In this course you will we will be re-creating several iconic video game characters in Maya, learning the basics of polygonal modeling, texturing, rigging, and animation. In addition, you will be taking the knowledge you learn to create your own original characters. The final assignment of the entire course will be to design your own original iconic 3d character.

We will go beyond the technical skills of Maya to explore the far more important skills of Digital Storytelling. Great animation is only possible when there is a great story to tell. You will discover how to create a storyboard and animatic for your animations, then to use them like a blueprint to create far better animations.

After this course you will be empowered to navigate Maya like a boss. You will learn the tricks and techniques to become an animator and game character designer master. You'll be so confident with Maya that you will be able to design any character you want. As a bonus, we will be discussing the 12 principles of animation, discovered by the animation pioneers at Disney, and learning to incorporate them into our animations. We will be starting with the basics and moving on to expert level. Anyone with only moderate computer experience will be able to start at the beginning. This course is designed with the high schooler in mind. Ages 14+.

Course Outline:

1. Simple characters:

Minecraft Steve

Pac Man

Crewmate from Among Us (And Imposter!)

Kirby

BONUS:12 Principles of Animation

2. Intermedia Characters:

Final Assignment:Your own, original, custom character.

This course is designed to be fun. Your instructor, the Rockstar Teacher, teaches digital design and coding at a tech charter high school. He has learned from his students how to make learning fun and approachable. In every unit, there will be something called an abomination challenge. This is where you take the characters you've created and you make a monster out of them. You'll have a blast creating your own character abominations!

You'll be expected to do the assignments to create the characters, as well as the character abominations and your instructor will be providing you with feedback about how you are doing.

Have fun learning about 3d modeling, texturing, rigging, animation, and rendering!