A collaborative and interdisciplinary computer animation course

Abstract

Animation has always required a close collaboration between artists and scientists, poets and engineers. Current trends in computer animation have made successful and effective teamwork a necessity. To address these issues, we have developed an interdisciplinary computer animation course for artists and scientists that focuses on team work and contemporary issues in computer animation. A key component of this course is the use of collaborative teams that provide practical experience and cross-mixing of student expertise. Another key component is group-based education: the students learn from each other, as well as the instructors. Student teams produce a professional animation that extends the capabilities of a commercial animation package. They gain experience in and exposure to the state-of-the-art research in computer animation and rendering, the complete animation process and the artistic aspects and aesthetics of computer animation. We describe our approach to teaching this course, the curriculum and structure of the course, the results and lessons learned from our experience.