IMD4003: Exam Review Notes

For IMD 4003: Computer Animation, taught by Chris Joslin

Lecture 13 – Character Animation V

• Walking and Locomotion: no drawing but certain elements are important (key positions)
• Walking is the main (skipping and jumping are less significant)
• Feet and Legs: shoulders opposing, motion of the legs are important
• Hips, Spine and Shoulders: maintaining centre of gravity; opposing rotation, swinging of arms and head
• Concept of Walking Forward
• Not the concept of timing the walk (maybe giving a range? But doubtful)
• Possible Question: How do different moods will affect posture style, stride length, personality, hips?
• Stride and Gait will definitely be on it
• Lower Body positions maybe but doubtful
• Transitions are less important
• Going up and down slopes will likely be a question
• Details are less important in this lecture

Lecture 14 – Match Moving 1

• Nothing about software
• Process is important (the diagram in the slides)
• Make sure you know a broad overview of each step, not the intricate details
• Pipeline is a good question (very important not to mix this with the process)
• Perspective Matching:
  • Focal Length, Height of Camera, Distance from Cam and Scale of Object, Film Back
  • Understand the process
  • Steps for adding rough geometry

Lecture 15 – Match Moving 2

• Software process is an interesting thing
• Photogrammetry is not as important but you should know
  • 3D, 2D projection: number of points you need to fix the rotation of the axis
  • Calculate degrees of freedom
  • Points of Intersect
  • Understand Parallax
• 2D Tracking:
  • Anatomy
  • Key-framing
  • Minimum Number of Tracks and Stair-stepping
• Plate Issues (MINOLS)

Lecture 16 – Match Moving 3

• Define Residuals
• 2 Types of Lens Distortion
• Masking
• Checkerboards may be a 2-mark question

Lecture 17 – Audio for Animation

• Definitions in red: types of sounds (diegetic, etc)
• Sound classifications
• Sound Effects: 3 categories and explain
• Examples are not replacements for answers
• Visual and Audio Processing: less important
• Time Perception: less important
• Sound for Character Development: pitch shifting ,etc is a good question
• Define Motifs and Lemotifs
• Plausibility vs. Reality: okay question
• Metaphoric Sound is an okay question – may ask for an example
• Sound Design Theory is less important
• Dialogue:
  • Walla will be on the exam
  • On-Screen Dialogue
  • Narration
  • Synthetic Languages maybe
  • Differences in Microphones
  • What’s a pop-shield
  • Sibilance and Plosives (maybe explain)

Lecture 18 – Particle Systems

• Many questions because it’s easy to ask them and its objective
• Example of fuzzy phenomena
• Generation (attributes; describe what is an emitter, particle, where it should be created, where the particle density is low; initial attributes like velocity, size, colour etc; understand, explain and regurgitate the equations), Dynamics (what forces may be applied, damping maybe, collisions maybe, other variables yes with an example) and Extinction (very good question – Age and Lifetime with 3 different ideas) are the most important
• Rendering is less important
• Metaballs is a 2-mark question
• Uses are less important

Lecture 19 – Motion Control 1

• Bad set of slides so this lecture and next lecture will most likely be combined
• Representation is important: describe the 3 types of representation
• No Motion Capture
• Time Manipulation yes (why we use them, what they are)
• Motion Curves is not likely
• Motion Retargeting might be on there (why we do it)
• Path Editing is doubtful

Lecture 20 – Motion Control 2

Interpolation

• Equation in terms of slow-in and slow-out are important (1 question combined – may give the equation and ask you to describe what they are) or he’ll most likely give you the 2 types of equations and ask you to give the interpolation
• Splines, etc

Quaternion

• Equations won’t be on it
• Concatenation equation will be a 4 mark question maybe
• Vector Rotations equation is important
• Why we do certain interpolations, why certain ones fail
• LERP and SLERP are 2 main things we should for sure remember

Lecture 22 – Dynamic Systems 1 (Cloth)

• Do not remember Cloth equations
• Understand spring damper, particle edge, how they’re connect, measured, assessed
• May give you an equation and ask you what’s going on
• Springs and Dampers: Computing Forces and Integrating Motions is a good question (steps)
• Spring and Damping Constants
• Forces equation is important – break it down
• Calculating Forces (with the e) is less important because it’s complicated
• Definitely break down aerodynamics question
• Calculate drag
• Give you fdrag equation and break it down
• Won’t give you n* equation
• Bending Forces
• Plastics Deformations is a good question
• Fracturing and Tearing is a good question
• System Stability: remember 2 of them (he won’ tell you which ones) understand what they are but you should understand time-step and why we choose more complex equations
• Other methods may be a 2-mark question at the end

Lecture 23 – Dynamic Systems 2 (Fluids)

Broken down into:

• Dynamic Systems
  • Fluid Dynamics – vector fields (rate of change by…), 2D Vector function
  • Diff between fluid and particle system
  • 10-mark question; Break down the Navier-Stokes equation (remember the equation)
  • Diffusion (…) term – have a clear idea of what it is and an example
  • Cell representation is important – so understand it
• Implementing Fluid Dynamics
• Problems with Fluid Simulation
  • 2-mark question

Lecture 24 – Dynamic Systems 3 (Hair)

Original lecture notes can be found at: Wen Tang (choose the Wen Tang.ppt slides).