CSE 457: Intro to Computer Graphics

Spring Quarter 1995

Syllabus

Administrivia:

Time: MWF 8:30-9:20
Place: Sieg 227
Course personnel

Prerequisites:

Data structures (CSE/326)
A good working knowledge of C++ (or C) programming
Linear algebra
Some mathematical sophistication
(No prior knowledge of graphics is assumed.)

Required Text:

Donald Hearn and M. Pauline Baker. Computer Graphics, Second Edition. Prentice-Hall, 1994.

Optional texts:

OpenGL Reference Manual. Addison-Wesley, 1992.
Jackie Neider, Tom Davis, and Mason Woo. OpenGL Programming Guide. Addison-Wesley, 1993.
Josie Wernecke, The Inventor Mentor. Addison-Wesley, 1994.

Supplemental text:

James Foley, Anries Van Dam, Steven Feiner, and John Hugues, Computer Graphics: Principles and Practice, Addison-Wesley, 1990.

All of the above texts will be available in the graphics instructional lab.

Grading:

Project (same grade for whole team): 35%+
Project knowledge (individual): 15%
Project artifact (individual): 5%+
Written assignments: 15%
Midterm: 10%
Final: 20%

(A "+" denotes an area in which extra credit can be earned.)

Projects:

This is the first year that CSE/457 is being taught using our new graphics instructional lab consisting of 14 Silicon Graphics Indy R4400s. The lab is located in Sieg 228.

There will be four projects, each 2-weeks long, and one ungraded project (Project #0) to help you get up to speed. You'll work on each project in a team with one or two other students in the class. Each project will require you and your teammate to make substantial extensions to an existing interactive graphical application. The projects we have in mind are:

Project 0: Sierpinski:: A simple program to create a fractal called the Sierpinski Triangle.
Project 1: Wavelet:: A program to perform wavelet image compression.
Project 2: Morph:: A program to create video animations by ``morphing'' (blending) between a pair of images.
Project 3: Sweeper:: A program to create complex surfaces by extruding (sweeping) a curve along a path in three dimensions.
Project 4: Trace:: A program to create beautiful raytraced images, complete with shadows, reflections, and transparent effects.

Projects will be graded during in-person sessions with one of the TAs. During the grading session, a TA will run the project to make sure that it conforms to the project guidelines. The TA 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." A third component of the grade involves 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.