Brief & Intro

Digital Environments/Visual Studies Unit Code - ANI09206

Date of Issue Jan 04 2010

This unit focuses on the development of students’ skills in environmental computer visualisation. Students begin to exploit the possibilities of animation within an environment to create a virtual setting to support dynamic character interaction.

Working in teams to simulate conventional animation industry workflow, students are introduced to the visualisation and creation of an environment in 3D using modelling, texturing and lighting techniques. They learn how to create and populate this environment with contextually appropriate assets, in a consistently defined and implemented visual aesthetic that is derived from their drawing and research into environments both actual and virtual.

The Unit aims:

• To introduce industrial, team based, animation workflows;
• To develop personal reflection upon individual contribution to group endeavour;
• To develop UV mapping and texturing skills;
• To develop the ability to generate considered and analytical visual responses to research.


Project Brief For this project you will be working in teams of four or five students. You will all be working towards a final collaborative short film but will have the opportunity to fulfil clear and separate roles within the team.

• You will be working to create an animated environment.
• You will be collaborating not only with the other animators in your team, but also with designers from the environment design course.
• Their designs will form the starting point for your work.

This environment will be modelled in 3D, UV mapped, textured and lit based upon the research of materials and environments as initially designed or propsed by IDEAS students. This research will consist of practical site visits (such as the trip to Barcelona and alternative London based venues) and associated drawing and photography, as well as academic research via the web and the LRC.

This environment must demonstrate integral animation, it could be mechanical such as machinery, doors, windows, windmills etc, or it could be more organic, and atmospheric, such as the effects of wind on plants, weather conditions etc. It could be a much more long term animation to show the effect of years passing, rather than minutes. For those of you who feel that you are more character animators than computer visualisers you can focus upon contextualising the designed environment by populating it with characters using that environment, it may be that the environment is being used in an unintended or unexpected way that has evolved through public interaction with the space. (Was the South Bank designed for skateboarding or parkour?).

It may be easier for you to think about defining the way in which you will approach this project by choosing one of the themes listed below.

a) Changes over time (historic).
b) Changes in weather or lighting (climatic).
c) Changes in use of the environment (contextual).

Although you will be working as part of a team towards your final animation, you will also be required to provide evidence of your individual contribution to the project via a blogged design journal where you will document your personal research, experimentation, and acquiring of new skills.

Ok let's get cracking with this!

Having read the brief, i have already formed a team consisting of 5 members overall including myself. These members are Leonard Onikoyi, Yemi Akande, Trish Kim Phan and Marios Economides. The group will be called Team ALPHA! lol!

Already a week into the project, the team and i have been working very closely and in depth about the sort of environment we want to go for. Having discussed and brainstormed ideas of potential themes and moods, we have settled on creating a sci fi futuristic city combining contemporary modern day architecture. The reason for choosing the theme of sci fi was because it was the most exciting and interesting theme out of all the other ideas we came up with. Plus relishing the challenge of creating something epic and grand was what motivated everyone in choosing this type of environment.