Instructor | Dr. Mirela Damian, MSC 167A |
mirela.damian@villanova.edu | |
Office hours | W 5:00 -- 6:00 pm |
Th 5:30 -- 6:30 pm | |
by appointment | |
Course Meets | TTh 4:00 -- 5:15 pm in Mendel G87 |
Prerequisites | CSC 2405 -- Computer Systems II |
Computer graphics deals with all forms of graphical images on computers. This course explores the mathematical and algorithmic principles of computer graphics. We will begin by experimenting with Blender, a powerful open-source interactive package that will help you improve your perception of 3D modeling, rendering and animation. In parallel we will delve into OpenGL, a portable graphics library and industry standard supported on all platforms. We will also look at some basic features of the Vizard software toolkit for building interactive virtual reality simulations.
As we discover what these graphics packages can do for us, we will take a look at their underlying principles. Topics include 2D and 3D transformations, projections, shading, modeling, texture mapping and ray tracing. Understanding this material requires at least a working knowledge of geometry and linear algebra, so these mathematical essentials will be briefly reviewed throughout the semester.
Specific Outcomes:
csc.villanova.edu/~mdamian/csc4300
Please make sure you check the class page regularly.
This term we will be using Piazza for class discussion. The system is highly catered to getting you help fast and efficiently from classmates and myself. Rather than emailing questions to the teaching staff, I encourage you to post your questions on Piazza, so that everyone can benefit from, and contribute to answers. You can even do so anonymously. Our Piazza class page is at
http://piazza.com/villanova/spring2015/csc4300
Assignments: | 50% |
Workshops and quizzes: | 20% |
Final Project: | 30% |
Cheating, plagiarism and helping others commit these acts are all forms of academic dishonesty. The penalty for any act of dishonesty is an 'F' grade for the course. Please consult the Code on Academic Integrity at
https://www1.villanova.edu/villanova/vpaa/studentservices/policies/integrity.html
Week 1: Jan. 13, 15 | Computer Graphics Pipeline. Introduction to Blender. |
Week 2: Jan. 20, 22 | Introduction to Modern OpenGL and GLSL |
Week 3: Jan. 27, 29 | Vertex and Fragment Shaders |
Week 4: Feb 3, 5 | Texture Mapping |
Week 5: Feb. 10, 12 | Transformations and Animation |
Week 6: Feb. 17, 19 | |
Week 7: Feb. 24, 26 | Catching up |
Mar. 2-8: Spring Break | |
Week 8: Mar. 10, 12 | Online learning: Introduction to Vizard. No class meeting this week. |
Week 9: Mar. 17, 19 | Viewing Transformations: Camera Positioning and Projection |
Week 10: Mar. 24, 26 | Lighting and Shading |
Week 11: Mar. 31 | Keyframe Interpolation |
Apr. 2 - 6: Easter Break | |
Week 12: Apr. 7, 9 | Working with Blender models in Vizard |
Week 13: Apr. 14, 16 | |
Week 14: Apr. 21, 23 | Project Work |
Apr. 28 is deemed a Friday class day | |
Apr. 30 | Student Project Presentations |