RMIT University
Department of Computer Science
Subject Guide
CS547 Advanced Computer Graphics

Subject Identification

1. Faculty	Applied Science
2. Department	Computer Science
3. Courses	Computer Science, and others by agreement
4. Subject Code and Title	CS547 Advanced Computer Graphics
5. Year, Semester and Campus	1999, Semester 2, City
6. Lecturer Details Name: Email: Phone: Office: Consultation Times: Subject Home Page: Subject Leader:	Mr Geoff Leach gl@cs.rmit.edu.au 99253207 10.9.18 TBA through newsgroup http://www.cs.rmit.edu.au/~gl/teaching/cs547/subject_guide_99.html Mr Geoff Leach
7. Duration and Delivery Mode	1 semester, internal
8. Credit Points	12
9. Discipline Code	0503
10. Contact Hours	26 lectures, 13 hours tutorials/laboratories, 13 hours laboratories (self-scheduled)
11. Non-contact hours	practical work and private study (est.) 52 hours
12. Dependencies Pre-requisites Co-requisites Post-requisites	CS541 or CS545 none none
13. Timetables	Building 10, level 11 and http://www.cs.rmit.edu.au/timetables/

Subject Description

The subject introduces a variety of topics in advanced computer graphics selected from: VRML, modelling (geometric and physically based), realistic image synthesis (ray tracing and radiosity), animation (real-time and non real-time), 3D games (including game physics), the 3D graphics pipeline and computer graphics architecture.

Objectives

On completion of the subject, the student should:

understand VRML 97 and hierarchical scene description;
understand the goals of image synthesis;
understand the difference between local and global illumination techniques;
have a grasp of the ray tracing and radiosity techniques;
understand the fundamentals of computer animation;
have a grasp of kinematics and dynamics and physically-based modelling;
have a deeper understanding of geometric modelling;
understand the design considerations for 3D graphics pipeline acceleration and have performed some graphics benchmarking.
have implemented, built or created one of the following:
- a real-time animation,
- a ray-tracing renderer,
- an extension to an existing renderer or animation package (e.g. rayshade, POVRay)
- a radiosity renderer,
- a dynamics engine or simulator,
- a 3D game,
- a VRML 97 virtual world,
- a creative animation using an animation package (e.g. Softimage), or
- by agreement with lecturer, a project of your choosing which is a substantial computer graphics effort.

Planned Student Learning Experiences

The subject's nature is that of a graphics programming project. Students will be exposed to a number of areas of computer graphics to varying depths in the lectures, tutorials and laboratories. Through the VRML assignment students are expected to gain detailed understanding of hierachical scene description combined with simple scripting to produce animations. In the second assignment - in most cases a graphics programming assignment - students are expected to choose one particular topic about which they deepen their knowledge through reading of further material and design and development of a project which requires, in most cases, substantial programming effort.

In some cases students will be allowed to produce a creative work for the second assignment - for example, an animation or a VRML world. However, this must first be agreed with the lecturer.

Development of student graduate attributes is an ongoing process that takes place in all subjects and over the period of the whole course. This subject particularly addresses the attributes of VRML, image synthesis, physically based modelling and graphics programming.

Attendance

While a minimum attendance standard is not compulsory, non-attendance may seriously jeopardise the chances of success in this subject. Clearly, non-attendance at an assessment will result in failure of that assessment. Where visa conditions apply, attendance is compulsory.

Assessment

Assessment Tasks

Assignment 1 20%
Assignment 2 80%

Assessment Review

If a final assessment report is required, students must apply, in writing, to the head of the department within two weeks of official notification of the result. The form of the report will be a written report on your performance on each segment of the assessment programme.

Assessment Criteria and Gradings Available

HD	(80-100)	High Distinction
DI	(70-79)	Distinction
CR	(60-69)	Credit
PA	(50-59)	Pass
NN	(0-49)	Fail
RW		Result withheld (see lecturer for reasons)

Assessment Timeline, Submission Dates and Submission Procedure

Assignment 1 (20%) is to design and create a VRML avatar and is due in week 5.

Assignment 2 (80%) is a graphics programming project, with a choice of topic. A choice must be made by week 5, otherwise a default choice will apply. Due the last teaching week of semester.

Both assignments must be demonstrated.

A CS547 web page must be set up on yallara at the URL
http://yallara.cs.rmit.edu.au/~yourId/cs547/index.html
from which assignment reports and work must be accessible.

Assignments must be submitted electronically using turnin, unless otherwise agreed with the lecturer.

Applications for Extensions

Application for extensions should be made in writing. Submission dates contained in this guide may be altered with the agreement of the majority of the students enrolled in the subject/class concerned. Any alterations to submission dates will be notified to all students concerned either in writing or by announcement in the student news group rmit.cs.547. Students must read this news group for announcements.

Penalties for late submission:

Late submission may be penalised at 10% per day late (calculated hourly).

