!doctype html public "-//w3c//dtd html 4.0 transitional//en"> Generative Computergrafik

GCG Generative Computergrafik
= DM-310-1 Digital Film Production

Required course for the Diplomstudiengang Medieninformatik
Required option for the bachelor program Digital Media

If you attend this course, please send me an e-mail so that I can compile a mailing list.

Schedule

Lecture: Wednesday, 9:45-11:15 a.m., I-122
Lab: Wednesday, 8:00-9:30 a.m., I-220 (group A), and 11:30-13:00 a.m. (group B), I-220, no lab in first week
But see below!

Intended Learning Outcomes

Students know fundamental concepts of the 3D animation process and its support through software.
Students can employ basic techniques for modeling, animation, and rendering in software they develop themselves.
Students are able to use selected tool kits such as game engines and the .fx framework for basic tasks.
Students are able to develop (genuinely!) object oriented software consisting of a several hundred lines of code.

Prerequisites

Linear algebra, analysis, object-oriented programming, basics of real-time 3D programming in one of the standard APIs (OpenGL, Java3D, DirectX, Managed DirectX)

Lecture

I give the lectures in English with German translations of critical parts. The lecture is in interactive form: I'll try to gain feedback from you. If something is unclear or you have a comment or a tangential question, you don't need to put up your hand. Just ask. If you have suggestions concerning content or form, just let me know. For technical questions, please refer to the tutors first.

The day before each lecture, I prepare lecture notes and put them in the corresponding directory beneath this Web page, together with example code. The notes are no work for eternity; I typically focus on content and on didactics rather than on form. According to the regulations, your attendance in the lecture is not required. However, if you don't attend the lecture, you will have a hard time working on the assignments.

Laboratory

The assignments for the lab are both a vital learning method of this course and its sole method of grading. They can (and should) be worked on in teams of two persons. You may work on your own, but not in a team of three or more persons. In the lab, the tutors and I talk with you about your solution, not only to give hints but also to check the contribution of each member of a team.

I recommend that you collect information from everywhere. But I expect everybody to understand the program he or she submits. Furthermore, any material that you did not write, draw, etc. on your own has to be clearly declared as such. In the assignments, you will achieve a better grade with material you've developed on your own, even though in industrial practice you would of course strive to reuse somebody else's work.

Attendance at the lab is compulsory, limited by the typical exemptions such as illness. As an alternative to attend the lab, you may contact me in advance (!) for a special meeting or electronic communication. Notice that most of the work has to be done at home. You may also use the computer graphics lab when there are no classes.

Assignments are to be submitted via e-mail. According to the regulations, you need to include not only source code and executable files but also substantial documentation:

Objectives (merely my description of the assignment)
Requirements (largely contained in my description of the assignment; make precise where necessary)
Software Design (e.g., UML diagrams)
Test documentation (What have you tested in which way? Consequences?)
User guide and an example application (e.g., commented screen shots)

I prefer to receive documentation in lean HTML (no export from Microsoft^® Word^®) or PDF. It is ok to use hand-drawn diagrams; you may practice using drawing programs elsewhere. If you cannot do without some kind of word processor, I'd recommend OpenOffice.org or (even better) some form of LaTeX.

I grade every assignment with zero to three points, and that is the least point number according to the following categories:

Points Solution of Problem Structure Naming Comments Documentation

0 vital part missing spaghetti muddled virtually no comments important part(s) missing

1 mostly complete, but for instance erroneous behavior in important exceptional cases some logical problems, no defensive programming partially confusing every class and every non-trivial method explained with comments that are automatically extractable (in the context of C# this means XML) mostly complete, but for instance not covering important problems or gaps

2 complete up to minor gaps basically object-oriented, basic defensive programming comprehensible in addition: explanations of code that cannot be understood on first linear reading (If there are no difficult-to-read passages in the code, that's even better!); do not comment every single line virtually complete

3 complete clean classes built using design patterns; defensive programming; instrumented code self-explaining in addition: comments describing vital algorithms in brief exhaustive

Points	Solution of Problem	Structure	Naming	Comments	Documentation
0	vital part missing	spaghetti	muddled	virtually no comments	important part(s) missing
1	mostly complete, but for instance erroneous behavior in important exceptional cases	some logical problems, no defensive programming	partially confusing	every class and every non-trivial method explained with comments that are automatically extractable (in the context of C# this means XML)	mostly complete, but for instance not covering important problems or gaps
2	complete up to minor gaps	basically object-oriented, basic defensive programming	comprehensible	in addition: explanations of code that cannot be understood on first linear reading (If there are no difficult-to-read passages in the code, that's even better!); do not comment every single line	virtually complete
3	complete	clean classes built using design patterns; defensive programming; instrumented code	self-explaining	in addition: comments describing vital algorithms in brief	exhaustive

If you achieve three points in every category and if your solution clearly exceeds the original task in features, structure, or documentation, you are awarded four points instead. If you achieve one point for every assignment, your total grade will be 4.0 (sufficient). If you achieve four points for every assignment, your grade will be 1.0 (excellent).

For commenting style see "Code Complete 2" or at least the bullet lists about self-documenting code and about commenting (free registration required).

Book and Web Recommendations

Roedy Green: How to Write Unmaintainable Code
McConnell: Code Complete 2
Freeman, Freeman et al.: Head First Design Patterns
Shirley: Fundamentals of Computer Graphics, 2nd Edition
Watt/Policarpo: 3D Games Vol. I+II
Miller: Managed DirectX 9 Kick Start (somewhat outdated)
Brill/Bender: Computergrafik
DeLoura et al.: Game Programming Gems I-V
Fernando et al.: GPU Programming Gems I+II
Engel et al.: ShaderX I-IV

Schedule, Syllabus


Wed 2006-03-15	Survey: 3D animation and special F/X in practice; no lab in first week
Wed 2006-03-22	Subdivision surfaces; lab: assignment 1
Wed 2006-03-29	Vertex and pixel shaders, HLSL, intro to .fx; lab: assignment 1 (cont'd)
Wed 2006-04-19	Vertex deformations in .fx; lab: assignment 1 (cont'd)
Wed 2006-04-26	Lighting, pixel-based effects in .fx; lab: assignment 2
~~Wed 2006-05-03~~	postponed: 2006-07-04
Wed 2006-05-10	Bones, IK, morphing; hierarchical animation and soft skinning with DirectX; lab: assignment 2 (cont'd)
Wed 2006-05-17	Frameworks and toolkits: game engines, physics engines; lab: assignment 2 (cont'd)
Wed 2006-05-24	Particles, herds; lab: assignment 3
Wed 2006-05-31	Motion capture, non-linear animation; lab: assignment 3 (cont'd)
Wed 2006-06-07	Joystick, Steering Wheel, and other controllers; lab: assignment 3 (cont'd)
Wed 2006-06-14	Ray tracing; lab: assignment 4
Wed 2006-06-21	Radiosity and friends; lab: assignment 4 (cont'd)
Wed 2006-06-28	Shadows; lab: assignment 4 (cont'd)
Tue 2006-07-04	9:45-11:15, room 119 Current research topics
Wed 2006-07-05	Batch Renderers; post effects, compositing; final lab

GCG Generative Computergrafik = DM-310-1 Digital Film Production