3D Modelling and Animation: Unit Exam A
Vertices, edges, faces and meshes, polygon count, modelling tools, textures and UV mapping, three point lighting, keyframes and rendering.
Instructions
- Time allowed
- 25 minutes
- Total marks
- 25
- Calculator
- No calculator is permitted.
- Answer all the questions.
- The number of marks for each question is shown in brackets. Use it as a guide to how much to write.
- The clock at the top counts down from the real time allowed. When it reaches zero the paper is locked and marked, as it would be collected in the exam hall.
- Read every question to the end before answering. Where a question says tick two boxes, tick exactly two: ticking more than asked scores nothing. Type one word and number answers carefully, because they are marked exactly.
Questions
Answer every question, then finish the paper to have it marked. Marking as you go teaches you far less.
| Vertex | Edge | Face | |
|---|---|---|---|
| A single point in 3D space | |||
| A straight line joining two points | |||
| A flat surface enclosed by edges |
Tick one box in each row.
- LA single point in 3D space: Vertex
- LA straight line joining two points: Edge
- LA flat surface enclosed by edges: Face
Vertices are points, edges join them, and faces fill the space between edges.
- L6
- L8
- L12
A cube has 6 faces, 8 corners and 12 edges.
Tick one box.
- LC The whole collection of vertices, edges and faces that make up a model
The mesh is the model's surface.
Tick one box.
- LA More detail, but it takes longer to render
More polygons means more detail and more work.
Tick one box.
- LD Extrude
Extrude pushes a face out, creating new faces along its sides.
Tick one box.
- LB 3
Across, up and depth: three axes.
Tick one box.
- LD An image wrapped onto the surface of a model
Textures add surface detail such as wood grain or brick.
Tick one box.
- LC Unfolding a model's surface flat so that a 2D image can be placed on it
UV mapping decides which part of the image lands on which part of the model.
| Key light | Fill light | Back light | |
|---|---|---|---|
| The main, brightest light on the subject | |||
| A softer light that reduces harsh shadows | |||
| A light behind the subject that separates it from the background |
Tick one box in each row.
- LThe main, brightest light on the subject: Key light
- LA softer light that reduces harsh shadows: Fill light
- LA light behind the subject that separates it from the background: Back light
Key is the main light, fill softens shadows and back light outlines the subject.
Tick one box.
- LB Sun or directional light
A sun light lights the whole scene from one direction.
- LKeyframes record an object's important positions or poses at chosen frames
- LInterpolation is the software working out the frames in between
A keyframe records where an object is, or how it is posed, at a chosen frame, usually the start and end of a movement. Interpolation is the software calculating every frame in between, so the animator does not have to pose each one.
- L120
24 x 5 = 120 frames.
Tick one box.
- LA Making a movement speed up and slow down gradually rather than move at one constant speed
Real objects accelerate and decelerate, so easing makes movement look natural.
- LRendering each frame takes a great deal of calculation and time
- LMany computers render different frames at the same time, so the film is finished far sooner
Every frame needs a huge amount of calculation for light, shadow and materials, and a film has tens of thousands of frames. A render farm is many computers rendering different frames at the same time, so the work finishes in days instead of years.
Tick one box.
- LC Squash and stretch
Squash and stretch shows weight and flexibility.
Tick one box.
- LA Calculating the final images from the 3D scene, including light and materials
Rendering turns the scene into finished images.
Tick one box.
- LB A small movement the opposite way before the main action, such as crouching before a jump
Anticipation prepares the audience for the action.
This is an original Key Stage 3 assessment. Most questions are closed, so the marking is exact, and the written answers are marked against a mark scheme in the same style as a GCSE paper, so the format is familiar long before it counts.