project based work
  • Online and other research
  • Independent study


Teaching Schedule

 

Week1

Introduction to Animation
Persistence of Vision
Thaumotrope
PhotoShop introduction
Gif Animation

Week 2

Action & Anticipation
Squash and Stretch
Pixillation - Bring a camera to class
Assignment 1 - pixillation: Squash and Stretch, Action and Anticiptation

Week 3

Pixillation - putting it all together

Week 4

Process of animation
Flash introduction
Walk cycle
Assignment 1 Due
Assignment 2 - walk cycles

Week 5

Walk cycle Studio
Have an idea ready

Week 6

Lip synch
Assignment 2 Due
Assignment 3 - lip synch

Week 7

Lip synch - acting

Week 8

Key Poses and Breakdowns
Create key poses for a simple action
Assignment 3 Due
Assignment 4 - pose to pose animation

Week 9

Tweening
Tween the key poses for your simple action

Week 10

Studio finishing Tweening and other projects
Assignment 4 Due


Learning Resources

Prescribed Texts


References


Other Resources

N/A


Overview of Assessment

Assessment is on-going throughout the course. Assessment will incorporate a range of methods to assess performance and the application of knowledge and skills and will include:

  • Groupwork
  •  2D Animation
  • Lip synch/animation
  • Photoshop


Assessment Tasks

Assignment 01
Title
Group Pixillation Animation: Squash and Stretch

Value
20% of final mark for this subject
Teacher
Darren Ballingall
Due Date
During class in Lesson 4, Week 4
Brief
Within a group of 3-5 people use your camera to capture images as frames of a pixillation animation. Take turns in capturing images and taking part as subjects of the animation.

Your animation must use the principals of squash and stretch, action and anticipation.
Your animation must show some "impossible" physical feat: something that couldn’t be achieved by live action filming.

The animation’s subject is up to the group.

Timeline
You have time 2 weeks including time in class to animate to polish and complete the animation.
Assignment Submission
You must include the names and student numbers of all people involved in the assignment in the credits of the assignment added to the beginning or end of the assignment.
Assignments MUST be submitted on the due date, during class, in person, to your teacher.
Extensions will not be granted, except in the event of major medical or personal circumstances supported by appropriate documentation. Extensions must be applied for before the due date.
Late submissions will only be eligible for a pass or fail grading.
Assessment Criteria
Your assignment will be assessed according to the following criteria:
Working within the assignment guidelines
Create a successful pixilation animation using the principals of squash and stretch, action and anticipation
 

Assignment 02
Title
Walk Cycles
Value
25% of final mark for this subject

Due Date
During class in Lesson 6, Week 6
Brief
Create a series of Three (3) bipedal walk cycle animations. You may use different characters for each animation
The cycles must include:
+ Walk
+ 2 other movement cycles of your choice:
Hop, skip, lope, wander, slink, skulk, creep, tiptoe, march, ramble, stagger, limp, stroll, traipse, stomp, canter, lumber, scuff, shamble, saunter, toddle, trudge, bumble, wade, slouch, swagger, prowl, waddle, mosey, somnambulate, lurch, careen, trample, clomp, flit, dart, sally forth, sashay, mope, strut... (or any others you can think of)

Timeline
You will have 2 weeks to complete this assignment, including time in class.
Assignment Submission
Assignments MUST be submitted on the due date, at the beginning of class, in person, to your teacher.
Extensions will not be granted, except in the event of major medical or personal circumstances supported by appropriate documentation. Extensions must be applied for before the due date.
Late submissions will only be eligible for a pass or fail grading.
Assessment Criteria
Your assignment will be assessed according to the following criteria:
Working within the assignment guidelines
Create 3 successful movement cycle animations displaying personality, secondary action, follow through, and consideration of weight.
 

 Assignment 03
Title
Animation with Lip synch
Value
25% of final mark for this subject
Teacher
Darren Ballingall
Due Date
During class in Lesson 8, Week 8
Brief
Create an animation that includes at least 1 line of recorded dialogue and lip-synched animation.
The story and style of the animation are up to you (3D animation is not allowed).

 

Timeline
You will have 2 weeks to complete this assignment, including time in class.
Assignment Submission
Assignments MUST be submitted on the due date, before the designated time, in person, to your teacher.
Extensions will not be granted, except in the event of major medical or personal circumstances supported by appropriate documentation. Extensions must be applied for before the due date.
Late submissions will only be eligible for a pass or fail grading.
Assessment Criteria
Your assignment will be assessed according to the following criteria:
Working within the assignment guidelines
Create a successful lip-synch animation
Completing an animation to a finished, professional level
 

Assignment 04
Title
Pose to Pose Animation
Value
30% of final mark for this subject
Teacher
Darren Ballingall
Due Date
During class in Lesson 10, Week 10
Brief
As individuals, create an animation of an everyday action in Flash or Photoshop.
- Standing up from a chair and exiting a nearby door
- Lifting up a box and placing it on a shelf
- Catching a ball and throwing it back
(choose one of these or an action of your invention)


Timeline
You will have about two weeks to complete this assignment, including time in class.
Assignment Submission
Assignments MUST be submitted on the due date, during class, in person, to your teacher.
Extensions will not be granted, except in the event of major medical or personal circumstances supported by appropriate documentation. Extensions must be applied for before the due date.
Late submissions will only be eligible for a pass or fail grading.
Assessment Criteria
Your assignment will be assessed according to the following criteria:
Working within the assignment guidelines
Create a successful pose to pose animation using all the principals and techniques learned so far in class: squash & stretch, anticipation, timing, easing, overlapping action and secondary action.
 


Assessment Matrix

Course Overview: Access Course Overview