Computer Animation -
Algorithms and Techniques
4003-572-39
/ 4005-763-39
(Winter 2010-2011)
Syllabus
Instructor: Joe Geigel
Office: 70-3527
Office Hours: TR
10-noon
E-mail: jmg@cs.rit.edu
URL: http://www.cs.rit.edu/~jmg/
Course URL:
http://www.cs.rit.edu/~jmg/animation
Class Lecture MW 4-6
Classroom: GOL (70)-2455
PREREQUISITE:
4003-570/4005-761 Computer Graphics I
or 4002-501/735 Foundations of 2D Graphics Programming
or by permission of instructor
Description
This course
takes a look at Computer Animation from a programmer’s
perspective. It will investigate the theory, algorithms and
techniques for describing and programming motion for virtual 3D
worlds. Approaches that will be explored include
keyframing systems, kinematics, motion of articulated figures, and
procedural and behavioral systems. This course
is a programming-oriented course with major deliverables including the
implementation of techniques presented in lecture as well as a final
project concentrating on an area of a student’s
choice. Students taking this course
for Graduate credit will be required to read and summarize recent
journal
papers from the computer animation literature.
Texts
These texts will supplement the material
presented in lecture. In
addition, research papers from the computer animation literature
will be referenced. A list of papers, organized by topic is
available here. Note that students will be required to
submit short summaries of
selected
papers.
Learning Outcomes
Upon completion
of this course, students will be able to:
- explain and apply the fundamentals of
keyframing and
interpolation.
- apply models of motion
based on Newtonian Physics to animation.
- describe and compare models
of group behavior and apply them to animation.
- apply techniques for
animating articulated figures.
- explain the basic
principles of motion capture and apply them to an animation application.
- specify, design,
implement,
and document a large software project related to computer animation.
Requirements and Grading
In Computer Graphics, much
like many other areas of Computer Science, the best way to learn is by
doing. Whereas the theory of animation will be discussed in the
lectures, the real learning occurs when implementing this theory into
code. Thus, this course relies heavily on programming tasks.
The major deliverables for this
course are:
- Programming Assignments--
a set of programming assignments, each allowing the student to learn
a particular technique or algorithm by coding it up themselves.
Assignments can be coded in the language / API of the student's choice. More info on
assignments is available here .
- Project -- a
semester long project that illustrates in-depth knowledge of one aspect
animation and motion control as presented in the course. The
choice of project should reflect
the interests and motivations of each student in taking this
course. In short, it is hoped that this course will provide
each student with the opportunity to undertake a semester long task in
computer animation that
he or she has just been yearning to do. Team projects are
acceptable, however, the complexity of the project should reflect the
number of members of the team and all team members are expected to
contribute equally to the final project. More info on class
projects is available here .
- Weekly Activities --
A collection of activities will assigned on weekly basis...The purpose
of
these activities is to prime the students for the lectures to be given
each week. All of the activities deliverables are due before the
lecture on
Monday and should be submitted via mycourses. The tasks required
each week will be posted on mycourses the week before it is due.
The weekly
activities will usually involve:
- Readings -- In order to
get used to reading the Computer Graphics literature, students will
be required to read seminal papers corresponding to the topic to be given in lectures.
Papers are listed in the READING LIST.
- On-line activities -
Each week, a simple (and hopefully fun) activity will be assigned for
the student to complete. Usually, this activity will involve
running an on-line applet or application, and taking (and submitting) a
screenshot of the application at work.
- Animation viewing -- An
ulterior motive for this course is to provide a historical context for
the techniques being discussed by exposing the student to classic
computer generated animations that were created "pre-Toy Story".
On the SCHEDULE, a number of animations are listed for each week.
Many times these animations correspond to the PRIMARY paper for
the week.
In addition, students taking the course for graduate credit will need to also complete the following.
- Survey / Report --
Students taking the course for graduate credit will be required to
write and present a survey of the state of the art in a given animation
subtopic or an in-depth report on a particular animation technique not
presented in lecture. The intention of this deliverable is to
prepare the student for a possible project / thesis in the area of
animation. This deliverable includes a written
report. Grad students should meet with the instructor
in the first weeks of the course to discuss possible topics that match
the students interests and future study plans in the area of
animation. It is possible, and quite likely, that the topic
for the report will be related to the final project.
- Paper Presentation
-- In addition to the weekly paper summary, each grad student will read
one of the supplemental papers listed in the READING LIST and prepare a
20 minute presentation to give to the class. Two presentation
slots will be reserved for these presentation (See SCHEDULE)
The final grade will be determined
using
the following weights:
|
Graduate |
Undergraduate |
| Project |
30% |
35% |
| Assignments |
30% |
35% |
| Weekly Activities |
20% |
30%
|
Grad Report
|
10%
|
|
| Paper Presentation |
10% |
|
Policy on Late Submissions
It is extremely important to
continue to make progress as the course progresses. If you forsee any problems with
meeting deliverable deadlines, please see the instructor well in advance
of the deadline that might be missed we can attempt
to work out alternate arrangements. Late submissions
without prior permission or notification will be heavy penalized.
Policy on Academic Dishonesty
Please be aware of the Computer Science Policy on Academic Dishonesty
as well the RIT Policy on Academic Dishonesty found by following the
links.
Any form of academic dishonesty will not be tolerated.
Consequences of any discovered academic dishonesty incidents will be applied as specified in these policies.
last updated 11/25/10
