Machinima

CS 3660

Homework 1

Introduction

Welcome to CS3660.  This assignment is about learning to use Hammer and Faceposer to set up a scene (see the resources page for useful links, including the starting project, map, and mod files).  We will assume that the actual set already exists.  In our case, we have modeled our class room (it is the map web102.vmf in the zip file under mapsrc which is the movie stuff ).  This is an PAIR assignment.

Here is a version of the web102 map without anything in it. You may want to start with this or you can start with the one modified with the dragon in it (wweb102clean.vmf).  We suggest that you should keep your map files in a directory not buried down in the ep2 directory (like the mapsrc file is). Keep it on your directory some place so you don't lose them or leave them in the lab for others to get your good ideas from.

Task

Using faceposer, hammer, and the associated tools and create a scene using some venue in the WEB building set as follows:

1. Write a script (if you want to use a script writing tool, check out www.celtx.com which we will be using later). The script should be for a joke or just something funny.  Make it funny!!!!! The joke must involve at least two people.  Try to make it funny and not simply "nerd humor" (if you just can't find a good joke, do some web searching and see if you can find one that you think is funny).  Edit the dialog with the phonemes so it has realistic lip syncing.  Do not "borrow" the recorded jokes from existing comedians. Your dialog must be spoken by voice actors. (20 points) Note - you should hand in your script file.
2. Record the dialog (20 points)
3. Create a scene and add the dialogue to the scene. (10 points)
4. Add facial animation to the joke teller as they tell the joke. (10 points)
5. Add facial animation to the joke listener. (10 points)
6. Add physical animation to the two actors (15 points)
7. Make sure that the listener laughs, or gesture or whatever in reaction to the joke.  (15 points)

Make a movie of your scene.  At this point, don't worry about titles or anything else, just get the action into a movie file.  We want either an AVI or WMV or MOV.  We want it to be720x480.  We prefer the XVID/DIVX codce for Windows or quicktime for Mac

Bonus

• We will give up to 20 additional points to about the top 10 scenes as defined by the teaching staff. We may give out fewer than 20 and we may do more or less than 10 top scenes. You will be judged on creativity and quality of the scene.

Acceptance Tests

1. In order for the teaching staff to properly administer this class, you must provide us with a secret ID of your own choosing (something no more than about 10 characters long) that we will use in our grading spreadsheet.  Please email professor kessler with subject: cs3660 secret ID, and the following information: your uid, your cade login account name, and your secret id.
2. Handin your movie file. For the CS types out there, using HANDIN is straight forward (handin cs3660 1 mymovie.whatever) or use it from the web interface linked in from our home page. Try to at least compress your movie, so we don't get massive, raw files. Also, do not EMAIL the movie to us. They are just too big. If you want to hand it in by putting it on a disk or USB, that is ok.