Professor Greg Johnson
Office Hours: See class schedule or by appointment
gjohnson@scad.edu |
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IMPORTANT LINKS: Job Postings & ContestsLink to my personal website My personal blog SYLLABI AND COURSE DOCUMENTS: Download the ITGM 250 syllabusDownload the ITGM 333 syllabus Download the ITGM 405 syllabus SUGGESTED COURSES: There is simply no substitute for knowing proper anatomy. It is the difference between getting a job as a modeler or not. Ignore these classes at your own risk. You will need to show competency in drawing to Prof. Hudson in order to get a waiver of prerequisite for these constructive anatomy courses or you can just take the prerequisite courses.SEQA 352 - Constructive Human Anatomy for Sequential Art In this course, students will gain a thorough working knowledge of the form and dynamics of the human body through applied sculptural, observational and rendering techniques. Specific attention is paid to how these techniques can be applied to visual storytelling. Prerequisite(s): SEQA 202. SEQA 388 - Constructive Animal Anatomy for Creature Design Through direct observation, sculptural écorché, analytical drawing, lecture, and action analysis, students will develop a thorough working knowledge of the form and dynamics of animals. This body of knowledge will be applied to the understanding of creatures that inhabit the fantasy worlds in comic books, video games and movies, which will enable each student to develop an animal or creature/character of their own creation. Prerequisite(s): SEQA 382. ILLU 495P - Constructive Dinosaur Anatomy Working in both traditional and digital venues, students will have the opportunity to visualize and explore the dinosaur family from "the inside-out"; they learn the skeletal, muscular, and morphological aspects of a dinosaur of their own choosing. Prerequisite: ILLU 225 or SEQA 382. It is always a good idea to polish your work. These are the two classes that will help you do it. It also never hurts to have some excellent technical skills as well. TECH 311 - Digital Materials and Textures This course explores advanced concepts in materials and texturing as applied to the 3-D character model. The course explores material and texture application based on age, size, mobility and species, as determined by character environment, health and social characteristics. The course integrates information gleaned from reference materials into the 3-D world. Prerequisite(s): ANIM 250 or ITGM 240 or VSFX 210. TECH 316 - Digital Lighting and Rendering Topics covered throughout this course include the practices of 3-D lighting design and rendering methodology. Students develop lighting models and rendering solutions for 3-D scenes. Students study cinematography and practice the application of lighting theory in a 3-D environment. Students become familiar with lighting tools and basic shading technique, and seek to emulate believable lighting situations by using these tools. Prerequisite(s): ANIM 250 or ITGM 240 or VSFX 210. If you are going to work in a professional environment then it is a good idea to know how to professionaly approach the material. This is the course where you can learn how to do that. TECH 312 - Advanced Application Scripting This course explores the use of MEL, Autodesk Maya’s embedded scripting language, Python and other modes of shell scripting, as tools for automating repetitive tasks, customizing the user experience, utilizing external data sources and extending the basic toolset with custom features. Prerequisite(s): ANIM 250 or ITGM 240 or VSFX 210. For environment artists it is a good idea to take a few architectural history courses and get to know various architectural forms. Especially since you'll be modeling these anyways. Here's a list of some of the most relevant classes. ARLH 208 Modern Architecture II: 1900-Present This lecture course surveys and explores 20th-century architecture, urbanism and architectural theory principally in Europe and North America. Attention is given to the concept of modernity in an increasingly industrial, commercial, secular and international world as embodied both in acknowledged modernist masterpieces and in alternatives to mainstream modernism. Prerequisite(s): ARLH 206 or FURN 120, ENGL 123. ARLH 308 History of Urban Form This course surveys urban form from its origins in ancient Mesopotamia to the controversies over contemporary urbanism, and also analyzes ideal cities. Architecture, public space, city planning and public works are considered in relation to the social, political, economic and religious context of the city. Prerequisite(s): ARTH 110, ENGL 123. ARLH 355 Gothic Art and Architecture This course surveys the art and architecture of the Gothic period, from the early 12th century to the late 14th century. The course focuses on the development of Gothic architecture, sculpture and stained glass and also encompasses manuscript illumination, metal work and ivory carving. Emphasis is placed on the social context of the monuments, as explored through selected readings from original sources. Prerequisite(s): ARTH 110, ENGL 123. (Good for those fantasy epics!) ARLH 404 Power and the Built Environment This course explores the many ways that social, political and economic power relations have shaped the built environment and the human experience of it throughout history. The embodiment of power is examined within a range of scales, building types and social contexts, including