 Course Syllabus

What you will learn in this course

ANIMATION
Are you inherently creative? Do you have an eye for drawing, technology, and timing? If so, 2D
Animation is the course for you! 2D animation creates movement in a two-dimensional artistic
space. And in this course, you will learn the necessary skills to do just that. 2D Animation will
give you the tools to conceptualize and bring your animation dreams to life! Using a variety of
software and design programs, you’ll have the power to transform your creative notions into
reality! Design, define, and complete a variety of digital design projects including creating your
own website! Learning about 2D Animation could lead to a thriving career in the growing world of
technology and animation!

Unit 1: Basics of Animation

Drawing pictures and making them move is nothing short of magic. Since at least the 1600s,
people have been experimenting and inventing ways to make images move. In fact, it is these
cool experiments, which you can replicate yourself, that have led us to the modern era of
fantastic 3D computer generated animated movies! Get ready to take a peek behind the scenes as
we track the history of animation magic.

What will you learn in this unit?

Trace the origins and early history of the art of animation
Explore how the eye and brain process moving images
Compare the di erences between past animation techniques and current animation
technologies
Understand the di erences between various types of animation

UNIT 1 Assignments

Assignment Type
Unit 1 Text Questions Homework

Unit 1 Activity Homework

Unit 1 Discussion 1 Discussion

Unit 1 Discussion 2 Discussion

Unit 1 Quiz Discussion

Unit 2: Hand Drawn Animation

Humans talk with their hands, and one way this happens is by communication through
drawings. Traditional animation is hand-drawn animation, which evolved from the exciting
invention of photography and motion pictures. We will trace these developments all the way
through the classic principles of animation developed by the animators at Disney Studios.

What will you learn in this unit?

Explain how drawn animation evolved from early picture viewing devices
Understand and apply Disney’s 12 Principles of Animation
Use key terms of hand-drawn animation
Appreciate the world of animation beyond the United States
Include design elements in your drawings
 UNIT 2 Assignments

Assignment Type
Unit 2 Text Questions Homework

Unit 2 Lab Homework

Unit 2 Activity 1 Homework

Unit 2 Activity 2 Homework

Unit 2 Activity 3 Homework

Unit 2 Discussion 1 Discussion

Unit 2 Discussion 2 Discussion

Unit 2 Quiz Discussion

Unit 3: Computer Animation and CGI

How do they do that? Modern animated films are a complete wonder to look at and incredibly
complex to make. With so many artists performing intricate jobs to create realistic characters,
backgrounds, and movement, it takes organization and leadership to bring it all together into a
finished film. From the tiniest pixels to the huge computing power needed for post-production,
we’ll explore how CGI films are made.

What will you learn in this unit?

Understand the di erence between a bitmap image and a vector image
Trace the process of CGI production from idea to theater
Discuss the pros and cons of di erent production processes
De ne and explain kinematics and animatics
Identify the key departments in an animation studio

UNIT 3 Assignments

Assignment Type
Unit 3 Text Questions Homework
 Unit 3 Activity 1 Homework

Unit 3 Activity 2 Homework

Unit 3 Discussion 1 Discussion

Unit 3 Discussion 2 Discussion

Unit 3 Quiz Discussion

Unit 4: Digital 2D Animation and Rotoscopy

Now's your chance to join the ranks of talented animators! Everyone can try their hand at this
fun art form and increase their communication skills and artistic expression while learning a
simple 2D animation program. Pull out your photos and videos---you can use these along with
your drawings to make cool mini-animation while you explore TupiTube Desk, a 2D animation
program that will allow you to put everything you’ve learned into action!

What will you learn in this unit?

Create animation sequences with layered drawings and backgrounds
Trace videos to make rotoscoped sequences
Use the important functions of 2D animation software
Export your animated videos to share with the world
Apply graphical tools to improve your digital drawings

UNIT 4 Assignments

Assignment Type
Unit 4 Text Questions Homework

Unit 4 Activity Homework

Unit 4 Discussion 1 Discussion

Unit 4 Discussion 2 Discussion

Unit 4 Quiz Discussion

Unit 5: Human Anatomy and Form

Animated characters aren’t real, so animators don’t really need to understand the human body,
right? WRONG! You actually DO need to know how to draw the human form, with bone structure
and muscles, and appreciate real world body mechanics in order to draw believable, but also
stylized, animated characters. Together, we’ll tackle the basics and then you can let your
imagination fly, while taking your audience along with you for the ride.

What will you learn in this unit?

Draw the human body in proportion
Identify and create the walk cycle for animation
Discuss how poses communicate emotion
Develop your own animated characters based on real anatomy

UNIT 5 Assignments

Assignment Type
Unit 5 Text Questions Homework

Unit 5 Lab Homework

Unit 5 Activity Homework

Unit 5 Discussion 1 Discussion

Unit 5 Discussion 2 Discussion

Unit 5 Quiz Discussion

Unit 6: Animated Motion

Jump around. Walk. Run. Smile. Shake your head. Tap your foot. We move all the time, but how
does it look in a sequence of images? Movement in animation must conform roughly to the laws
of gravity and motion of the real world but can be used to express emotions, plot points, and
character development. Studying natural movement will teach you to translate movement into
animation, but you can still get creative and give that movement personality.

What will you learn in this unit?

Understand the Laws of Motion and Gravity
Apply physics principles to the movement of your characters
Create facial expressions that convey emotions
 Turn your characters into rst-rate actors

UNIT 6 Assignments

Assignment Type
Unit 6 Text Questions Homework

Unit 6 Activity 1 Homework

Unit 6 Activity 2 Homework

Unit 6 Discussion 1 Discussion

Unit 6 Discussion 2 Discussion

Unit 6 Quiz Discussion

Animation Midterm Exam

Review information acquired and mastered from this course up to this point.
Take a course exam based on material from the rst six units in this course (Note: You will be
able to open this exam only one time.)

