Goals:

• Create, compile, link and execute C++ programs.
• Find out how C++ code is transformed into machine code.
• Learn some of the basic C++ features necessary for every C++ program.
• Discover how to output and input text information to and from the user.
• Understand the concept of variables.
• Perform simple arithmetic operations in C++.

Key Topics:

• Our First C++ Program
  • Creating the Project
  • Adding .CPP File to the Project
  • Writing the Code
  • Compiling, Linking, and Executing
  • Comments
  • White Space
  • Include Directives
  • Namespaces
  • The main{...} Function
  • std::string
  • cin and cout
• Variables
  • Declarations and Definitions
  • Names
  • sizeof
  • The unsigned Keyword
  • Literal Assignments
  • Type Conversions / Casts
  • typedefs
  • Const Variables
  • Macros
• Arithmetic Operations
  • Unary Arithmetic Operations
  • The Modulus Operator
  • Compound Arithmetic Operations
  • Operator Precedence

Goals:

• Understand and evaluate logical expressions.
• Form and apply conditional, if...then, statements.
• Discover how to execute a block of code repeatedly using various kinds of loops.
• Learn how to create containers of variables and how to manipulate the individual elements in those containers.

Key Topics:

• The Relational Operators
• The Logical Operators
• Conditional Statements
  • The If Statement
  • The Else Clause
  • Nested If...Else Statements
  • The Switch Statement
  • The Ternary Operator
• Repetition
  • The for-loop
  • The while Loop
  • The do...while Loop
  • Nesting Loops
  • Break and Continue Keywords
• Arrays
  • Array Initialization
  • Iterating Over an Array
  • Multidimensional Arrays

Goals:

• Understand and construct logical code groupings/tasks as functions.
• Understand the various definitions for scope as it pertains to variable declarations.
• Understand how to use code libraries for common tasks in mathematics and for random number generation.
• Understand function parameter overloading and the concept of the default parameter.

Key Topics:

• User-Defined Functions
  • Functions with One Parameter
  • Functions with Several Parameters
• Variable Scope
• Math Library Functions
• Random Number Library Functions
• Function Overloading
• Default Parameters

Goals:

• Become familiar with reference and pointer syntax.
• Understand how C++ passes array arguments into functions.
• Discover how to return multiple return values from a function.
• Learn how to create and destroy memory at runtime (i.e., while the program is running).

Key Topics:

• References
  • Constant References
• Pointers
  • Computer Memory Primer
  • Pointer Initialization
  • Dereferencing
• Arrays Revisited
  • Arrays and Pointers
  • Pointer Arithmetic
  • Arrays as Function Parameters
• Multiple Function Return Values using References and Pointers
• Dynamic Memory
  • Allocating Memory
  • Deleting Memory
  • Memory Leaks
• std::vector
• Pointers to Functions

Goals:

• Understand the problems object oriented programming attempts to solve.
• Define a class and instantiate members of that class.
• Learn some basic class design strategies.

Key Topics:

• Object Oriented Programming Ideas
• Classes and Objects
  • Basic Syntax
  • The Dot/Arrow Operators
  • Header Files
  • Inclusion Guards
  • Class Definitions
  • Class Implementations
  • Data Hiding: Private versus Public
  • Constructors and Destructors
  • Copy Constructors
  • Assignment Operators

Goals:

• Understand how C++ natively describes strings.
• Learn some important standard library string functions.
• Review std::string and become familiar with some of its methods.
• Become familiar with the this pointer.
• Learn about the friend and static keywords.
• Discover how to create your own namespaces.
• Understand what enumerated types are, how they are defined in C++, and when they would be used.

Key Topics:

Goals:

• Learn how to overload the arithmetic operators.
• Discover how to overload the relational operators.
• Overload the conversion operators.
• Understand the difference between deep copies and shallow copies.
• Find out how to overload the assignment operator and copy constructor to perform deep copies.

Key Topics:

• A Vector Class
  • Constructors
  • Equality
  • Addition and Subtraction
  • Scalar Multiplication
  • Length
  • Normalization
  • The Dot Product
  • Printing
  • Accepting Input
• Overloading Arithmetic Operators
  • Operator Overloading Syntax
  • Overloading the Other Arithmetic Operators
• Overloading Relational Operators
• Overloading Conversion Operators
• Overloading the Extraction and Insertion Operators
• A String Class
  • Assignment Operator
  • Copy Constructor
  • Bracket Operator
  • Construction and Destruction

Goals:

• Learn how to load and save text files.
• Learn how to load and save binary files.

