Computer Graphics
Today, computer graphics is a central part of our lives, in movies, games, computer-aided design, virtual reality, virtual simulators, visualization and even imaging products and cameras. This course, part of the Virtual Reality (VR) Professional Certificate program, teaches the basics of computer graphics that apply to all of these domains.
Students will learn to create computer-generated images of 3D scenes, including flybys of objects, make a real-time scene viewer, and create very realistic images with raytracing. We will start with a simple example of viewing a teapot from anywhere in space, understanding the basic mathematics of virtual camera placement. Next, you will learn how to use real-time graphics programming languages like OpenGL and GLSL to create your own scene viewer, enabling you to fly around and manipulate 3D scenes. Finally, we will teach you to create highly realistic images with reflections and shadows using raytracing.
This course runs for 6 weeks and consists of four segments. Each segment includes an individual programming assignment:
- Overview and Basic Math (Homework 0: 10% of grade)
- Transformations (Homework 1: 20% of grade)
- OpenGL and Lighting (Homework 2: 35% of grade)
- Raytracing (Homework 3: 35% of grade)
This term, students who earn a total score of 50% or greater will have passed the course and may obtain a certificate from UC San DiegoX.
What you'll learn
- Understand the concepts of 3D graphics
- Write and develop programs that create images of a 3D scene with lighting
- Learn the basics of graphics programming with OpenGL and GLSL
Ravi Ramamoorthi is a Professor at the University of California, San Diego. He has taught computer graphics more than 10 times at Stanford, Columbia and UC Berkeley, and has been honored with a number of awards for his research, including the ACM SIGGRAPH Significant New Researcher Award and by the White House with the PECASE (Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers). He was a finalist for the inaugural edX Prize for Exceptional Contributions in Online Teaching and Learning.
