The DAVE School teaches a single program in four 12-week blocks, and can be completed in just less than one year. It is often very common for animators to specialize in specific areas, thereby limiting their career options. This program is designed to give students practical skills in most aspects of computer animation. The diversity of our program provides the student with well-rounded skill sets. This gives our graduates an advantage in the job market.Our program is taught with the assumption that each student is computer literate, but has no experience in computer animation.
Programs start with the very basics. Students with extensive 3D skills may find the first two weeks easy, but by the end of the third week, classes become challenging for everyone regardless of their background.
Hardware Modeling
Most professionally constructed computer models fall into one of
two categories: hardware or organic. Typically hardware consists
of manmade objects such as props, sets, robots, vehicles… things
built to exact specifications. Organic Modeling refers to things
that are not built to exact specifications. People, creatures,
cartoon characters or things found in nature dominate this group.
This class starts with the construction of basic household objects,
and then advances to using professional modeling techniques
(scale, measurement, and extensive reference) to create
computer generated environments or virtual sets. A major project
of this block is vehicle modeling. This may require constructing a
conventional vehicle such as a helicopter, however past
assignments have also included the Starship Enterprise, Star
Wars AT-AT Imperial Walkers and Warhammer 40K Mechs.
Technical Direction & Hardware Animation
In this course, the emphasis is on taking models the students
have made and moving them, or moving the virtual camera to
create a simple animation. Basic lighting techniques are covered,
as are keyframes, motion handlers, expressions, rendering, and
data storage.
Texturing and Adobe Photoshop
An important tool in creating convincing computer-generated
imagery is texturing, or surfacing, the model. Students begin by
learning to use procedural textures, then move on to
photographic textures and original, “hand-painted” digital images.
Image manipulation, painting and texture map preparation will be
taught using the current version of Photoshop. It is the industry
standard package for this type of work and is published by
Adobe. Use of this program continues throughout the rest of the
year.
Character Modeling
The human body is one of the most difficult things to draw,
sculpt or model on the computer and it is where this class begins.
Using an innovative step-by-step process, students learn
techniques that produce character modeling results. Then they
create a set of phonetic mouth positions that are animated so
their characters are able to speak. Students also learn a new set
of tools for the creation of organic objects.
Demo Reel Construction
This course teaches mechanics of compiling, editing, and
authoring a DVD containing work samples from the first 11 weeks
of class.
Character Animation
Using a variety of school provided and student created models,
students learn and practice the fundamentals of character
animation. Starting with simple two and four-legged walk cycles, the program advances to emotionally driven character
performances. This course also focuses on facial animation, lip
sync and eye-lines. Skeleton setups and inverse kinematics are
also explored in great detail. In the final project, each student
constructs and animates a character of his or her own design.
Demo Reel Revision
Once again students will re-edit their demo reel to include their
best work of this block again to be critiqued by the instructor
and/or school director.
Visual Effects Animation
In both fully animated programs and visual effect shots, illusions
are greatly enhanced with smoke, dust, snow, explosions, debris
and special lighting tricks. In this program students learn to use
particle systems, volumetric rendering, and additional motion
plug-ins.
Visual Effects Compositing
A key part of the creation of special effects is the combining of
elements (some photographed, some animated) to complete the
illusion in a given shot. This class presents the basic functions of
Eyeon Fusion and Boujou camera tracking software by 2d3.
Students gain practical experience performing, split screens, color
correction, matting and basic rotoscoping, wire removal,
chromakey, motion tracking, and virtual sets.
Motion Capture Project
Motion Capture is playing an increasingly important role in
animation and visual effects. Using our on-site system, students
direct a performer in the production of a 20-second scene and
learn the techniques of performance enhancement, error
correction, and motion editing. Students also carry out every
function of the animation process from planning, execution, post
production, editing, and sound effects.
Demo Reel Revision
Students will re-edit their demo reel to include their best work of
this block to be critiqued by the instructor and/or school director.
Repeating this exercise is critical to each student’s future success.
Final Group Project
This is what the DAVE School is really all about; working with
creative forces fresh from the industry. During this one-month
project, students are assigned specific tasks on a live-action or
animated production and learn what it means to work as a
professional. Student responsibilities are based on individual
areas of strength demonstrated in previous blocks. Each project
receives an original score and a sound effects mix. It is then
presented on the big screen at a special graduation ceremony
held in one of Universal's movie theaters.
Demo Reel Final
At the end of our program students will add work samples from
the final project to their demo reels. This is the reel they will use
to launch their post graduation job search. Once they mail out
the first wave, we recommend they create something new for
their reel, re-edit and re-send a new revision to employers and
repeat until employed.