urban design, public institutions, commemorative monuments, and corporate buildings. Extensive readings, class discussions, and presentations challenge students to develop critical thinking and communication skills. Prerequisite(s): ARLH 208 or ARTH 207. (All of it great SciFi stuff!) General resources: Download the concept development document3d tutorials, links and examples. Link to a listing of various game companies (some links may be broken!) Link to a sampling of modeling jobs at game companies (some links may be broken!) Helpful job advice from the managers of Electronic Arts Job descriptions and helpful suggestions from LucasArts BOOK READING LIST: Project Gutenberg - an online source of free booksThe critical reading list of non-fiction books: The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph CampbellFilm Directing Shot by Shot by Steve Katz The Golden Bough by Sir James George Frazer The reading list of fantasy and science fiction authors: Isaac Asimov - Robot series, Foundation trilogyL. Frank Baum - Oz series Edgar Rice Burroughs - Tarzan, John Carter of Mars, Pellucidar series. Arthur C. Clarke M.A.R. Barker William Gibson - Neuromancer, Burning Chrome, others. Robert A. Heinlein - Starship Troopers, Glory Road, others. R.E.Howard - Conan, Kull, Solomon Kane, others. Fritz Leiber - Lankhmar series. H.P. Lovecraft - Cthulu mythos. Michael Moorcock - Elric saga. Larry Niven - Ringworld, Tales of Known Space. Terry Pratchett - Discworld series. E. E. "Doc" Smith - Lensmen & Skylark series. J.R.R. Tolkien - Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit. Jack Vance - Tales of a Dying Earth. Jules Verne H.G. Wells Other fantasy and science fiction authors: Wikipedia list of science fiction authorsWikipedia list of fantasy authors Wikipedia Category: Hugo Award Winner for Best Novel Wikipedia list of joint winners of the Hugo and Nebula awards Nebula Award for Best Novel winners Sci-Fi Writing: World Builders, a very organized site for step-by-step building a world.Different world building website. Speculative Literature, contains creative writing resources. Language construction kit Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr. Influential commercial artists: Simply do a Google Image search:Simon Bisley Chris Foss Frank Frazetta Jack Kirby Syd Mead Frank Miller Richard Powers Alex Ross CGI FORUMS: CG Talk HighEnd3D.com ConceptArt.org ConceptArt Forums MassiveBlack.com CG Society Forums www.cgtalk.com's useful 3dsMax forums and tutorials Z-Brush Central Z-Brush featured artwork 3ds Max Material Make a shark tutorial List of 3ds Max tutorials Some of these might be broken! Link to 3ds Max lectures Max interface notes Miscellaneous Max technique notes Sample lighting setups - MAX files Download the Texporter 3ds Max plug-in Character modeling tutorial Converting from Max to Maya PDF. Maya Resources Download a couple of Maya books from Autodesk.baking lights and creating dirt maps in 3dsMax, from 3D World. You can adapt the techniques into Maya. A great tutorial for weathering a model train. I'm not sure where it's from but the techniques can be adapted to digital texturing. Examples of character modeling and reference pictures Download the reference grid image Download a different reference grid image Download another variant grid image Download the facial poly-regions image Video on modeling a face Video on modeling an ear Video on modeling a hand Video on modeling the body Photosop & Illustrator Resources Official Adobe Illustrator tutorials Illustrator tutorial listing Official Adobe Photoshop tutorials Official tutorials from Adobe Design Center Photoshop tutorial listing Really nice realistic photoshop character painting tutorial by Roberto CampusA different photoshop character style Links to a plethora of character concept tutorials Vector character tutorials in Illustrator Some more illustrator character tutorials zBrush Resources Getting StartedzBrush Central - Forum for tutorials, questions, and artwork. zBrush tutorials forum. zBrush.Info - a zBrush wikipedia. zipped zAppLink v3 - ready to install Online Documentation - The ZBrush Wiki is continuously being updated with new information and tutorials. Downloadable Documentation - This is a PDF version of the Wiki that's been made available for download. It was most recently updated on 11/15/2007. ZClassroom - Video tutorials beginning with extreme ZBrush basics and building to more advanced topics. F.A.Q. - A compilation of the most commonly asked questions about using ZBrush. ZBrushCentral Tutorials Forum - This forum ONLY contains completed ZBrush tutorials by various users. ZBrushCentral Search Page - Just about every possible question about ZBrush has been asked and answered many times. This page will help you locate any information very quickly. Please note that search words must be five or more characters in length. Multiple search terms may be used, such as "modeling +hairs" to locate all posts that contain both "modeling" and "hairs". ZBrushCentral Questions & Troubleshooting Forum - When you can't find a ZBrush answer via any of the above resources, this is the perfect place to ask your question. Popular Downloads zBrush Alpha pack. FBX converter concept zSculpting technique fixing maya's texture memory errors when rendering a file TransPose Master - A very powerful utility for posing models with multiple SubTools. User-Created ZBrush Plugins and UtilitiesLearning Resources Other Helpful Links Sculpt. Paint. Create. a