CMPT 466: Computer Animation

(Spring 2025)

BossBaby Introduction
Prerequisite
 
Course Staff
Resources

Course Schedule
Moana


Introduction

Topics and techniques in computer animation, including: The history of animation, traditional animation, animation production pipeline, 3D model representation, kinematic animation, motion capture, particle systems, physics-based animation, character animation, soft objects and deformation.


Prerequisite


Course Staff

Principal Instructor: KangKang Yin
Guest Lecturers:  
Teaching Assistant: Arsh Khokhar 

Resources

Recommended Textbook: "Computer Animation: Algorithms and Techniques (third edition)", Rick Parent. Morgan Kaufmann, ISBN 9780124158429. The first edition of this book is available online here.

The movie and game industry has strong presence in Vancouver:

 Electronic Arts  Atmosphere  Sony Imageworks Relic Entertainment CD Projekt Red

Publication venues for animation research:

Siggraph  Eurographics  SCA   Motion, Interaction and Games  CHI  Pacific Graphics I3D

Some cool confereces you wanna check out:

GDC GTC

Course Schedule (tentative, subject to changes, check regularly)


Week Tuesday (10:30-12:20)
BLU10655
Friday (10:30-11:20)
BLU10655
1 Jan 7
 Introduction to Animation;
Animation Production
  
Siggraph on YouTube
Graphics Papers on the Web
Graphics Gems
The 5 Types of Animation

Dreamworks Animation Pipeline
Chapter 1.3 (before 1.3.1)
Chapter 1.4 and 1.4.1
Jan 10
Principles of Traditional Animation

Chapter 1.3.1
Principles of traditional animation
The cartoon animation filter
12 Principles of Animation
12 Principles of Animation in Games
2 Jan 14
Review: Coordinates and Transformations;
Interpolation and Smoothing

Chapter 4.1
Chapter 2.1.2-2.1.4
Appendix B.3.1 and B.3.2
Jan 17
Maya Basics (ASB 9840)

Maya Interface Tour
3 Jan 21
Curves and Splines  

Chapter 3.1; Chapter 3.4.3
Appendix B.5

First Programming Assignment Out
Jan 24
Unity Tutorial

https://unity.com/
https://learn.unity.com/
4 Jan 28
3D Rotations

Chapter 2.1.5 and 2.2
Appendix B.3.3 and B.3.4
Jan 31
Building a Character in Maya (ASB 9840)

Maya Basics - Shaping and Positioning Objects
Maya Basics - Building Your First Model
5 Feb 4

No Class
(SFU Snow Closure)


Feb 7
Interpolation of 3D Rotations

Chapter 3.3; Chapter 2.2.3
Visualizing Quaternions
Maya Gimbal Lock Explained
6 Feb 11
Skeletal Animation and Forward Kinematics;
Inverse Kinematics

Chapter 5.1; Chapter 5.2

Second Programming Assignment Out 
Feb 14
Inverse Kinematics (continued)

Chapter 5.3
Damped Least Squares Method
7 Feb 18
(No Class, Reading Break)
Feb 21
(No Class, Reading Break)
8 Feb 25
Motion Capture

Chapter 6
Feb 28
Maya Assignment (ASB 9840)

Maya FK and IK

Maya Assignment Out
9 Mar 4
Physics-based Animation Intro;
Particle Systems and Dynamics

Chapter 7.1; Appendix B.7
Chapter 7.3; Appendix B.8

Differential Equation Basics
Particle System Dynamics
Mar 7
Particle Systems in Maya (ASB 9840)

Creating Passive Colliders in Maya
Fluid simulation with nParticles 
10 Mar 11
Rigid Body Dynamics

Chapter 7.4
RIgid Body Dynamics

Third Programming Assignment Out
Mar 14
Articulated Rigid Body Systems

Constrained Dynamics
11 Mar 18
Introduction to Deep Learning;
DL-based Animation Methods

Deep Learning: A Crash Course
The Theory of Everything
Mar 21
Introduction to Deep Reinforcement Learning

Forth Programming Assignment Out
12 Mar 25
 DRL-based Animation Methods

Learning to Move
CS285 at UC Berkeley
Mar 28
Guest Lecture
13 Apr1
Rigging and Skinning
Apr 4
Maya Skinning (ASB 9840)

Painting Skin Weights in Maya
 14 Apr 8
Review
 (Last Class)