GAMES 6350: TECHNICAL  ART I

Instructor: Brian Salisbury, MFA
Department: GAMES
Prerequisites: MEAE student in Technical Art Track
Email: brian.salisbury@utah.edu
Discord: steak57

Office Hours:
Monday 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm Building 72 downstairs
Tuesday 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm Williams Building 401 (By Appointment)

Teaching Assistants:
Li-Yu Sun
u1537477@utah.edu

Zhuojun Wei
u1482431@utah.edu

Office Hours:

Li-Yu 9 AM - 12 PM on Mondays on Zoom
Zhuojun 9 AM - 12 PM on Fridays in person at Williams

 

Course Description:
This is a tools scripting course utilizing Autodesk Maya, Maya Embedded Language (MEL), and Python. With a Focus on Python, students will learn to make tools to automate processes in the art asset pipeline specific to game development. Students will additionally explore content creation processes within the broad spectrum of art and technical art.

Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this course, you will be able to:

• Solve problems, create processes and pipelines for the creation and implementation of models, animation, FX and other assets and data into a game engine, appearing and functioning as expected.
• Understand the constraints of game engines and how to work within them on class team projects and individual projects.
• Identify repetitive tasks such as Rigging and create automated and procedural tools typically encountered by game artists.
• Show a mastery of fundamental technical, art, design principles, through portfolio works.

Course Objectives:

• Master Python scripting for technical art applications in Maya Python API.
  
• Build effective team communication and collaboration skills for cross-disciplinary projects with artists, designers, and programmers.
  
• Learn creative problem solving skills for asset creation and game engine implementation through technical constraints and an artistic lens.
  
• Identify and create portfolio projects in subjects of personal interest such as VFX, animation, modeling, procedural content creation, automation tools, shaders, lighting, etc.

Attendance:
It is very important that students attend all classes as a lot of information will  be given during class exercises and demos. If a class is going to be missed it is the student's responsibility to inform everyone and get class in formation from their fellow students.  

Tools and Software:
Graphics tablet, note  taking materials, drawing supplies and paper,  Maya, Zbrush, Photoshop, Substance Designer/Painter, Marmoset Toolbag, Unreal.

Time Commitment:
This is a 3 credit hour  class, so we expect approximately 10ish hours  of work each and every week. This is a course  focused on art production in which timeliness,  presence and follow-through are fundamental to success in this career path. 

 

Class Structure:
This course consists of lectures, live demonstration, critiques, and open labs.

Sketch Books: 
Daily drawings turned in weekly

CORE:
Foundational concept, workflows, and tools, taught to both artist and tech artists from the perspective of their respected discipline along with their interdependencies. Each group will learn both aspects, but have domain specific deliverables.

Auto Rig:
Students will create a character auto-rigging script or related tool in Maya

Personal Project: 
Students will Identify a subject of personal interest such as VFX, animation, modeling, procedural content creation, automation tools, shaders, lighting, etc.

Weekly Submissions: 
Students will submit weekly progress submissions for Sketches, Core Projects, Auto Rig, and Personal Projects.

Personal Project Portfolio: 
The final presentation and breakdown of your work.

Class Timeline:

 

Grading

Sketch Book: 5%
Weekly Submissions: 30%
Auto Rig: 30%
Personal Project Portfolio: 30%
Postmortem: 5%
Course Evaluation: 0-5% (Bonus)

 

Grading scale:

Grades are based on the following scale and are subject to finalization on an adaptive curve (In most cases, this would be rounding up) therefore grades in Canvas may not necessarily reflect final course grades.

A        94 – 100                Excellent Performance, Superior Achievement

A-       90 - 93.99              

B+      87 - 89.99             Good Performance, Substantial Achievement

B        84 - 86.99              

B-       80 - 83.99              

C+      77 - 79.99             Standard Performance and Achievement

C        74 - 76.99              

C-       70 - 73.99

D+      67 - 69.99             Substandard Performance, Marginal Achievement

D        64 - 66.99

D-       61 - 63.99              

E        0 - 60.99               Unsatisfactory Performance and Achievement

 

Note: This syllabus is meant to serve as an outline and guide for our course. Please note that I may modify it with reasonable notice to you. I may also modify the Course Schedule to accommodate the needs of our class. Any changes will be announced in class and posted on Canvas under Announcements.

 

University Policies

Updated mandatory syllabus policies regarding the ADA Act, Safety at the U, Addressing Sexual Misconduct, and Academic Misconduct can be viewed at: https://cte.utah.edu/instructor-education/syllabus/institutional-policies.phpLinks to an external site.