blog for artists - Ryan Kingslein's ZBrush blog. Keyboard Shortcuts List QuickLinks - Categorized listing of some of the most helpful ZBC threads in various topics. Sitemap for Pixologic's website Technical Support Form - Contact Pixologic for technical support issues. (Installation and activation, error reporting, feature requests.) Registration Support Forum - If it's a weekend and ZBrush is asking you to recover the license, post your cleverbridge reference number and the authorization request code that ZBrush is giving you. Pixologic staff attempts to help with these problems even during non-business hours. Inspirational Links ZBrushCentral Featured Gallery - Many of the very best threads ever posted at ZBrushCentral. ZBrush 3 Beta Gallery - Threads and artwork created by testers during ZBrush 3's beta phase. Scared Silly - ZBrushCentral's first major contest. The first three threads are making-of articles by the winners. ZBrush Movies - Various movies created in ZBrush 3, usually to highlight the use of a particular feature. Links on re-Topologizing a mesh and Modeling ZbrushWiki on Re-topologizing ZbrushWiki on zProject brush Mastering the ZProject-Brush (Tutorial by Rastaman) ZbrushWiki on zProject texturing ZbrushWiki on zProject and adjusting photo reference Good tutorial on human modeling How to do Maya Hair Professional practices Here's a brief set of suggestions that will be helpful to any student in this field of study. Sketchbook: The ability to draw is an important part of working in this field and it is important to always be practicing this skill and improving it. You should purchase a small easily portable sketchbook and keep it with you at all times. Anytime you have a minute, when waiting for food, standing in line, or just hanging out; get out the sketchbook and draw whatever you see in front of you. It is important to draw what you see, not what is in your head (that goes into your idea book)! After a few months you will start to notice significant improvements in your skill level. After two years you'll be pretty good. Idea book: You need inspiration. Keep a small sketchbook with you and write down or sketch out any ideas you have. Cut out anything interesting you might find in a magazine and paste it into the sketchbook. You can include photographs and photocopies as well. You can also keep a file folder on your computer which you fill with whatever images you find intriguing. Then, whenever you need inspiration or are stuck for an idea, simply open up your idea book/file folder and browse through it. Soon you will be inspired again! Technique library: Keep a file folder and populate it with any interesting tutorials or techniques you might find. If you see and interesting image that has, let's say, a neat looking approach to doing hair. Save it and put it in your techniques folder. Later when you need to do hair yourself you can look at that approach and some other techniques you've found and use one of those techniques or combine them and come up with your own unique approach. Job research: You need to be aware of what you will need to have in your portfolio to get the job you want when you graduate. To learn this simply select five companies you'd like to work for one day. Go to their website and search through the job postings for the position(s) you want. Most companies provide a very detailed breakdown of the skill sets and requirements for each job. What you need to identify are the common elements between eahc of the same type of jobs from the different companies. If there is a skill set that every one of the jobs lists then you must be absolutely sure that you have that skill demonstrated in your portfolio. Conversely if there are skills that only one of the jobs talks about then that is a skill that you should focus on only if you really want to work for that specific company (since no one else will care that you have that skill set). Just remember to compare jobs with the same (or almost the same) job titles. File naming conventions & Organization: It is important to name your files in a consistent and organized fashion. I suggest using only lowercase letters, numbers, and _ or -. Do not use any unusual characters (!@#$%^&^&*) for example. Keep your files organized into descriptively named file folders. When naming a file include a version number and a current iteration number. For example; fw190d9_v2_205.max (the 3d file), fw190d9_v2_20.psd (the master texture file), fw190d9_v2_03_diffuse.jpg (color texture file for the 3d scene), fw190d9_v1_02_bump.jpg (bump map file for the 3d scene), and fw190d9_v1_06_spec.jpg (specular level texture file for the 3d scene). All stored in 'fw190d9' folder. Each time you save the file (3d, photoshop or otherwise) increment the iteration number by one. So from vulcan_v6_048.max to vulcan_v6_049.max and so on. If you make a serious change you can increment the version number. This way if a problem develops in the file (it gets corrupted or you make a mistake) you can always go back and find an earlier file that isn't messed up. This will save you hours and maybe even days worth of work. Don't forget to back up your work. External drives are cheap nowadays so there really isn't any excuse for backing up your work. Personally I use around four external terabyte drives and back my work up to a different one each week. I also have copies burned to DVD, a backup of current files on my SCAD drive, and a copy of my working files on my portable drive. |
