ANI 260 1300 Intro 2D Animation sp 2021
Intro to 2D Animation
ANI 260 1300 Intro 2D Animation sp 2021

OpenLab Instructions

Creating an Account

  1. To create an account on OpenLab, you will need to be able to access your BMCC email account.  If you have forgotten your username or password, go to this page https://mybmcc.bmcc.cuny.edu/. Click on Account and Password Help. Here are instructions for what to do to reset your username and password.  If you continue to have problems, contact the BMCC service desk : 212-220-8379 servicedesk@bmcc.cuny.edu ; 
  2. Once you are sure you can access your BMCC email account, go to the OpenLab homepage (https://openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu).  Click on the Sign Up button on the right of the screen.
  3. On the next screen, fill in the following fields (apart from the BMCC email address, all of this information can be changed later by visiting Settings under My OpenLab):
    1. User name (this can’t be changed, so choose wisely)
    2. BMCC email address
    3. Password for your OpenLab account
    4. Display name (this is the name displayed on your profile page, and used to sign posts or comments; it can be changed after signing up)
    5. Your first and last name (these will not be displayed on the site)
    6. Your account type (student, alumni, faculty, or staff)
  4. Once you’ve done that, click Complete Sign Up.
  5.  At this point, a confirmation email will be sent from the OpenLab to your BMCC email account.  Visit your BMCC email account, and look for an email from the OpenLab.
  6. Click the link you find in the email from us, and you’re officially a member of the OpenLab. After clicking on the link, you will be at the activation page shown below.  Your activation key will be pre-filled, and all you need to do is click the Activate button.
  7. You do not need to go through this process again.  When you want to come back to the OpenLab, simply go to the OpenLab homepage (https://openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu), and log in with the username and password you created in step three.

Joining this Course on OpenLab

Now that you have created an account,  you can join this course site. This means the course will appear in your “My Courses” tab for easy access. You’ll be able to post to it as well.

  1. Go to the site for this course ANI 260-1300-intro-2d-animation-Spring-2021
  2. Click on the +Join button under the course photo

Creating a Portfolio/Profile

By creating a Portfolio on OpenLab, you will be setting up a Portfolio Site and an associated Portfolio Profile page.  Think of your portfolio as a place to save, share and organize your work – in this course and beyond. The steps below will take you through naming your Portfolio, writing a short description, and uploading an avatar for your Portfolio Profile page.  You will also choose a URL for the Portfolio Site and Privacy Settings for both the Profile and Site.

  1. After logging in, click My OpenLab in the main menu. Then click + Create a Portfolio in the right-hand menu.
  2. On the first Portfolio creation page, you will see a space to enter your Portfolio name.  It will already have a name filled in, based on your first and last name, but you can change that if you wish.  We recommend that you follow this format: FirstName LastName’s Portfolio  (for example, Jane Smith’s Portfolio).
  3. Next, enter a description of your Portfolio.  You can always change this later, so if you don’t have a description prepared, just type something in as a placeholder.
  4. Check the appropriate boxes for your school and department.  These are required.
  5. Click Create a new Portfolio site and choose a site URL.  Like your name, this text box will already be filled in, based on your name.  However, you can enter a different site URL if you wish.  Once created, the URL cannot be changed, so consider it carefully.
  6. When you are finished, click Create Portfolio and Continue.
  7. Next, set your privacy settings for your profile and portfolio site. When you are finished, click Next Step.

Adding a Post/Project to your Portfolio

In this course, you will create a portfolio post for each new assignment and link to it on Blackboard (and/or the discussion board when appropriate – see below). The following steps walk your through how to create a new post:

  1. Go to the OpenLab homepage (https://openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu) and log in.
  2. Go to My Profile. Click on the link to your Portfolio site will be on the top right.
  3. Click on the little  + icon on the top of the page. This will create a new post.
  4. Give your post a title (this will be displayed in bold at the top of the page that will be generated
  5. Create your post. It may contain text, images, videos and other types of media.
  6. To finish and submit your post click on Publish.
  7. By default, your new post will automatically appear on your portfolio’s home page.
  8. You can edit and delete a post (or page – such as About Me on the main menu) by going back to its Edit mode (found on the side and bottom of the page/post). The title and content can be edited and Move to Trash (on the right) will delete the post/page.

Here’s a video on YouTube that covers how to create a post on OpenLab

Replying to a Discussion Post

Go to the discussion page of this Open Lab site (https://openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu/groups/ani-260-1300-intro-2d-animation-sp-2021/forum/). Click on the discussion you want to contribute to. For example, this week you’ll reply to the “Introductions” post. Read the prompt and type your response in the reply box below. When you are done, click submit.