Record of Learner Achievement
Unit: / 3D Animation L3 CV10Ofqual Unit Reference Number: / H/502/5668
Unit Review Date: / 31/12/2016
LEARNING OUTCOMES / ASSESSMENT CRITERIA / EVIDENCE LOCATION /
The learner will: / The learner can: /
1. Understand theory and applications of 3D / 1.1. Summarise accurately theory and applications of 3D using some subject terminology appropriately
2. Be able to devise a 3D animation / 2.1. Generate outline ideas for a 3D animation working within appropriate conventions and with some assistance
3. Be able to create a 3D animation following industry practice. / 3.1. Create a 3D animation following industry practice working within appropriate conventions and with some assistance
Assessment Guidance
Learning Outcome 1
Learners will describe the use of 3D within the interactive media industry and how 3D graphics are displayed, including reference to geometric theory and mesh construction, though the evidence will typically not discuss displaying 3D polygon environments. The description will not be related through examples to particular 3D applications. Descriptions of geometric theory and mesh construction will be correct and should cover the main points. A learner might note when discussing geometric theory, ‘Points are the most basic part of every 3D object. The joining of points creates lines, which in turn can then be made into polygons. Points are used to identify a place or location in 3D space. Once you have your points, you can now connect them to make a line.’ Evidence will show a basic understanding of technical terminology but learners will generally be unsure about this vocabulary and will make fairly frequent mistakes when they do use it.
Theory and applications:
Applications of 3D: uses, e.g. environments, models, product design, animations, TV, film, web, games, education, architectural walk-through.
Displaying 3D polygon animations: application programming interface, e.g. Direct3D, OpenGL; graphics pipeline, e.g. modelling, lighting, viewing, projection, clipping, scan conversion, texturing and shading, display; rendering techniques (radiosity, ray tracing); rendering engines; distributed rendering techniques; lighting; textures; fogging; shadowing; vertex and pixel shaders; level of detail.
Geometric theory: vertices; lines; curves; edge; polygons; element; face; primitives; meshes, e.g. wireframe; coordinate geometry (two-dimensional, three-dimensional); surfaces.
Mesh construction: box modelling; extrusion modelling; using common primitives, e.g. cubes, pyramids, cylinders, spheres.
3D development software: software, e.g. 3D Studio Max, Maya, Lightwave, AutoCAD, Cinema 4D, Softimage|XSI; file formats, e.g. .3ds, .mb, .lwo, .C4d, .dxf, .obj; plug-ins.
Constraints: polygon count; file size; rendering time
Learning Outcome 2
Learners will indicate some consideration of brief or target audience, though this is likely to be a cursory statement of fact, without discussion of implications. Evidence will show some recording of ideas generation outlining their ideas through brainstorming sheets, sketches, storyboards or otherwise, though they will not justify choice of final ideas for implementation. There will be some imagination behind the ideas and some attempt will have been made to explain intentions but this will be patchy and not always clear. They will have constructed a brief specification which will outline the idea and will give some indication of what will be required to produce the animation. They will also show that they have taken account to some extent of legal and ethical considerations, though this evidence is likely to be minimal and factual only, lacking consideration of implications for the final animation.
Devise a 3D animation:
Stimulus: e.g. client brief, own brief, from market research.
Ideas: brainstorming; sketches; pre-visualisation (concept drawings, storyboards).
Legal and ethical considerations: copyright; ethical issues, e.g. confidentiality, representation (race, gender, religion, sexuality), decency.
Specification: target audience; key visual themes; storyboards; constraints, e.g. polygon count, image resolution, frame rate, output size and aspect ratio, file type, file size.
Learning Outcome 3
Learners will have produced a 3D animation of between 500 and 600 frames from ideas generated from their interpretation of the brief. The learner’s use of the 3D animation software to produce their 3D animation will be basic, typically using layers and object naming conventions, animation tools (such as move, stretch, rotate pivot points), linking and using chains, animating with key frames, using ambient, distant, area and spot lighting types, adding a target virtual camera and applying basic textures to objects, and using basic animation rendering techniques. Learners will provide documentation on their use of the 3D application software tools and features used to produce their 3D animation but it will be scanty and lacking in detail. Following industry practice, learners will be able to review their finished 3D animation work in such a way that they move beyond merely describing it. They will make evaluative comments upon what they have done but these comments will be assertions that are not supported by evidence or exemplification They will discuss both production process and finished product comparing it with their original intentions, making comments on fitness for purpose, technical qualities, aesthetic qualities, production skills, ideas generation, workflow and time management, technical competence and teamwork and commenting on how they have used 3D development software to create a solution to the brief. The learner might note for example, ‘For my animation I based it on a planet in outer space. I animated my spaceship model by using key frame animation tools to make the ship move from the launch pad and disappear into outer space. I had a problem with my camera behind the spaceship looking down at the planet surface; you could see the square-shaped plane I had used for the landscape with the space station sitting on it. It looked really awful.’
Plan: asset management (file storage and retrieval, naming conventions); workflow (scheduling, efficient time management); deadlines (production milestones, deliverables, quality assurance).
Software interface: files, e.g. loading, properties, merging, replacing, importing, saving, backup and auto-saving; viewports, e.g. viewport configuration, viewport controls; workspace, e.g. command panels, floating palettes and toolbars, drawing aids; animation controls, e.g. time, trajectories, pivot points, forward kinematics, inverse kinematics, morphing, effects, key frames and playback.
Animation: layers; object naming conventions; tools, e.g. move, stretch, rotate pivot points, linking, kinematics, skeletons, deformations, skin, particle systems, real-world physics.
Animation techniques: time-based (animating with key frames); motion control; kinematics (inverse, forward); staging the animation, e.g. lights, cameras, supports, tripods; biped; deformations; paths/trajectories; effects, e.g. motion blur, glow, particle systems, real-world physics; object hierarchies; parent-child inheritance and relationship.
Animation process: animating, e.g. objects, lights, cameras, textures, morphs and transformations.
Virtual camera: cameras, e.g. target, free, camera view; camera parameters, e.g. lens length, field of vision (FOV), focus, depth of field aperture; camera animation.
Lighting techniques: light types, e.g. ambient, distant, area, spot, point, linear, photometric, raytraced; lighting controls and effects, e.g. projector, attenuation, colour, shadows; atmospheric, e.g. clouds, smoke, fire; volumetric, e.g. fog, mist.
Texturing techniques: texturing process, e.g. creating, loading textures, applying textures; using materials, e.g. materials editor, mapping materials, material modifiers; material types, e.g. bitmap, procedural, using avi video files as textures.
Rendering: scene rendering, e.g. rendering controls, rendering options, output size and aspect ratio, safe-frame, file type, file size; image resolution, e.g. TV, film, game, web.
Industry practice: reflect on finished product (compared with original intentions, fitness for purpose, technical qualities, aesthetic qualities); production skills (ideas generation, animation specification, workflow and time management, technical competence, teamwork).
Evidence Requirements
Evidence of practical ability must be demonstrated.
Final Tutor Feedback (Strengths and Areas for Improvement):
Learner Submission Disclaimer
I declare that this is an original piece of work and that all of the work is my own unless referenced.
Assessor Disclaimer
I confirm that this learner’s work fully meets all the assessment criteria listed above at the correct level and that any specified evidence requirements have been addressed.
Assessor / Learner / Date1 | Page
V1 – October 2014