Key Topics:

• Streams
• Text File I/O
  • Saving Data
  • Loading Data
• Binary File I/O
  • Saving Data
  • Loading Data

Goals:

• Understand what inheritance means in C++ and why it is a useful code construct.
• Understand the syntax of polymorphism, how it works, and why it is useful.
• Learn how to create general abstract types and interfaces.

Key Topics:

• Inheritance
  • Repeated Inheritance
  • "isa" vs. "hasa" relationships
  • Base Class/Derived Class Casting
  • Public vs. Private Inheritance
  • Method Overriding
• Constructors and Destructors with Inheritance
• Multiple Inheritance
• Polymorphism
• How Virtual Functions Work
• The Cost of Virtual Functions
• Abstract Classes
  • Interfaces

Goals:

• Learn how to design and implement generic classes.
• Learn how to define generic functions.

Key Topics:

• Class Templates
  • Class Template Definition
  • Class Template Implementation
  • Class Template Instantiation
• A Table Template Class
  • Table Data
  • Class Interface
  • destroy
  • resize
  • The Overloaded Parenthesis Operator
  • The Table Class
• Function Templates

Goals:

• Understand the method of catching errors via function return codes, and an understanding of the shortcomings of this method.
• Become familiar with the concepts of exception handling, its syntax, and its benefits.
• Learn how to write assumption verification code using asserts.

Key Topics:

• Error Codes
• Exception Handling Basics
• Assert

Goals:

• Discover how lists, stacks, queues, deques, and maps work internally, and in which situations they should be used.
• Become familiar with a handful of the generic algorithms the standard library provides and how to apply these algorithms on a variety of data structures.
• Learn how to create objects that act like functions, called functors, and learn how to create and use predicates with the standard library.

Key Topics:

• Linked Lists
• Stacks
• Queues
• Deques
• Maps
• Algorithms
• Functors
• Predicates

Goals:

• Learn how to create a basic Win32 application.
• Gain an understanding of the event driven programming model.

Key Topics:

• The Event Driven Programming Model
  • Win32 Programming Theory
  • The MSG Structure
• Overview of Creating a Windows Application
  • Defining the Window Procedure
  • The WNDCLASS Structure
  • WNDCLASS Registration
  • CreateWindow
  • Showing and Updating the Window
  • The Message Loop

Goals:

• Learn how to output text onto a window, and how to draw several GDI shape primitives like lines, rectangles and ellipses.
• Understand how different pens and brushes can be used to change the way GDI shapes are colored and drawn.
• Learn how to load bitmap (.bmp) images from file into our Windows programs, and how to draw them on the client area of our windows.
• Become familiar with the Visual C++ menu resource editor, and learn how to create menus.

Key Topics:

• Text Output
  • The WM_PAINT Message
  • The Device Context
  • TextOut
  • Example Program
• Shape Primitives
  • Drawing Lines
  • Drawing Rectangles
  • Drawing Ellipses
• Bitmaps
  • Loading
  • Rendering
  • Deleting
• Pens and Brushes
• Menus
  • Creating a Menu Resource
  • Loading a Menu and Attaching it to a Window
  • Checking Menu Items
  • Selecting Menu Items

Goals:

• Learn how to create modal and modeless dialog boxes, and how to distinguish between the two.
• Discover how to create and design dialog boxes with the Visual C++ resource editor.
• Become familiar with several Win32 controls such as static text controls, picture box controls, edit box controls, radio button controls, button controls, and combo box controls.

Key Topics:

• Modal Dialog Boxes
  • Static Text Controls
  • Button Controls
  • Dialog Box Design
• Modeless Dialog Boxes
  • Edit Controls
• Radio Buttons
• Combo Boxes

Goals:

• Learn how to use the Windows multimedia timer functions for smooth animation.
• Discover how to do basic 2D computer animation.
• Understand the technique of double buffering to avoid flicker.
• Learn how to draw complex non-rectangular 2D image bitmaps using the GDI raster operations.

Key Topics:

• Timing
  • Windows Multimedia Timer Functions
  • Computing Elapsed Time
  • Computing Frames Per Second
• Double Buffering
• Sprites
  • Theory
  • Implementation
  • Art Resources

Goals:

• Become familiar with the three-stage software development process of analysis, design, and implementation.
• Practice the three-stage software development process by analyzing, designing, and implementing an Air Hockey game.

