MODERN COMPUTER GRAPHICS (96h)
Responsible lecturer: dr hab.eng. Tadeusz Szuba*

• 96 hours total: theoretical lectures: 30 hours, intensive tutorial in specialized computer graphics laboratory: 66 hours;
• All course will take place in a modern computer graphics laboratory, specifically for students; designed and used only for computer graphics teaching. see http://grafika.ia.agh.edu.pl/opis.html
• Language: English
• Teaching staff: lecturer: T. Szuba (assoc. prof.) tutorial: T. Szuba (assoc. prof.) & Piotr Radkowski (TA)

Teaching methodology:
Today, computer graphics develops so rapidly, that almost all student textbooks are approximately 10 years behind what companies are offering inside PC graphics cards and in professional software used for producing animations for film studios or TV companies. This is however justified: companies keep their algorithms and technology secret. Moreover, the book writing and publishing cycle is approximately 3 to 5 years. To break this difficulty, modern computer graphics should be given to students in the following way:

1. Top-down teaching approach should be used i.e. lecture topics should be delayed in synchronous way after laboratory units. This way, lectures theoretically explain what students have seen and personally exercised during laboratory units. This approach improves the students’ interest with theoretical lectures;
2. Professional software used by companies must also be used for teaching. Top software are: Maya, 3D Studio, Softimage XSI 6. Here in our Lab, the Softimage software will be used. Using professional software provides deeper knowledge about modern computer graphics, and provides a background for some students to continue this way of education and to acquire professionalism required to obtain a position in computer graphics company;
3. This way of teaching requires the use of special, very expensive student computer graphics laboratory. Therefore, not all universities are able to go this way of teaching graphics.

AGH University is a technical university thus, computer graphics teaching there is oriented toward technical applications: animated 3D graphics with physical effects running the behaviour of virtual objects. Our laboratory motto is: “what is matured and perfect from an engineering point of view, is also beautiful from an aesthetic point of view”.
Programming a computer graphics dinosaur for “Jurassic Park” is not different from programming a virtual robot assembling a car.
Our graduate students have reported, that when seeking a job in computer graphics companies, they were received very well and their skills appreciated. Their main advantage was a cumulated knowledge composed of understanding of physical world and ability to program dynamical virtual objects consistent to our unconscious feeling of reality.
Lecture topics (15 lectures; 90 minutes each)

1. Introduction and philosophy of modern, animated 3D computer graphics. Application domains.
2. Psychology of human vision – how other brains perceive surrounding world and neuropsychology affects computer graphics. Devices for 2D, 3D and 4D computer graphics.
3. Data processing in computer graphics hardware. Concept of rendering pipeline.
4. Primitives in modern computer graphics. Antialiasing. Lines, splines, NURBS, implied geometrical objects.
5. Polygon Meshes, NURBS-based surfaces. Data structures. Computational difficulties. Filling polygons. Flood-fill algorithm.
6. Transformations in computer graphics. Nonlinear transformations: simple morphing.
7. Algorithms for calculating visibility. Ray-tracing algorithm.
8. Parallelism in computer graphics. Architecture of modern graphics cards.
9. Calculating light & surface. Transparency.
10. Complex objects in computer graphics: Part I – Fractals.
11. Part II – cloth modelling.
12. Part III – particles.
13. Morphing and Warping.
14. Animation.
15. Exam (theory of computer graphics).

Tutorial (laboratory) 16 units (3 hours = 180 minutes each, except last one).

1. Softimage Interface basics. Working with 3Dconnexion SpaceExplorer USB. http://www.3dconnexion.com/3dmouse/spaceexplorer.php
2. PolyMesh technology: building a simple aeroplane. All-in-one in modern graphics packages: simple animation is easy: Fly NY animation.
3. Operating with light sources. Operating with user’ defined camera.
4. Boolean Algebra: making a toothed bar.
5. Making a human face with PolyMesh.
6. SurfMesh technology with NURBS: making a pot, making a yacht hull.
7. Introduction to rendering methods.
8. Skeleton: making the famous Pixar lamps http://www.pixar.com/shorts/ljr/ . Moving objects through skeleton manipulations.
9. Making envelope (skin) for dinosaur. Assembling skin with the skeleton.
10. Driving objects with physical forces: making billiard.
11. Particles in modern computer graphics: making a candle, creating simple water. Jet-propelled rocket.
12. Cloth modelling.
13. Operating with hairs.
14. Animation mixer: advanced animation techniques.
15. 3D scanner: Roland Picza 150. http://www.rolanddg.com/product/3d/index.html
16. Presentation of student’s projects. Best projects awards. (90 minutes)

*dr hab.eng. Tadeusz Szuba