Digital + Physical Lighting, Assignments

Syllabus Assignments Student Gallery Calendar Resources

Project 04	Digital Interior
assignment description image by Luo Xie	Studying Color and Textures and Transitions within a Space through Genre This project considers both objects and environment. You will be given a scene that includes a pre-determined space and pre-determined props, similar to the physical props you used in Project 3. All of the geometry is now associated with descriptive shaders. Shaders refer to materials, made up of colors and textures, that are applied to surfaces. In particular, we will focus on visually describing surfaces through lighting and developing a better understanding of how lighting effects shaders on surfaces. You and your partner(s) will choose contrasting genres. Each team member will design lighting for the space and props that is based one of the genre schemes. The lighting design should enhance, describe and inform the viewer on the genre. The images should vary in light quantity to address genre issues. The images should vary in light placements and types to address genre issues. By using descriptive shaders and lights, the image you create should expand the composition in mood and drama. Incorporate all of the lessons you learned when you executed the "physical" part of this project.
Requirements	Each chosen genre must be researched, presented and represented by existing visual examples from professional/commercial film or performance. On the project web page the research must be posted and the genre must be clearly identified through descriptive writing that answers the questions: what is the genre? how does the lighting describe the genre? what lights are used? how are the lights set? what special effects are used to enhance the genre? how is the camera (composition) used to communicate the genre? For your final product the group will render an animation that begins with one genre and transitions to the next. The transitions are just as important as the beginning and ending genre so they must have meaning within the context of the genre and storyline. Lighting changes must be choreographed through keyframe animation, i.e. a cross-dissolve in a image editing software is not acceptable. It is suggested that each group work from a master lighting plan, from which genres are established. Groups of 2 people are limited to a nine-second (270 frame) animation that begins with one genre and transitions, through animation, to the second genre. Groups of 3 people are limited to a fifteen-second (450 frame) animation. There must be a 3 second hold on each genre once it is fully established. Render at video resolution (640x480) using Maya. Document your digital lighting set up with screen shots of the top, front and side views. Label each light in the views. Post these images on your Project #4 web page with appropriate explanatory text. You may not move any props substitute any props change or add any shaders
grading criteria	1. artistic effectiveness and expression of genre 2. technical execution of appropriate lighting models
documentation	Project 4 should be documented with: 1. digital image reference files from existing visuals accompanied by a written description of how they are reference for the work 2. genre animation movie file 3. screen shots of your genre setup to include top, front and side views of the light and prop setup, labels for each light in the view and descriptive text about the lights functions. All of these files posted on your Project #4 web page.
readings	[digital] Lighting & Rendering by Birn Chapter 6 - Color Chapter 8 - Composition and Staging Learning Maya: online manual - Shaders Kahrs, John, Sharon Calahan, Dave Carson, and Stephen Poster, A.S.C., "Pixel Cinematography: A Lighting Approach for Computer Graphics," ACM Siggraph Course Notes #30, 1996

Syllabus Assignments Student Gallery Calendar Resources