Fall 2005

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Syllabus

Administrivia

• Time: TTh 2:00-3:30pm
• Place: ESB 137
• Unique #: 54210
• Instructor:
  William Mark (billmark@cs), ACES 2.118
  Office hours: Th 5:00-6:00pm, or by appointment
• Teaching assistant:
  TA: Peter Djeu
    djeu@cs-utexas-edu
    Office hours: M/Tu 1:00pm-2:00pm
          in Taylor basement lab, or by appointment
• Class web page:
  http://www.cs.utexas.edu/users/billmark/teach/cs384g-05-fall/

Prerequisites:

• Knowledge of data structures
• A good working knowledge of C (and hopefully C++) programming
• Some linear algebra -- e.g. matrix by vector multiplication, etc.
• Some mathematical sophistication
• (No prior knowledge of graphics is assumed.)

Text:

• Alan Watt, 3D Computer Graphics, Third Edition, Addison-Wesley, 2000.
• CS 384g Course Reader, available at Welch Copy Center (Welch 2.228).

Supplemental texts:

• Woo, Neider, Davis, and Schreiner. OpenGL Programming Guide, Third Edition. Addison-Wesley, 1999.
• Andrew S. Glassner. An Introduction to Ray Tracing. Academic Press, 1989.
• Foley, van Dam, Feiner, Hughes. Computer Graphics Principles and Practice, Second Edition in C. Addison Wesley, 1996.
• Edward Angel, Interactive Computer Graphics: A top-down approach with OpenGL, Second Edition. Addison Wesley, 2000.

Topics:

• Introduction, displays, sampling theory
• Sampling theory, image processing
• Geometric transformations, shading
• Ray tracing
• Texture mapping, Z-buffers
• Hierarchical modeling, parametric curves
• Parametric curves, particle systems
• Subdivision curves, parametric surfaces
• Subdivision surfaces, perception and color
• Special topics

Grading:

• Projects: 65% (approximate weight)
• Written assignments: 15% (approximate weight)
• Two in-class exams: 20% (approximate weight)

There will be no final exam for this course.

Projects:

Projects can be implemented in the UTCS computer labs or on your own machine.

You will work on four projects:

Project 1: Impressionist (~15%)

An interactive program that creates pictures that look like paintings.

Project 2: Ray tracer (~25%)

A recursive ray tracer for generating simple images that model reflection and refraction. You will work on this project with a teammate.

Project 3: Animator (~25%)

An interactive modeling and animation system with a built in dynamic simulator. You will work on this project with a teammate.

Project 4: Final project (~35%)

Choose between a substantial extension to the ray tracer or the animator, or other suggested projects.

Projects will be graded during in-person sessions with the TA. During the grading session, the TA will run the project to make sure that it conforms to the project guidelines. The TA and/or Instructor will then quiz individual members of the team to determine how well they understand the structure of the code, the design trade-offs, and the implemented algorithms.

One grade will be assigned for all members of the team for the project's implementation. Separate grades will be recorded for each team member's "knowledge of the project." For some of the projects, the last component of the grade will involve using your project to create an artifact, hopefully, of some artistic merit. Extra credit will be given for the nicest artifacts, as determined by class vote. Click here for more information on project grading.

Project Turn-in & Late Policy:

Assignments are due at the beginning of lecture on the due date. This means that the modification stamp on the project executable must be earlier than the start of lecture on the due date. Late assignments are marked down at a rate of 33% per day (not per lecture), meaning that if you fail to turn in an assignment on time it is worth 66% for the first 24 hours after the deadline, 33% for the next 24 hours, and it is worth nothing after that. In addition, no extra credit for bells and whistles will be awarded for any late assignment.

Exceptions will be given only in extreme circumstances and only in advance.

Written Assignments:

There will be 2 homework sets that will test your in-depth understanding of topics covered topics.  You must work on the homework sets individually.

Your Responsibilities:

You are responsible for all material discussed in class, posted on the web site, and sent to the class email list. In particular, you are responsible for insuring that the TA has a valid email address for you, for reading your email daily, and for insuring that your mailbox does not overflow. You are responsible for following the course policies on collaboration and cooperation. You must provide at least two weeks advance notice to the instructor for any forseeable situation requiring special consideration from the instructor (e.g. religious holiday conflicts; disability accomodations, etc.)

Drop Deadlines:

Sept 16, 2005 -- last date to drop for removal of course from transcript and refund.
Sept 28, 2005 -- last date to drop for automatic "Q" grade.
Oct 26, 2005 -- last date to drop for undergraduates (typically "Q" grade).
Last day of semester -- last day to drop for graduate students (typically "Q" grade).
The Dean may grant exceptions to these deadlines for substantiated non-academic reasons.

Acknowledgements: The syllabus and other materials for this course are largely adapted from Brian Curless's CSE 557 course at the University of Washington.