ADA201 - Character Design and Development for Animation
Unit details
| Year | 2026 unit information |
|---|---|
| Enrolment modes: | Trimester 1: Burwood (Melbourne), Online |
| Credit point(s): | 1 |
| EFTSL value: | 0.125 |
| Unit Chair: | Trimester 1: Lienors Torre |
| Prerequisite: | ADA102, ADA107 or equivalent. (Equivalent to be approved by unit chair.) |
| Corequisite: | Nil |
| Incompatible with: | AMC226 |
| Educator-facilitated (scheduled) learning activities - on-campus unit enrolment: | 1 x 1-hour online lecture per week 1 x 2-hour on-campus seminar per week |
| Educator-facilitated (scheduled) learning activities - online unit enrolment: | 1 x 1-hour online lecture per week (recordings provided) 1 x 2-hour online seminar per week (livestreamed, recordings provided) |
| Typical study commitment: | Students will on average spend 150-hours over the teaching period undertaking the teaching, learning and assessment activities for this unit. This will include educator guided online learning activities within the unit site. |
Content
This unit focuses on character design and creation for animation. Students design and develop a compelling character that can be used in animation or in other design applications. Beginning from initial 2D sketches (the character's design) and narrative considerations (the character's backstory and potential), students develop their designs into a fully animatable character. Students also explore a number of rigging strategies to enable their characters to be used for animation and will have the opportunity to adapt their character design into 2D and 3D animation software.
Learning outcomes
| ULO | These are the Unit Learning Outcomes (ULOs) for this unit. At the completion of this unit, successful students can: | Alignment to Deakin Graduate Learning Outcomes (GLOs) |
|---|---|---|
| ULO1 | Analyse and apply principles of character design, to create complex characters ready for animation. | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities GLO5: Problem solving |
| ULO2 | Develop and apply verbal and visual strategies to create and evaluate aesthetic, conceptual designs for emotive, appealing characters that fit within a range of animation genres and contexts for a variety of audiences | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities GLO2: Communication |
| ULO3 | Collect, interpret and evaluate information, assets and other research materials for use in individual creative research using online, located and other sources including collaborative and self-directed methods | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities GLO5: Problem solving |
Assessment
| Assessment Description | Student output | Grading and weighting (% total mark for unit) | Indicative due week |
| Assessment 1: Character design plan, rationale and model | 40% | Week 3 | |
| Assessment 2: Character adaptation for 2D digital animation | 30% | Week 6 | |
| Assessment 3: Character adaptation for 3D digital animation | 30% | Week 11 |
The assessment due weeks provided may change. The Unit Chair will clarify the exact assessment requirements, including the due date, at the start of the teaching period.
Learning resource
There is no prescribed text. Unit materials are provided via the unit site. This includes unit topic readings and references to further information.
Unit Fee Information
Fees and charges vary depending on the type of fee place you hold, your course, your commencement year, the units you choose to study and their study discipline, and your study load.
Tuition fees increase at the beginning of each calendar year and all fees quoted are in Australian dollars ($AUD). Tuition fees do not include textbooks, computer equipment or software, other equipment or costs such as mandatory checks, travel and stationery.
For further information regarding tuition fees, other fees and charges, invoice due dates, withdrawal dates, payment methods visit our Current Students website.