Course Outline

Module I: Introduction to the Animation Pipeline

• Overview of the animation industry and career paths.
• Understanding the complete 3D animation pipeline: Concept, Storyboarding, Modeling, Texturing, Rigging, Animation, Lighting, Rendering, Compositing.
• Blender advantages (free, open-source, comprehensive) and its place in the industry.
• Navigating the Blender 3D Viewport (pan, zoom, rotate).
• Understanding Blender Workspaces (Layout, Modeling, Sculpting, UV Editing, Shading, Animation, Rendering, Compositing).
• Basic object manipulation: selection, movement, rotation, scaling (Gizmos and hotkeys).
• Saving and loading Blender files, setting up project folders.

Module II: Basic Animation Scene Setup and Modeling

• Creating and managing collections for an organization.
• Adding primitive objects (Cube, Sphere, Cylinder, Plane).
• Understanding object origins and pivot points.
• Entering Edit Mode: vertices, edges, faces.
• Basic tools: Extrude, Inset, Loop Cut, Bevel.
• Introduction to Modifiers (Subdivision Surface).

Hands-on Exercise

• Model a simple object (e.g., a table or a basic character block-out) using learned tools.

Q&A and Review

Module III: Production - Asset Creation (Modeling & Texturing)

• More complex modeling with modifiers (Mirror, Solidify, Boolean).
• Introduction to Sculpting: basic brushes and workflows for organic shapes.
• Retopology concepts (brief overview of cleaning up sculpted meshes).
• Understanding UV maps and their importance for texturing.
• Basic UV unwrapping techniques (Smart UV Project, Seams).
• Checking for UV distortions.
• Understanding Blender's Shader Editor (Node-based workflow).
• Creating basic PBR (Physically Based Rendering) materials (Principled BSDF shader).
• Applying colors, roughness, and metallic properties.
• Importing and applying image textures (Albedo/Base Color, Normal, Roughness).
• Introduction to texture painting directly in Blender.

Hands-on Exercise

• Model a more complex object (e.g., a simple character head or a stylized prop), unwrap its UVs, and apply basic textures.

Q&A and Review

Module IV: Animation Production (Character Rigging)

• What is a rig, and why is it essential for animation?
• Understanding Armatures (Bones) and their hierarchy.
• Basic bone placement for a humanoid character.
• Adding bones to a simple character model.
• Setting up parent-child relationships between bones.
• Introduction to Inverse Kinematics (IK) and Forward Kinematics (FK) for limbs.
• Binding the mesh to the armature (Automatic Weights).
• Understanding weight painting: how bones influence the mesh.
• Techniques for refining weights to prevent undesirable deformations.
• Creating custom shapes for rig controls for easier animation.
• Parenting controls to bones.

Hands-on Exercise

Rig a simple character model (provided or previously modeled) and test its deformations using weight painting.

Q&A and Review

Module V: Post-Production – Animation

• The Timeline and Dope Sheet editors.
• Setting keyframes for various properties (Location, Rotation, Scale).
• Understanding interpolation types (Linear, Bezier, Constant).
• Mastering animation curves (F-Curves) for precise control over motion.
• Using handles to control acceleration and deceleration (Ease In/Out).
• Applying modifiers to F-Curves (e.g., Cycles modifier for looping).
• Applying basic animation principles: Squash & Stretch, Anticipation, Overshoot, Follow Through.
• Animating a simple bouncing ball or a basic walk cycle using a rigged character.

Scene Development & Layout

• Staging characters and props within the environment.
• Introduction to cameras: setting up camera angles, focal length, and basic camera animation.

Hands-on Exercise

•  Animate a short sequence (e.g., a character performing a simple action or a ball bouncing through a scene), focusing on applying animation principles and using the Graph Editor.

Q&A and Review

Module VI: Animation Rendering, Compositing & Final Project

• Understanding different light types in Blender (Point, Sun, Area, Spot).
• Basic three-point lighting setup.
• Introduction to HDRI (High Dynamic Range Imaging) for realistic lighting.
• Understanding Blender's render engines: Eevee (real-time) vs. Cycles (physically accurate).
• Render settings for quality and speed.
• Output formats and saving rendered images/sequences.
• Understanding the Compositor in Blender (Node-based workflow).
• Basic compositing nodes: Alpha Over, Mix, Color Correction.
• Adding simple post-processing effects (e.g., glare, blur).

Final Project Workshop

• Participants work on a final animation project, integrating all the skills learned throughout the week.
• Instructor provides one-on-one guidance and troubleshooting.
• Tips for presenting your animated work (demo reels, online platforms).

Course Wrap-up & Q&A