I have worked as a Student Technology Assistant at Digital Media Bar for the past two semesters, and it has been a wonderful experience. This position has allowed me to gain a multitude of skills, such as:

• Communication skills
  • Through communicating with my colleagues and professional staff.
• Customer service
  • Through helping students with I.S. formatting and general questions related to all sorts of software, I feel more confident teaching people
• Presentation skills
  • Through the workshop I hosted during the spring semester.
• Knowledge about software
  • I learned many software applications, especially, Blender, OpenToonz, and Word.

While working at the desk, I had time to work on the goals that I set at the beginning of each semester.

During the fall semester, my goal was to learn 2D animation using OpenToonz. I created a few animations either by drawing frame by frame or using shape keys. I learned the basics of animation and drawing skills through creating short animations.

In the end of the fall semester, I started working on Blender and learned the basics of modeling, shading, and animation.

For the spring semester, my goal was to model and animate more complicated objects and characters using Blender.

I first worked on a rendering animation which I started working on during winter break. I created a 3D model of Kauke Hall and a part of campus, added characters and animation from Mixamo, placed cameras, adjusted lighting, and rendered it.

For the second project, I decided to create a short animation film. So, I created a map with sci-fi-looking buildings using geometry nodes, which automatically clones buildings I have made. Then I designed, modeled, and rigged a tank.

I started working on creating a character for the animation. This was by far the hardest part since it requires a good character design skill.

So far,

• I practiced sculpting and created a figure.
• I re-meshed the model for animation.
• I modeled hair using curves.
• I learned toon shading

I couldn’t finish modeling clothes and rigging the character by the end of the semester. However, I will keep working on it during the summer until I render a short animation.

As a Student Technology Assistant, I have acquired a significant number of skills over the past two semesters. This position not only provided me with opportunities to assist other students but also helped me discover something that I can be passionate about such as 3D computer graphics. Lastly, I really hope more students utilize the Digital Media Bar as a resource for their own creative projects.