Notes for November

We've now covered the basics. We are now entering a phase of refining what you've learned so far, and doing selected projects to really focus on what's most interesting to you about computer graphics.

For the remainder of the semester you can focus on advanced rendering techniques like texturing and shadows, or ray tracing, or advanced shape modeling techniques, including free-form triangulations and fractals. Or you might want to focus on advanced animation techniques that incorporate dynamics, particles or inverse kinematics (or all three).

I'm going to leave it to you to focus on what interests you, and you have until Dec 22 (that's the last day I can look at your work and still get in a grade for you on time). Nothing precludes you from trying all of the above topics in some combination - procedurally defined shapes and procedural animation go together quite well. For example, you might want to create a tree by using frractal techniques, and then make your fractal tree dance by using procedural methods to cause the branches to sway.

You can find a "starter kit" for building a ray tracer here.