Changes to Submission Dates

Submission dates may be altered by agreement between the lecturer and a majority of the students enrolled in the subject. Any alterations to submission dates will be notified to all students concerned in lectures, and by the student news group rmit.cs.547. Students must read this news group for announcements. Such postings will also be made to the subject web page.

Changes to Form of assessment

Changes to the form of assessment, may only be made after consultation with the students, and with the approval of 70% of students enrolled in the subject, and the approval of the Head of Department. Details of the changes will be publicised via the subject newsgroup and in writing to all students.

Academic Dishonesty

Students are reminded that cheating, whether by fabrication, falsification of data, or plagiarism, is an offence subject to University disciplinary procedures. Plagiarism in oral or written presentations is the presentation of the work, idea or creation of another person, without appropriate referencing, as though it is one's own. Plagiarism is not acceptable. The use of another person's work or ideas must be acknowledged. Failure to do so may result in charges of academic misconduct which carry a range of penalties including cancellation of results and exclusion from your course. Students are responsible for ensuring that their work is kept in a secure place. It is also a disciplinary offence for students to allow their work to be plagiarised by another student. Students should be aware of their rights and responsibilities regarding the use of copyright material

Study Program

The following outline is intended as a guide to the order of presentation of topics. The Department reserves the right to make changes as appropriate.

Week	Lecture	Tutorial/Laboratory
1.	Overview of subject and assignment work. VRML introduction. Shapes, geometry and appearance.	No tutorials.
2.	VRML. Animation, sensors and geometry.	(Lab.) Introduction to the SGI workstations and environment. VRML 97 examples. Cosmoworlds.
3.	VRML. Textures, lights and environment.	(Lab.) VRML. Interpolator and extrusion node exercise.
4.	VRML. Scripts and prototypes.	(Lab.) Emacs. Emacs VRML and HTML modes. Regular expressions.
5.	Animation. Types of animation: real-time, precomputed, hierarchical, character. Scripting. Linear interpolation. Graphics performance. OpenGL benchmarks.	(Lab.) OpenGL performance benchmarking. Viewperf and GLperf.
6.	Kinematics and dynamics. Projectile motion. Physically based animation. Numerial integration. 3D game physics. Hecker articles.	(Tut./Lab.) Dynamics problems.
7.	Introduction to ray tracing. Global versus local lighting. Recursive ray-tracing. Ray-sphere, ray-polygon intersection testing.	(Tut.) Ray-sphere and ray-polygon intersection testing examples. Optimisation of intersection tests.
8.	Ray-tracing acceleration. Uniform grids oct-trees, k-d trees, bounding volume hierarchies, shadow ray caching.	(Tut.) Uniform grid traversal.
9.	Guest lecture. Stromlo Entertainment.	(Tut.) Spatial data structures.
10.	Collisions. Detection. Conservation of energy and momentum. Stationary objects versus moving objects.	(Tut.) Collison dynamics exercises.
11.	Guest lecture. Motion capture and facial animation.	Work on assignments.
12.	Research issues in computer graphics. SIGGRAPH video review.	Work on assignments.
13.	Assignment demonstrations.	Assignment demonstrations.

Prescribed Texts

None

Reference Texts

Ames, A. L., Nadeau, D. R. and Moreland, J. L, (1997) "The VRML 2.0 Sourcebook", Wiley.

Carey, R. and Bell, G. (1997), "The Annotated VRML 2.0 Reference Manual", Addison Wesley.

Foley, J. D., van Dam, A., Feiner, S., Hughes, J. and Phillips, R. L. (1994) "Introduction to Computer Graphics", Addison Wesley.

Foley, J. D., van Dam, A., Feiner, S. K., Hughes, J. F. and Phillips, R. L. (1996) "Computer Graphics: Principles and Practice", Second Edition in C, Addison Wesley.

Glassner, A. (ed.) (1989), "An Introduction to Ray Tracing", Academic Press.

Hartman, J. and Wernecke, J. (1996), "The VRML 2.0 Handbook: Building Moving Worlds on the Web", Addison-Wesley.

Maestri, G. (1996) "Digital Character Animation", New Riders.

O'Rourke, M. (1998), "Principles of Three-Dimensional Computer Animation : Modeling, Rendering, and Animating With 3d Computer Graphics", Revised Edition, Norton.

Parke, I. F. and Waters, K. (1996), "Computer Facial Animation", A K Peters Ltd

Watt, A. and Watt, M. (1992), "Advanced Animation and Rendering Techniques: Theory and Practice", Addison Wesley.

Wernecke, J. (1994), "The Inventor Mentor", Addison Wesley.

Woo, M., Neider, J. and Davis, T. (1997), "OpenGL Programming Guide", 2nd Edition, Addison Wesley.

Date Issued

July 1999

Issued By

CS547 Subject Leader, Geoff Leach, gl@cs.rmit.edu.au

Authorised by

Courses Leader, Sheila Howell, sh@cs.rmit.edu.au

RMIT University Department of Computer Science Subject Guide CS547 Advanced Computer Graphics