Key Topics:

• Analysis
• Object Identification
• Game Behavior/Problem Solving
• Design
• Algorithms
  • Mouse Velocity
  • Paddle Artificial Intelligence
  • Puck-Paddle Collision
  • Puck-Wall Collision
  • Paddle-Wall Collision
  • Pausing/Un-pausing
  • Keeping Score
• Software Design
• Implementation
• Main Application Code

Goals:

• Understand how 3D game objects are represented geometrically and how they are drawn.
• Master the mathematics of the transformation pipeline, from model space through to screen space.
• Review basic transformations such as scaling, rotation, and translation.
• Be able to move points from one coordinate space to another.
• Get comfortable with the specific math operations and data types we will use in future lessons.
• Examine vectors, planes, and matrices and understand their roles in the transformation pipeline and in other common cases.
• Review dot and cross products, normalization, and matrix and vector multiplication.
• Learn the D3DX equivalent data types and functions for the operations discussed.
• Understand perspective projection and how the matrix is constructed.
• Learn how arbitrary fields of view can be created to model different camera settings.

Key Topics:

Goals:

• Begin examining the DirectX Graphics pipeline and see how the different pieces relate to what we have already learned.
• Study the COM programming model to better understand the low-level processes involved when working with the DirectX API.
• Learn how to properly initialize the DirectX environment.
• Create a rendering device for output.
• Understand important device resources like window settings, front and back buffers, depth buffers, swap chains, and surface formats.
• Use presentation parameters for device setup.
• Develop strategies to handle lost devices.

Key Topics:

• The Component Object Model (COM)
  • Interfaces/IUnknown
  • GUIDS
  • COM and DirectX Graphics
• Initializing DirectX Graphics
• The Direct3D Device
  • Pipeline Overview
  • Device Memory
    • The Front/Back Buffer(s)
    • Swap Chains
  • Window Settings
    • Fullscreen vs. Windowed Mode
  • Depth Buffers
    • The Z-Buffer / W-Buffer
• Surface Formats
  • Adapter Formats
  • Frame Buffer Formats
• Device Creation
  • Presentation Parameters
  • Lost Devices

Goals:

• Learn how to render 3D objects as wireframe or solid objects.
• Examine how to apply various forms of shading.
• Learn about flexible vertex formats, triangle data, and the DrawPrimitive function.
• Look at core device render states used when drawing - depth buffering, lighting and shading, back face culling, etc.
• Talk about transformation states and learn how to pass matrices to the device for use in the transformation pipeline.
• Learn how to clear buffers, begin and end scene rendering, and present rendered results to the viewer.
• Start to examine more optimal rendering strategies in DirectX.
• Get comfortable with creating, filling, and drawing vertex and index buffers.
• Look at indexed and non-indexed mesh rendering for static and dynamic (animated) geometry.
• Understand device memory pools and know which is appropriate for a given job.
• Examine indexed triangle strip generation and the role of degenerate triangles.

Key Topics:

Goals:

• Take a more detailed look at the view transformation and its associated matrix.
• Create first person, third person, and spacecraft camera types.
• Learn how to use rendering viewports and see what role matrices play in that process.
• Use a camera's clipping planes (frustum) to optimize scene rendering.

Key Topics:

• The View Matrix
  • Vectors, Matrices, and Planes
    • The View Space Planes
    • The View Space Transformation
    • The Inverse Translation Vector
• Viewports
  • The Viewport Matrix
  • Viewport Aspect Ratios
• Camera Systems
  • Vector Regeneration
  • First Person Cameras
  • Third Person Cameras
• The View Frustum
  • Camera Space Frustum Plane Extraction
  • World Space Frustum Plane Extraction
  • Frustum Culling an AABB

Goals:

• Understand the fixed-function DirectX Graphics vertex lighting pipeline and its advantages/disadvantages.
• Examine the primary lighting (ambient/diffuse/specular/emissive) modeled in real-time games.
• Get comfortable with the most common light types (point/spot/directional) and see how to setup their properties.
• Configure the lighting pipeline to use our light sources.
• Learn the role of vertex normals and how to calculate them when necessary.
• Discuss materials and how they define a surface's interact lights in the environment.

