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Animation & VFX · MS elective · 3 credit hours · 16 sessions

Animating Surfaces

In this course, the surface itself becomes the character. Moving beyond simple texture mapping, students will explore “Procedural Animation” to make geometry ripple, morph, breathe, and disintegrate. The curriculum focuses on using Deformers, Displacement Maps, Vertex Maps, and Mograph effectors to create hypnotic, abstract motion graphics and living terrains where the topology is in constant flux.

§ 01 By the end you can
  1. Master the use of Deformers (Bend, Twist, Displace) for non-destructive animation
  2. Utilize "Vertex Maps" and "Fields" to drive localized surface animation
  3. Create looping animated textures using procedural noise shaders
  4. Execute "Topology Morphing" (Blend Shapes) for seamless surface transitions
  5. Integrate sound effectors to make surfaces react to audio frequencies
§ 02 Sixteen sessions

The whole semester.

  1. 01Introduction to Surface Deformation
  2. 02Non-Destructive Deformers: The Stack
  3. 03Looping Noise Patterns: Fractal Animation
  4. 04The Displacer: Geometry vs. Render Time
  5. 05Morph Targets (Blend Shapes) Basics
  6. 06Mograph Effectors on Mesh Points
  7. 07UV Scrolling & Texture Projection
  8. 08 · MidtermMidterm Examination
  9. 09Animated Displacement Maps
  10. 10Vertex Maps: Painting Influence
  11. 11Using Fields to Drive Vertex Maps
  12. 12Audio Reactivity: Sound to Surface
  13. 13Cloth Surface & Simulation wrappers
  14. 14Topology-Independent Animation
  15. 15Optimization: Baking Vertex Animation
  16. 16Final Project: The Living Abstract Sculpture

Midterm around session 8. Final project briefed at session 8 or 9 and developed in stages until the juries.

§ 03 Final project

Final Project: The Living Abstract Sculpture

How it’s judged

Recommended reading
  1. Cinema 4D Apprentice by Kent McQuilkin
  2. The Book of Shaders (for procedural concepts) by Patricio Gonzalez Vivo
  3. Generative Design by Hartmut Bohnacker
  4. 3D Motion Graphics for 2D Artists by Bill Byrne
  5. Mathematical Art (Reference for patterns)
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