CSCI 417 Computer Animation Portfolio – Wyatt Townsend
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Project 1 | Solar System Animation | September 16, 2025
Tutorial Animation
Changes
I attached the camera to the sun to get its perspective. I realized that everyone tries to look away from the Sun instead of putting themselves in its shoes, and I think that is sad. Granted, in my animation, you cannot see the Earth from the Sun’s view.
I created a large sphere and used it as a skydome to emulate a starry background.
Photo credit: Photo by Francesco Ungaro
I gave the sun some simple shoes to really sell the idea of being in the Sun’s shoes. I imagine this like the story of Genesis, where Adam and Eve realized that they were unclothed and felt shame, so they tried to cover themselves like my Sun is doing.
Final (Modified) Animation
Project 2 | Treasure Chest Model | September 30, 2025
References
Model Images
Wireframe
Smooth surface
Textured
Animations
Wireframe Animation
Final Render
Sources
Plank PBR: https://polyhaven.com/a/raw_plank_wall
Metal PBR: https://freepbr.com/product/greasy-worn-pbr-metal-material-2/
Collection of Gold Coins: https://clipart-library.com/clipart/riLo8onqT.htm
Original Chest: https://www.nauticalcove.com/collections/pirate-treasure-chests/products/antiqued-riveted-treasure-chest?variant=44525546406053
Project 3 | Bouncy Ball Animation | October 16, 2025
Storyboard
Description
A UFO of sorts drops what appears to be a boulder from its bottom and the viewer watches as it hurls towards a beautiful marble tower. However, as it hits, it turns out this boulder is actually made of a gelatin-like material and hardly makes an impact, slightly pushing the tower into the ground.
Animation Principles
- Squash and Stretch
The ball appears to squash and stretch as it bounces, growing outwards as it shrinks upwards and vise-versa.
2. Arcs
The ball arcs when moving, going lower with each bounce to simulate realistic gravitational movement.
3. Slow In and Slow Out
The ball comes to a slow stop at the end of its movement to simulate friction.
More still images
Final Video
Project 4 | Rube Goldberg | November 6, 2025
Storyboard:
Final:
Description:
My animation features a Rube Goldberg machine which begins with a simple golf ball falling down a ramp and ends with an unexpected faulty lamp. In this world, someone accidentally wired the lamp with too much power, generating from beneath the floorboards, and thus causing a catastrophic explosion.
Images:
Basketball
Dominoes
Ramp + Golf ball
Spinning Wood + Pointer
Lamp
Previous Versions:
Model Credits:
- “CC0 – Foam Finger” (https://skfb.ly/ouvUT) by plaggy is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
- “Antique wooden desk” (https://skfb.ly/orwYM) by Lorenzo Drago is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
- “Basketball” (https://skfb.ly/6SNSr) by Lassi Kaukonen is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
- “Golf Ball” (https://skfb.ly/PMVV) by germydan is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
- “Skate Ramp” (https://skfb.ly/ovXLU) by romullus is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).
- “Dominoes” (https://skfb.ly/6WSqz) by Render at Night is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
- “Wood plank” (https://skfb.ly/o6yFE) by Vítek Chalany is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
- “Vintage Desk lamp” (https://skfb.ly/oCSKv) by Fromgf is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Project 5 | Dominoes | November 20, 2025
Final Video:
Image:
PREVIOUS VERSION:
Unfinished; Just tutorial currently
Claims to be in 1080p but is definitely lying to me
Project 6 | Final – The Sad Snowball | December 12, 2025
Final video (Missing ~80 frames due to rendering issues, updating tonight):
Storyboard (Deviated a bit due to time constraint):
Description:
The animation features a snowball who was taking a leisurely ski lift ride up a mountain. On his way up, the lift breaks, and he tumbles, but due to him being made of snow, he doesn’t die upon impact. Instead, he starts rolling, gaining mass as he goes, collecting snow from the ground. He barrels his way towards a cabin at the base of the mountain and barely stops right before hitting it.
Snowball taking lift
Snowball sad lift broke
Snowball inches away from cabin