CS 4390
Computer Graphics

Fall 1998
College of Computing 201
MWF 11:05-11:55

Description

Introduction to computer graphics; hardware, algorithms, and software organization for computer graphics; two-dimensional and three-dimensional transformations; fundamentals of vector and raster graphics; programming projects implementing a subset of the above.

Instructor

Don Allison

don@cc.gatech.edu

388 Centennial Research Building

894-5104

Office Hours: 12-1 Wed. and Fri. CCB 130 (SGI Lab)

 

Teaching Assistant

Doug A. Bowman

bowman@cc.gatech.edu

388 Centennial Research Building

894-5104

Office Hours: TBA

Prerequisites

• Familiar with calculus and linear algebra.
• Fluent in programming C on a Unix workstation (including makefiles and debuggers)
• Data structures (pointers, lists and memory allocation) will be used extensively.

Newsgroup

Here's a link to the git.cc.class.4390 newsgroup.

Textbook

Foley, van Dam, Feiner, and Hughes Computer Graphics: Principles and Practice (2nd edition in C) or
Foley, van Dam, Feiner, Hughes, and Phillips Introduction to Computer Graphics
Course notes will also be available in the bookstore. These will follow the lectures given in class.

If you are planning to take any other graphics course or are interested in Computer Graphics, you should buy the first book. If this is the only graphics course you will take, the second book is satisfactory.

Web page

The class will use the web, the class page will be located at
http://www.cc.gatech.edu/classes/cs4390_98_fall/

Syllabus

An approximate syllabus for the class appears below. The practice problems are from a previous quarter and may contain some material not covered in our lectures. They are optional and for your benefit.

Grading

Grading will be based on

• Programming assignments (50%)
• Tests (2) (30%)
• Final exam (20%)

Programming Assignments

All programming assignments must execute on the Indy or O2 workstations in the SGI lab (room 130, CCB). You will write 4-5 programs for this course. All programs must be written in C. Documentation/code clarity will count as 20% of the grade for each program. The other 80% of the grade will be based on the program's ability to handle various requirements that will be specified when the assignment is given.

Compiling and executing without errors on the published test data is considered minimal competency for any program. Late programs will be penalized 3^n-1 points, where n is the number of days late. Weekends count as two days. Programs that are more than 5 days late will not be graded.

You may discuss high-level design strategies and specifications of the assignments with other students in this class. However, your programs and homework are to represent your own work. All coding and detailed design decisions are to be made without consultation with others.

Here are some pointers to information that may be helpful in getting started:

• SGI lab: logging in and using desktop tools
• C programming
• OpenGL

Links to each programming assignment will be added here when it is assigned:

• Program 1: Screen Saver
• Program 2: Scan Conversion & Transformations

Homework

There is no formal homework that needs to be turned in for this course. However, you are encouraged to use all of the practice problems in the course notes, as well as those linked to in the syllabus above, as review and extra practice.