This module is designed to give students intermediate/advanced understanding of lighting, modelling, shader and render principles and theories, then apply them to an appropriate scene for the purpose of generating quality renders.

Students will cover the following topics:

Shaders defining materials properties, specialist shaders for skin, use and application or surface decals and bump maps.
Enhanced use of node based shader generation techniques
Use of appropriate image formats in shader networks
Multipass rendering techniques
Composition techniques for render pass images to generate portfolio images
Camera properties
Camera effects noise, chromatic aberration, bloom and distortion
Lighting principles in CG - Normals, Vectors, inverse square law and optics, qualities and characteristics, light and shadow.
Lighting techniques comparison of real world light and their CG equivalents to determine an appropriate CG lighting solution.
Image Based Lighting for CG
Relighting using normal passes and point position data
High Dynamic Range Imaging - HDRI
Visual style development
Enhanced UV layout and texture mapping techniques
Development of Layered shaders
Addition of wear and tear for effect
Alternative diffuse map generation techniques
Management of a complex scene and rendering process
Camera attributes and effects
Use of render passes
Production render qualities

COURSEWORK weighted at 50%
A portfolio of Computer Generated Lighting and Compositing Work (LO 2,3,4)

A COURSEWORK weighted at 50%
A portfolio of Computer Generated Lighting and Compositing Work (LO 1,2,4)

1 Hour Lecture/demonstration per week for 8 weeks per semester
2 Hour Lab session/tutorial per week for 8 weeks per semester
3 Hour Lab session and assignment surgery for 4 weeks per semester

Autodesk Maya
Adobe Photoshop
Foundry Nuke
Substance Designer/Painter

Oren Parker, W. (2009), Scene Design and Stage Lighting: Mass: Wadsworth Cengage Learning
Birn, J. (2006) Digital Lighting and Rendering, Publisher: New Riders, Language: English
Booker, D. (2000) Essential CG lighting techniques with 3ds max, Publisher: Focal Press, Language: English
Bailey, M. and Cunningham, S. (2009) Graphics Shaders: Theory and Practice, A. K. Peters/CRC Press
Alton, J. (1995) Painting with Light (4th Ed), University of California Press
Block, C. (2007) The HDRI Handbook: High Dynamic Range Imaging for Photographers and CG Artists, Rocky Nook

FVFX40154 Introduction to CGI or equivalent

1. EVALUATE THE SUITABILITY OF A LIGHTING AND SHADER SETUP.
Reflection

2. APPLY APPROPRIATE LIGHTING, RENDERING TECHNIQUES AND SOLUTIONS TO A 3D MODEL/ENVIRONMENT TO PRODUCE A HIGH QUALITY GRAPHIC OUTPUT.
Application

3. COMPREHEND THE VARIOUS PROCESSES USED BY RENDERING SYSTEMS.
Learning

4. COMMUNICATE IDEAS AND INTENTIONS BY MEANS OF HIGH QUALITY, REALISTIC CG IMAGES.
Communication