MIDTERM Assignments

Assignment Type
Midterm Exam Exam

Midterm Discussion Discussion

Unit 7: Intro to Blender

Have you ever watched a modern animated movie and wondered how they created those
incredibly detailed and compelling characters and worlds? With extremely realistic lighting,
physics, and even hair, fur, and skin, the world of 3D animation has become truly rich and
visually compelling. In this unit, we will learn about the popular, open source, yet powerful, 3D
modeling and animation software called Blender.
What will you learn in this unit?
Explain the di erence between motion capture and keyframe animation
Grasp the power of modern animation techniques, including bones, muscles, and rigging
Understand the process of simulating water, hair, and other dynamics
Navigate the Blender interface
Create simple animations using parenting, movement, rotation and scaling along with
keyframes

UNIT 7 Assignments

Assignment Type
Unit 7 Text Questions Homework

Unit 7 Activity Homework

Unit 7 Discussion 1 Discussion

Unit 7 Discussion 2 Discussion

Unit 7 Quiz Discussion

Unit 8: Character Modeling

Have you ever watched an extremely vivid, polished animated movies or 3D video games and
wondered to yourself: How do they create those 3D characters? We’re going to begin by exploring
the basic tools and techniques involved in creating the 3D models for characters, and then you’ll
even get to create a 3D character model of your own!

What will you learn in this unit?

Use various modeling techniques to create a character model
Hide background geometry
Navigate the 3D view using shortcuts
Switch between perspective and orthographic mode
Understand and apply the principles of topology

UNIT 8 Assignments
 Assignment Type
Unit 8 Text Questions Homework

Unit 8 Activity Homework

Unit 8 Discussion 1 Discussion

Unit 8 Discussion 2 Discussion

Unit 8 Quiz Discussion

Unit 9: Character Animation

At some point, you have probably watched a modern animated movie like Ice Age or Shrek, or
played a modern, high-end computer game and asked yourself: How did they make those
characters move so realistically, and believably? Well…you’re about to find out! Get ready to take
a look at the basic process involved in rigging, skinning, and animating a 3D character.

What will you learn in this unit?

Create an armature rig to t a bipedal character model
Skin, or attach, a character model to a rig so that it deforms like skin with the movements of
the various bones
Develop a seamless walk cycle for a rigged character model

UNIT 9 Assignments

Assignment Type
Unit 9 Text Questions Homework

Unit 9 Lab Homework

Unit 9 Activity Homework

Unit 9 Discussion 1 Discussion

Unit 9 Discussion 2 Discussion

Unit 9 Quiz Discussion

Unit 10: Storytelling

Want to go to the movies? Well, why do people go? Because of the story! It draws them in, makes
them care about the characters, and it lets them immerse themselves in another world.
Storytelling is as old as the cavemen, and it is the best way to entertain modern humans as well.
How do you make sure your story will captivate the audience? We have the secrets and the tricks
right here—come along and we will tell you a story about telling a story!

What will you learn in this unit?

Write dialogue and action in proper lm script format
Understand three-act script structure
Identify camera shots, angles, and movement
Create storyboards for animation

UNIT 10 Assignments

Assignment Type
Unit 10 Text Questions Homework

Unit 10 Activity 1 Homework

Unit 10 Activity 2 Homework

Unit 10 Activity 3 Homework

Unit 10 Discussion 1 Discussion

Unit 10 Discussion 2 Discussion

Unit 10 Quiz Discussion

Unit 11: Video, Music, & Sound

Silent films were great when they first came out, but now that we can have music, sound, and
talking in our films… let’s do it! From recording voice acting to making your own sound effects,
putting sound to animation is an exercise in imagination and precision. After all, you don’t want
that “pop!” to be heard before the popcorn actually starts to pop or the “crash” to occur before
the block tower comes toppling over. Funny, quirky, spooky, or serious—the sounds included in
your animation and how you make them are really all up to you!

What will you learn in this unit?

 Appreciate how sound a ects emotions
Record good voice acting for animation
Match animated mouth shapes to the sounds of speech
Design and edit a simple soundtrack for video
Add titles and export an animation with sound

UNIT 11 Assignments

Assignment Type
Unit 11 Text Questions Homework

Unit 11 Lab Homework

Unit 11 Activity Homework

Unit 11 Discussion 1 Discussion

Unit 11 Discussion 2 Discussion

Unit 11 Quiz Discussion

Unit 12: Careers in Animation

Animation is fun stuff! Who wouldn’t want to spend their days making amusing characters do
silly things to entertain the masses? Well, perhaps you have a more serious side and would like
to apply your talents to medicine or engineering. That is possible for animators too! Whatever
your dream, today is the first day on the path to a lifetime of fulfilling work as an animator. Seize
the day!

What will you learn in this unit?

Put together a portfolio of your work
Recognize plagiarism and know how to avoid it in animation
Pitch your animation project
Understand the di erence between jobs in animation vs. game design
Describe how to protect your digital animation work

UNIT 12 Assignments
 Assignment Type
Unit 12 Text Questions Homework

Unit 12 Lab Homework

Unit 12 Activity 1 Homework

Unit 12 Activity 2 Homework

Unit 12 Activity 3 Homework

Unit 12 Discussion 1 Discussion

Unit 12 Discussion 2 Discussion

Unit 12 Quiz Discussion

Animation Final Exam

Review information acquired and mastered from this course up to this point.
Take a course exam based on material from units seven to twelve in this course – the last six
units. (Note: You will be able to open this exam only one time.)

FINAL Assignments

Assignment Type
Final Exam Exam

Class Re ection Discussion Discussion

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