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Course Information

Introduction to 3D (DMP 245)

Term: 2025-2026 School Year Fall Term

Faculty

Steven James Pierce
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Office Hours active Fridays 11 am to 1 pm in TEAMS calendar.

Tutoring can be by appointment relative to your needs as a working student.

I have been teaching digital media skills since 1998 when as an adjunct instructor I taught desktop video production with Adobe Premiere on Apple computers. 3D is my focus as an artist, and I became a full-time professor in 2000 as a 3D generalist teaching digital media arts and animation for business and entertainment.

These days I still have my 3D generalist skills active; modeling, texturing, animating and rendering, in Maya, and 3ds Max. Adobe PS, Premiere, AE are some of my favorite pre-production and post-production tools. For the last 7 years I taught table top and video game related course content, working with game engines like Unity and Unreal 3, and 4.  Video games have so many opportunities for young artists and it was fun developing young game artists who are still active in the game industry and doing other interactive experiences (apps).

The art of 3D animation is so engaging, and is a great way to explore your dreams. What’s your dream? Let’s work together to make it come alive.

Schedule

Mon-Wed, 10:00 AM - 11:50 AM (8/25/2025 - 12/12/2025) Location: SF MICKE 220

Description

Students will learn about 3D space and the terms and tools used when creating animations. The tools, objects, and terminology of modeling for 3D animation are also introduced, including points, edges, and polygons. Students will use existing models to learn how to apply the principles of animation and create walk cycles, focusing on realistic weight, timing, and poses. Basic rendering techniques will be presented. Students will develop inanimate objects and apply surfaces, materials, and textures. Different modeling techniques, such as box, NURBS, and subdivision modeling, will be taught. Prerequisite: MEDIA 115, MEDIA 117, MEDIA 125, MEDIA 127, MEDIA 128, DMP 120, DMP 150