Key Topics:

• Lighting Models
  • Indirect Lighting
    • Emissive/Ambient Illumination
  • Direct Lighting
    • Diffuse/Specular Light
• The Lighting Pipeline
  • Enabling DirectX Graphics Lighting
  • Enabling Specular Highlights
  • Enabling Global Ambient Lighting
  • Lighting Vertex Formats and Normals
  • Setting Lights and Light Limits
• Light Types
  • Point/Spot/Directional
• Materials
  • Colors, Specular and Power
  • Material Sources
  • Vertex Lighting Advantages/Disadvantages

Goals:

• Understand what textures are and how they are defined in memory.
• Understand mip maps, how they relate to anti-aliasing, memory footprint, and bandwidth.
• Look at the various options for loading textures from disk or memory.
• Learn how to set a texture for rendering.
• Understand the relationship between texture coordinates and addressing modes.
• Talk about aliasing and common artifacts and how to use filters to improve visual quality.
• Learn how to configure the texture pipeline for single and multi-texturing operations.
• Examine texture compression as a means for reducing memory requirements and improving performance.
• Use transformation matrices to animate texture coordinates.
• Get familiar with DirectX texture and surface types and their associated utility functions.

Key Topics:

Goals:

• Understand the general blending equation and the related concept of 'alpha' blending.
• Know where transparency data can be stored (vertices, materials, textures) and the associated pros and cons.
• Learn how to configure the transformation and texture pipelines to do blending operations.
• Use alpha testing and alpha surfaces to reject specific texels during rendering (e.g., for chain link fences).
• Study front-to-back sorting algorithms for transparent polygon rendering.
• Add colored fog to a scene using both vertex and pixel level computations.
• Learn the traditional equations for global fog effects: linear, exponential, and exponential squared).

Key Topics:

• Alpha Components
  • Vertex Alpha & Pre-Lit/Unlit Vertices
  • Material Alpha
  • Constant Alpha & Per-Stage Constant Alpha
  • Texture Alpha
• The Texture Stage Alpha Pipeline
• Frame Buffer Alpha Blending
• Alpha Testing
• Transparent Polygon Sorting
  • Sorting Algorithms and Criteria
  • Bubble Sort
  • Quick Sort
  • Hash Table Sort
• Alpha Surfaces
• Fog
  • Enabling Fog and Setting the Fog Color
  • Vertex/Pixel Fog
  • Fog Factor Formulas
    • Linear/Exponential/Exponential Squared

Goals:

• Introduce the mesh containers in the D3DX library.
• Use scene level attribute batching and subset rendering to improve performance.
• Learn optimization techniques to speed up rendering on modern hardware.
• Look at how to import X file geometry.
• Learn how to construct and fill mesh internal buffers manually.
• Discussion cloning (copying) of mesh data and some of the features available during the process.
• Learn how to manage geometric level of detail (LOD) using view-independent progressive meshes.
• Look at how to construct and use progressive meshes and see how they work algorithmically.
• Examine mesh simplification and assorted other useful mesh utility functions.

Key Topics:

• ID3DXMesh Interface
  • Vertex/Index/Adjacency Buffers
  • Attribute Buffers and Subset Rendering
• Mesh Optimization
• ID3DXBuffer
• Mesh Loading
• Manual Mesh Creation
• Mesh Cloning
• ID3DXPMesh Interface
  • View Independent Progressive Meshes (VIPM)
  • Data Validation and Cleaning
  • Setting LOD
  • LOD Trimming
  • Vertex History
• ID3DXSPMesh Interface
• Global Mesh Utility Functions

Goals:

• Look at how to import and manage more complex 3D models and scenes.
• Introduce frames of reference and parent-child hierarchical relationships.
• Use hierarchies to build more complex scenery consisting of independent, animation-ready meshes.
• Study X file templates to see how scene data is stored and learn how to load custom data chunks.
• Examine the D3DXLoadMeshHierarchyFromX function in detail, including callback mechanisms and memory management.
• Understand how to traverse, transform, and render a hierarchy of meshes.
• Introduce a simple animation controller to prepare for the next set of topics.

