The course provides a comprehensive overview of algorithms and software techniques for generating animated movies and interactive animation programs. This course is aimed at computer science students interested in understanding the underlying concepts and techniques of computer animation. Through the development of a significant project using industry standard graphics libraries, students will learn proven techniques of computer animation. Though not extensively mathematical, the course will expose students to mathematical concepts such as curve representations, numeric interpolation and parameterization where appropriate.

• Next Offering: Winter 2011!
  
• Instructor: Stephen Brooks
• Time: 11:35-12:55, Tuesdays and Thursdays
  
• Location: MCCAIN ARTS&SS 2162
  
• Office Hour: 11am-12noon, Friday, CS 327

• Interactive Computer Graphics: A Top-Down Approach with OpenGL, Fourth Edition, Addison-Wesley 2006, ISBN 0-3211-32137-5.

Course topics may include:

• History of animation
• OpenGL
• GUI programming
• Key-framing
• Image warping and morphing
• Hierarchical animation
• Interpolation
• Procedural animation and texturing
• L-Systems
• Particle and flocking systems
• Path following
• Level of detail
• Kinematics
• Collision detection
• Compositing
• Colour processing

Programming assignments will be done on the Windows platform in C/C++ using the OpenGL and GLUT libraries.

You are welcome to use C/C++, Glut and OpenGL on your own machine, although Linux and Macs will not be supported in the lectures. If you do decide to code on your own machine, you will need to port and test your code on the Faculty's Windows 2000/XP machines prior to handing it in (if we can't run it, we can't mark it). Although we use platform independent libraries, please be warned that it will still require a minimal amount of effort to port your code.

• CSCI 2110 (Computer Science III)
  
• CSCI 2132 (Software Development) *
• MATH 2030 (Matrix Theory and Linear Algebra)

There are three items that will make up the final grade for this course:

• 40% Tests (2)
• 20% Programming Assignments (2)
• 40% Final Project

• Test #1: Thursday, Feb. 17th (in class)
• Test #2: Tuesday, April 5th (in class)

All work you submit must be your own. It is fine to discuss problems, but when it comes time to submit solutions, the materials you hand in must be done individually, by yourself. Any materials referenced must be attributed. All suspected instances of academic dishonesty must be reported to the Senate Discipline Committee. In particular, you should never show another student code that you have written for an assignment in this course, nor should you write code for another student to use in his/her assignment. Note that this specifically prohibits working with other students when writing the code for your assignments. As I said above, it is fine to discuss problems, but the code you submit must be your own, written by you alone. For further information regarding academic honesty at Dalhousie, please see the University plagiarism website.

Also note that all assignments and projects will be checked for plagiarism using automated software.

Late assignments will be penalized 5% per day (or part thereof). You may not receive credit for work that is more than 3 days late. The project CANNOT BE HANDED IN LATE (no exceptions).