This course covers the underlying principles and techniques of 3D computer animation. The topics covered include (1) modeling: the process of building the forms that will be animated, (2) rendering; the process of defining how the final picture in the model will look, (3) animation techniques: the process of creating in-between frames and keyframes, (4) compositing and special effects: the process of assembling various pieces of an image to get special two- dimensional effects, and (5) recording: the principles and techniques involved in putting animation frames onto film or video.