Singing to Ourselves: Animating 3D Characters

with hiba ali
ATSP 607 001 | 3 credits
June 16–29, 2025, 10:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m. ET/9:00–11:30 a.m. CT 

How can we create digital stories through characters? In this class, we'll be using the 3D software Blender and the Face Cap app to animate 3D characters. We will model and rig our characters and have them speak. Along the way, we'll use rendering to build a sense of digital animation workflows. We will look at Meriem Bennani's 2 Lizards, Morehshin Allahyari's She Who Sees the Unknown, and Tabita Rezaire's Ultra Wet Recapitulation, as well as our favorite cartoons. Our gait expresses our personality and place in the world. In an assignment, students will consider how their character walks and moves. They will create an animation cycle that expresses their character’s personality and write a 250-word reflection on how they interpreted the character's walk. The class will culminate in a presentation of animated characters that move, sing, and speak. Students will be provided with access to the Face Cap app but should have their own access to Adobe.

Hiba Ali, Lullabies for tears, VR still 2024

hiba ali (they/them) is a producer of moving images, sounds, garments and words. they use principles of game design, 3d animation, and immersive installations to create liminal spaces where they engage in world building, storytelling, and digital poesis. in their practice, this term means a way to call forth more loving and healing into our world. they use virtual reality, 3d animation, and augmented reality to slow down time and create portals of solace and care. they are an assistant professor at the college of design in the art & technology program at the university of oregon in eugene and they teach on decolonial, feminist, anti-racist frameworks in digital art pedagogies. their work has been presented in chicago, stockholm, vienna, berlin, toronto, new york, istanbul, são paulo, detroit, windsor, dubai, austin, vancouver, and portland.