How to Use our Animation Tutorials at Vimeo

Tutorials are hosted at Vimeo - just login!

Here at Bucks we believe in giving our students the best possible experience, and that means having plenty of video content to supplement the classroom sessions. Animation takes time to master, but by carefully going through our video tutorials, hosted at Vimeo, all our students can take the time they need to master this complex craft. Here's how it all works:

Animation Apprentice, online animation course

What are the videos?

The videos are animation tutorials licensed to Bucks from tutor Alex Williams' online school at www.animationapprentice.org. They are a complete course in learning animation - from the very basics of Maya to sophisticated character and creature animation. They are absolutely free for all students at Bucks.

Start at Blackboard

Where can I find the videos?

Start by logging in to your Blackboard account - all students and staff at Bucks have an account of their own. Find the Module you are working on, such as DA405 - Animation 1. Scroll down on the left hand side of the screen down to the Video Resources tab - and click on that link. You will now be taken to a series of weblinks to copy and paste in your browser window. Make sure you use Explorer - for some reason the videos don't play well in Firefox or Chrome.

The videos play best with Internet Explorer

Once you have pasted the links, you will be asked for a password. You can find the password at the announcements tab at Blackboard. Enter the password, and you should be able to access the videos.


In what order should I watch the videos?

Watch them in this order:

1. Theory Videos
2. Technical Videos
3. Tutorial Videos

It will take you around 2 hours to watch the videos for each exercise, and at least 4 hours to do the exercise, so make sure you budget plenty of time to do each one. The good news is, if you do the exercise carefully, you will be well on your way to mastering the important principles of animation.

Two screens. Video tutorial on the left, Maya on the right

The ideal way to learn is to use two screens at once, and do the exercise as you go along. On the left hand screen you watch the videos, on the right hand screen - you do the exercises. Follow the videos carefully step by step, click by click - and you won't go wrong. One of our students watches the tutorial videos on his iPad, then does the work at his desktop computer.

One of the reasons why we give our students free laptops when they start at Bucks is so that each student has the flexibility to watch tutorial videos on one screen, and do the exercise on another.

iPad below, desktop display above

Once you're done, drop your Maya file onto a USB stick, or you can even email it to yourself and pick it up when you next log in back at Bucks. Make a Quick Time of your animation, upload it to your YouTube account, and then embed it at the Facebook page, for in-class review.

Welcome to the future of education!

---Alex

For more on the experience of studying at Bucks New University, come and visit us at one of our Open Days,  take a virtual tour of one of our animation studios, check out what our students think of our course, and see why we're ranked in the top 12 creative universities in the UK. Find out why we're giving free laptops to all our students, and why we give all our students free access to videos at Lynda.com. Also, see what financial assistance might be available to you. Learn which is better for animation, a PC or a Mac? Get hold of a copy of a map so you can find your way around campus, and learn about motion capture at Bucks.
 

"Flipping the Classroom" - Our new Video Tutorials at Bucks

Sal Khan - the man who flipped the classroom. Photo: Wikipedia

Here at Bucks we believe in the power of online training - and in the idea of "flipping the classroom", a philosophy of teaching pioneered by Sal Khan's Khan Academy. The idea is that, instead of taking notes during class and doing the homework later, you watch the lectures in advance, online, and then use precious classroom time for workshops and feedback. Best of all, each student gets to learn at their own pace, so no-one gets bored or, worse, falls behind and can't keep up.

Over the coming semester we'll be rolling out this new technique, giving our students access to hundreds of online videos, teaching you everything from how to make a ball bounce to full character and creature performances.  The idea is that you watch the lecture before coming in to class, and the classroom time itself becomes a workshop, rather than an information download. Better for everyone, and more fun as well.

So, to get started, and to find the videos, start by logging in to your Blackboard account. Find DA405 - the animation basics course, and scroll down to the Video Resources tab - and click on that link. You will now be taken to a series of weblinks to copy and paste in your browser window. Make sure you use Explorer - for some reason the videos don't play well in Firefox or Chrome.

The videos play best with Internet Explorer

Once you have pasted the links, you will be asked for a password. You can find the password at the announcements tab at Blackboard. Enter the password, and you should be able to access the videos.

Watch them in this order:

1. Theory Videos
2. Technical Videos
3. Tutorial Videos

It will take you around 2 hours to watch the videos, and at least 4 hours to do the exercise, so make sure you budget plenty of time before class. Don't leave it until Monday morning!

