CS838 Topics in Computing : Advanced Computer Graphics

Fall Semester 2014

Course outline

This course is intended to expand the scope of exposure of graduate students and advanced undergraduates to modern computer graphics principles. The class will examine both fundamental graphics topics, but at a depth that is more appropriate for students with prior experience in the area of computing, and also sample current topics representative of vibrant trends in academic and industry practice. The course should be accessible to advanced students in all areas, given a certain prior experience in visual computing, a level of comfort with programming, and a healthy dose of enthusiasm!

Some of the topics to be covered are listed below. Note that this list will likely be adapted to the dynamic and composition of the audience.

• Modeling and geometry: Point-based models, implicit surfaces, mesh generation and processing and optimization, principles of differential geometry.
• Rendering: Introduction to Global Illumination, the rendering equation, radiosity, photon mapping. Image-based rendering.
• Shape manipulation: Laplacian mesh processing, shape morphing, non-rigid registration, parameterization.
• Animation: Skinning techniques, facial animation, motion editing and control, performance-driven animation.
• Dynamics: Cloth modeling and animation, collisions and interactions, rigid body simulation, introduction to computational modeling of fluids.
• Various topics: Sound modeling, interactive rendering, shape synthesis, general-purpose GPU computing.

General information

Lecture meeting time : Mondays & Wednesdays Tue/Thu 2:30pm - 3:45pm
Lecture location : Psychology 121

Instructor : Eftychios Sifakis
Office : Computer Sciences building, Room 6355
Email : sifakis <at> cs <dot> wisc <dot> edu
Office hours : Monday & Wednesday 11:00am - 12:00pm or by appointment

Prerequisites : CS559 Computer Graphics, which can be waived by instructor consent (such a waiver can summarily be granted if a similar course has been completed at a different institution).

Schedule of lectures

Project assingments

TBD

Presentation assingments

TBD

Grading policy

The final grade will be computed based on the following:

• 40% Attendance, presentation & reading assignments : Students will be asked to turn in brief write-ups on assigned reading, and prepare short in-class presentations on assigned papers/topics, leading to a follow-up discussion.
• 60% Project assignments : Projects will be assigned to groups of 2 students, with two separate deliverables (mid-semester, end-of-semester) during the course of the class.