degree in animation and vfx la salle campus barcelona

Bachelor in Animation and VFX

Become a professional in 3D computer generated imagery, including special effects and 3D artwork. The Degree in Animation at La Salle Campus Barcelona is the first official undergraduate degree program in Catalonia.

Lighting III for animation

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Description: 

This specialisation course focuses on digital lighting for animation productions, using Arnold as the primary rendering engine. Students will learn to integrate into and optimise their work within a professional production pipeline, acquiring the technical and artistic skills required to meet the real demands of the industry.

Through a continuous review system equivalent to that used in professional studios, students will refine their artistic judgment, learn to manage the lighting of complete sequences, and develop advanced proficiency in the industry's key tools: Maya and Arnold for lighting and rendering, Houdini and Karma as an introduction to a procedural production environment, and Nuke for compositing and the final finishing of images.

The course places particular emphasis on the student's ability to adapt to the review and correction processes typical of a professional environment, preparing them not only technically but also in terms of emotional management and constructive response to feedback. The final outcome is the creation of a competitive demo reel that showcases the skills acquired and can be presented to the animation and visual effects industry.

Type Subject
Optativa
Semester
First
Credits
4.00

Titular Professors

Sancho José Albano Berrocal
Professor
Yeray Sánchez Merino

Professors

Sancho José Albano Berrocal
Yeray Sánchez Merino
Previous Knowledge: 

Lighting II

Objectives: 

  • Improvement of artistic judgment.
  • Management of sequence lighting.
  • Advanced lighting knowledge using Maya, Houdini, and Nuke.
  • Creation of a competitive demo reel.
  • Emotional management when receiving feedback and corrections.

Contents: 

This is a specialisation course that delves in depth into the following subjects:

  • In-depth study of cinematography and image stylisation through practical application.
  • Sequence planning oriented towards professional production.
  • Advanced atmosphere creation systems to establish a clear visual read of images.
  • Working with heterogeneous volumes (clouds and fog) as compositional elements.
  • Exterior lighting for heavy scenes and optimisation using stand-ins.
  • Advanced interior lighting schemes.
  • Lighting animated scenes with motion blur.
  • Advanced character lighting techniques.
  • Underwater scene lighting.
  • Advanced eye preparation and lighting techniques.
  • Creation of advanced mattes for use in Nuke.
  • Creation of custom gizmos in Nuke: Bloom, Promist, AOV corrector, etc.
  • Creation of an advanced template for working in Nuke.
  • Deep compositing with Maya and Nuke.
  • Introduction to lighting with Houdini and Karma.
  • Creation of a multishot template for sequence work in Houdini.
  • Sequence lighting using a master lighting setup within a single Houdini file.
  • Creation of custom tools in Houdini (HDAs).

Methodology: 

The course is divided into two main parts:

  • The first consists of a weekly theoretical and practical class, in which the course content is explained with a focus on the production of final degree projects.
  • The second part, and the most important, is a weekly review of all submitted exercises. Students must apply the requested changes and resubmit their work the following week. Exercises must be submitted as many times as necessary until they are approved. This review system mirrors the version validation process used in a professional environment.

Evaluation: 

The assessment is based on the submission of 4 cumulative exercises, from which a weighted average is calculated. In addition, consistent work ethic and engagement with the course are also evaluated.

Evaluation Criteria: 

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Basic Bibliography: 

Additional Material: 

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