Two screens. Video tutorial on the left, Maya on the right

The ideal way to learn is to use two screens at once, and do the exercise as you go along. On the left hand screen you watch the videos, on the right hand screen - you do the exercises. Follow the videos carefully step by step, click by click - and you won't go wrong. One of our students watches the tutorial videos on his iPad, then does the work at his desktop computer. A perfect combination (see below).

iPad below, desktop display above

Once you're done, drop your Maya file onto a USB stick, or you can even email it to yourself and pick it up when you next log in back at Bucks. Make a Quick Time of your animation, upload it to your YouTube account, and then embed it at the Facebook page, for in-class review.

Welcome to the future of education!

---Alex

All About Blackboard

The Blackboard Interface

What is Blackboard? Blackboard is the main digital interface which students and staff use to access information about the courses at Bucks, including timetables, assessments, messages - in short everything you need to keep up to date. This means that, like it or not, you will need to access Blackboard regularly throughout your three years at Bucks.

Below are some common problems experienced by Blackboard users - along with some possible solutions.
Q: Where is Blackboard? 

A: You can find Blackboard here.



Q: I can’t log into Blackboard at all - what can I do?

A: Are you enrolled? If not go to your faculty office. That is E4.08, telephone 01494 603050.

Also, make sure you are accessing Blackboard via Mozilla Firefox, Chrome or Internet Explorer 8 and above.

Check you are entering your password and username correctly. Your username is your 8 digit ID number on your ID card.

Your default password default is your date of birth in this format 18-SEP-87. This password will only work for a maximum of ten times, so you should change it as soon as possible.

If your password needs to be reset contact IT or this can be done by clicking on the ‘Password’ tab in Blackboard or going to https://mypassword.bucks.ac.uk

You may have been locked out – If this happens go to the IT Service desk in the Library or contact them on ext 5000 then option 1 or 01494 605000 then option 1 or IT@bucks.ac.uk

Debt sanction? If you are a debtor you will not be able to access Blackboard or receive emails until the debt has been paid or a payment plan organised. Please contact the Student Centre on 01494 603020 or student.centre@bucks.ac.uk



Q: I logged into Blackboard but I can’t see my modules. What shall I do?

A: Make sure you are accessing Blackboard via Mozilla Firefox, Chrome or Internet Explorer 8 and above.

For referred students you may not be able to see your modules until the referral exam board has sat in mid September. Once you receive your results letter you should be able to see your modules.

Check that the module has not been hidden. Click on the cog to the right of ‘My Modules’. Check the boxes making sure you select the right academic year. We suggest you check JUST the boxes to display the module names and ID

Have you returned from suspension, changed course or forgotten to choose your options or are you a Direct Entry student? If so please contact your Faculty Office

If some of your modules are empty it means the module tutor has not added any content. Contact the module tutor.

If after this no modules show at all please contact your Faculty Office


Q: I can see modules but they are not my modules. Where are my modules?

A: This may occur if you have not been enrolled on your modules. Contact your Faculty Office.


Q: What does SB/S1/S2 etc mean at the end of the module code?

A: 13S1 = A module starting in September 2013 (academic year 2013/14)

-13S2 = A module starting in February 2014 (academic year 2013/14)

-13SB = A module starting in September 2013 (academic year 2013/14) that runs over both semesters

-13S1A = A module starting in February 2014 for students who start in February 2014 (academic year 2013/14)

-13S2A = A module starting in September 2014 for students who started in February 2014 (academic year 2013/14)



Q: I am not receiving emails from lecturers or other University staff. How can I get them?

A: Have you set up email forwarding? Emails are sent out from Blackboard via your student ID number. You won’t receive them if you have not set up email forwarding to your personal email account.

Go to http://bucks.ac.uk/forward or click on the Forward email tab in Blackboard.


Q: What is an Organisation?

A: Faculty Departments also use an Organisation under ‘My Organisations’ to provide course or year specific information eg timetable, results. If you cannot see an obvious course or year Organisation relating to your course please contact your Faculty Office as you need to be enrolled on the organisation to receive emails.

Very occasionally a module may be set up via an organisation. If you cannot see a module under ‘My Modules’ check it is not under ‘My Organisations’.

Organisations also contain information about the service areas like the accommodation service, disability service, the LDU, chaplaincy and the student centre.


Finally, there is (apparently) an iPhone app for Blackboard, for the busy student on the move. But you'll have to go to the Apple Store to find it.