CS 381 Fall 2012 > Syllabus

CS 381 Fall 2012
Syllabus

COURSE:	CS 381 Computer Graphics. 3 credits.
Time & place:	2–3:30 p.m. TTh, 104 Chapman.
Prerequisites:	CS 202 and either MATH 202X or MATH 314.
INSTRUCTOR:	Glenn G. Chappell, Dept. of Computer Science.
Office:	201B Chapman.
Office hours:	11:45–1:45 MWF on fall 2012 class days, or by appointment.
Office phone:	[474-]5736. This is also voice mail.
E-mail:	`ggchappell@alaska.edu`
Paper mailbox:	Inside the CS Department office, 202 Chapman.
TEXT:	There is no required text. Supplementary readings will be provided by the instructor.
WEB PAGE:	`http://www.cs.uaf.edu/2012/fall/cs381`

Course Topics & Goals

CS 381 introduces interactive 2-D and 3-D computer graphics programming, of the kind used in games, virtual & augmented reality, interactive data visualization, CAD systems, etc. Programming will be primarily in C++ and the OpenGL Shading Language (GLSL), using the OpenGL graphics API and the OpenGL Utility Toolkit (GLUT). Topics include the rendering pipeline, animation, event-driven interaction, mouse-based interfaces, transformations, 3-D viewing & hidden-surface removal, shaders & GLSL, lighting, texturing & related effects.

After taking this class, students should:

Have a good overall understanding of 2-D/3-D graphics programming based on the synthetic-camera model, using rendering-pipeline hardware.
Be familiar with a professional-quality 2-D/3-D graphics API.
Know how to program modern graphics hardware using a high-level shading language.
Understand how to do simple event-driven programming.
Understand various issues involved in 3-D graphics: transformations, hidden-surface removal, lighting.
Understand and be able to use facilities for rendering complex scenes using simple primitives.

Important Dates

Tue, Oct 16	In-class Midterm Exam
Fri, Oct 26	Last day to withdraw
Thu, Nov 22	No class (Thanksgiving)
Thu, Dec 6	Last regular class meeting
Sat, Dec 15	Final Exam 1–3 p.m. in the classroom

Procedures

Class meetings—Class meetings will be conducted using a lecture-discussion format.

Homework—Homework will be assigned every week or two, and will be largely C++ & GLSL programming. Some assignments will be done individually; others will be done in groups. Homework turned in late will generally be penalized.

In order to do the homework assignments, students must obtain access to a computer with programmable graphics hardware on at least the DirectX 9 level, and with OpenGL, GLUT, GLEW, and a C++ compiler installed.

Quizzes—Short in-class quizzes will be given, unannounced. However, possible quiz topics will always be announced in advance. No make-up quizzes will be given.

Presentations—Near the end of the semester, students will give a short (20 minutes) in-class presentation on a some aspect of computer graphics. Topics and time slots will be assigned in class a few weeks before in the end of the semester.

Exams—Two exams will be given: midterm and final. The final will be comprehensive, emphasizing material covered after the midterm. See “Important Dates”.

Grades

Course grades will be based on points earned, using a 90-80-70-60 scale. The +/– grading system will not be used. The lowest quiz score will be dropped. Point totals will be as follows.

Assignments, Quizzes, and Presentation (total)	225 pts
Midterm Exam	75 pts
Final Exam	100 pts
TOTAL	400 pts

Policies

Students are expected to be at every class meeting on time, and are responsible for all class content, whether present or not. If absence from class is necessary, in-class work (other than quizzes) and homework may be made up only if the instructor is notified as soon as possible; in particular, absences due to scheduled events must be arranged ahead of time.

Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated, and will be dealt with according to UAF procedures.

Students in this class must pay the CS lab fee. Payment allows access to the Chapman 103 lab.

UAF academic policies: http://www.uaf.edu/catalog/current/academics
CS Department policies: http://www.cs.uaf.edu/cs/Policies.html