ECE 30834 - Fundamentals of Computer Graphics

Note:

This course is cross listed with CS 33400.

Course Details

Lecture Hours: 3 Credits: 3

This is an experiential learning course.

Counts as:

  • EE Elective
  • CMPE Selective

Normally Offered:

Each Fall

Campus/Online:

On-campus only

Requisites:

ECE 36800

Requisites by Topic:

Programming, Data Structures

Catalog Description:

Fundamental principles and techniques of computer graphics. The course covers the basics of going from a scene representation to a raster image using OpenGL. Specific topics include coordinate manipulations, perspective, basics of illumination and shading, color models, texture maps, clipping and basic raster algorithms, fundamentals of scene constructions.

Required Text(s):

  1. Interactive Computer Graphics: A Top Down Approach Using OpenGL , 6th Edition , Ed Angel , Addison-Wesley , 2009 , ISBN No. 9780132545235

Recommended Text(s):

None.

Learning Outcomes:

A student who successfully fulfills the course requirements will have demonstrated:
  1. an understanding of the design issues for creating raster graphics. [2,4,6]
  2. an ability to apply rendering techniques to an actual computer graphics problem and associated datasets. [1,2]
  3. an understanding of object transformations, representations, transformations and perspective projections. [1]
  4. an understanding of color, illumination, and shading techniques. [1]
  5. an understanding of the rendering and rasterization techniques. [1]
  6. an understanding of the application of computer graphics techniques to visualization, animation, and computer aided design. [4]

Lecture Outline:

Week(s) Topics
1-2 Brief overview of computer graphics and architecture (rendering pipeline), graphics software, and graphics applications. Introduction to the OpenGL library, example programs.
3 Raster basics: drawing lines and circles, clipping algorithms, polygon intersection. Alias effects, techniques to counter them.
4-5 From scene to image: Objects, transforms, color and illumination models, polygonal object representation, texture maps, view port clipping, rasterization.
6-7 Perspective and projection, affine and projective coordinates, rigid body motions. Object manipulation, concepts from projective geometry.
8-9 Color perception and color models, local illumination, ambient, diffuse and specular light models. Material properties. Gouraud and Phong shading.
10-11 Basic ray tracing, direct and indirect illumination, reflection and refraction. Constructive Solid Geometry (CSG), ray tracing CSG models.
12-13 Object geometry: polygon mesh, implicit surfaces, parametric curves and surfaces. Modeling with implicit surfaces. Construction of polygon meshes.
14-15 Survey of basic tools and techniques for animation, scientific visualization, and computer-aided design.

Engineering Design Content:

  • Analysis
  • Construction
  • Testing

Assessment Method:

The course outcomes will be assessed through student submission of working programs, and two in class examinations.