Amitabh Sharma
Features Coordinator

Imagine walking through the isles of a super market in the U.S; strolling down the beach, watching the sun rise or a taking a tour in your favourite theme park in your computer. Sounds science fiction or a dream sequence, but this is the next level of animation and design, the 3D.

What is 3D
The 3D computer graphics, as the name suggests add ‘depth’; 3D computer graphics are often referred to as 3D models. Wikipedia describes a 3D model as ‘the mathematical representation of any three-dimensional object (either inanimate or living).’ A 3D model is not technically a graphic until it is visually displayed. With the advent of 3D printing, these are not confined to virtual space.

The process of creating 3D computer graphics can be sequentially divided into three basic phases: 3D modeling which describes the process of forming the shape of an object, layout and animation which describes the motion and placement of objects within a scene, and 3D rendering which produces an image of an object.

The dimension
3 D animation and design is one of the most fast-paced, youthful and exciting industries in the world. You could create an animation film or start your own graphic design firm with few resources.

Career opportunities are in the creative or the technical sphere. If mix of both it would be desirable as both aspect complement each other. Some of the areas that you can look at are:

Development
This involves conceptualizing ideas and designing initial concepts. Pitching the product and securing funding and intellectual property rights are also important at this stage.

Pre-Production
A person in pre-production gives ‘life’ to the idea; this involves writing the script; drawing the storyboard; designing character turnarounds; designing layouts / backgrounds; and creating animations.

Production
Production involves building, rigging and texturing models; animating characters, and setting up and lighting scenes.


Post-Production
Post Production involves collating assets - e.g. filmed footage, digital animation sequences, special effects into the finished film. It includes editing, scoring the music, quality checking and outputting the final product into the required formats.

Get started
The Caribbean Institute of Media and Communication (CARIMAC) at the University of the West Indies offers two short courses in 3-D Animation and Graphic Design to help make this dream a reality. The courses, which begin in January 2008, offer fundamental skills needed to create animated shorts and graphic design using open source software.

The two highly intensive and comprehensive short courses aim to foster the creative and artistic genius of teens and adults. The 3-D Animation course involves basic 3-D animation, interactive programming and modelling. The Graphic Design course, also available to adults, teaches basic advertising publicity techniques including: logos, brochures, posters or billboard advertising.

“If we were using a proprietary application such as Maya, a full version could cost each student up to US$7000, that's way out of our reach. My students are free to continue learning without needing to find exorbitant fees, as long as they can figure out how to install the software on their machines at home. They are encouraged to share the software with as many persons as they wish, this is the exact opposite of how proprietary software," says David Bain, one of the instructors for the 3-D animation course.

"From I was smaller I had this big vision. I was hoping to actually create an entertainment company that dealt with animation, music, toys, all those kind of things. I also wanted to establish a school. If I could build a kind of 3-D animation school then I could teach this kind of stuff. With this and the company, the Caribbean flavour could be given out to the world," says Matthew Anderson, who took the 3-D animation course in July 2007. "I learned a whole lot, crazy! My cousin gave me a 3-D programme to toy around with. It took me weeks to know the kind of stuff that I do now in only four days," continues Anderson.

"We really want to expose the students to the principles of 3-D animation. I really get excited when the students understand the "why" and not just the "how". Hopefully this will lay a foundation and they can build on the knowledge they have gained," says Bain.

"I find that thinkers and those with an experimental mindset tend to do well. Also 3-D animation rewards those who are patient. This isn't about instant gratification."

amitabh.sharma@gleanerjm.com