Key Topics:

• Hierarchies
  • Frame of Reference
  • Parent/Child Relationships
• X File Templates
  • Open/Closed/Restricted Templates
  • Hierarchical X Files
• D3DXLoadMeshHierarchyFromX
• ID3DXAllocateHierarchy Interface
  • Allocating/De-allocating Frames
• ID3DXMeshContainer Interface
  • Allocating/De-allocating Mesh Containers
• Extending Hierarchy Data Types
• ID3DXLoadUserData Interface
  • Loading Custom Top-Level Data
  • Loading Customer Child Data
• Hierarchy Traversal and Rendering
• Simple Hierarchy Animation

Goals:

• Understand the fundamentals of animating game scenes.
• Use keyframe data to animate the hierarchies introduced previously.
• Learn the representations of X file animation data and and how it translates to D3DX data structures in the application.
• Understand how an animation controller interpolates keyframe data and how it can be controlled.
• Construct a custom animation set object that can be plugged into the D3DX animation system.
• Learn how to use the animation mixer to blend multiple simultaneous animation tracks.
• Synchronize the animation timeline with events (e.g., playing sound effects or triggering code).

Key Topics:

• Keyframes
  • SRT vs. Matrix Animation Data
• Interpolation
• X Files and Animation
  • Timing Data
• D3DX Animation System
• ID3DXKeyframedAnimationSet
• ID3DXAnimationController
  • Hierarchy Animation
• Keyframe Data
• Animation Blending
  • The Animation Mixer
  • Setting Track Weight, Speed, Priority
  • Enabling & Disabling Tracks
  • Priority Blending
• Animation Controller Cloning
• The Animation Sequencer
  • Registering Events
  • Event Handles
• The Animation Callback System
  • Callback Keys and Animation Sets
  • Executing Callback Functions
  • ID3DXAnimationCallbackHandler Interface

Goals:

• Learn how skinning and skeletal animation provides realistic visual results.
• Understand skins, bones, and skeletons and how they are constructed, animated, and rendered.
• Look at skinning related X file data templates and the matching game data structures.
• Examine software and hardware skinning.
• Examine non-indexed and palette-driven indexed skinning techniques.
• Integrate animated characters into our experimental framework.
• Construct a skeleton and skin model programmatically.
• Generate simple animated trees for demonstration purposes.
• Extend our lab project middle-tier to include data-driven support for animation switching and blending.

Key Topics:

• Vertex Tweening
• Segmented Models and Animation
• Bone Hierarchies/Skeletons
• Vertex Blending
• Skinning
• X File Templates for Skinning
• The Bone Offset Matrix
• Software Skinning
• ID3DXSkinInfo Interface
• Non-Indexed Skinning
  • Setting multiple world matrices
  • Enabling/disabling vertex blending
  • ConvertToBlendedMesh
• Indexed Skinning
  • Determining Support
  • Matrix Palette Indices
  • ConvertToIndexedBlendedMesh
• Transforming and Rendering Skinned Characters
• Trees
  • Procedural Skins and Skeletons
  • Procedural Keyframe Animation
• The Animation Middle Layer
  • Data Driven File Support
  • Animation Set Blending
  • Controller Configuration
  • Playing Back Complex Animations

Goals:

• Understand broad and narrow phase collision detection algorithms.
• Develop a collision detection and response system based on ellipsoids.
• Understand the mathematics of ellipsoid space.
• Examine intersection algorithms for the narrow phase.
• Test rays against common game primitives.
• Test spheres against triangle interiors.
• Test swept spheres against the edges and vertices of triangles.
• Review solving quadratic equations and their role in the detection phase.
• Learn how to support dynamic objects in terms of detection and response.

Key Topics:

• Collision Systems Overview
• Broad Phase vs. Narrow Phase Collision Detection
• Collision Responses
  • Sliding
• Ray Intersection Testing
  • Ray vs. Plane
  • Ray vs. Polygon
• Ellipsoids, Unit Spheres, and Ellipsoid Space
• Swept sphere vs. Triangle
• Quadratic Equations
• Swept Sphere Intersection Testing
  • Swept Sphere vs. Edge
  • Swept Sphere vs. Vertex
• Animation and the Collision Geometry Database
• Dynamic Object Collision Support

Goals:

• Examine axis-aligned hierarchical spatial partitioning data structures like quadtrees, octrees, and kD-trees.
• Implement broad phase collision detection using spatial partitioning to improve performance.
• Examine hardware-friendly rendering of spatial trees.
• Use hierarchical frustum culling to speed up scene rendering.
• Use frame coherence to improve rendering performance.

Key Topics:

• Spatial Partitioning Data Structures/Algorithms
  • Quadtrees
  • Octrees
  • kD Trees
• Polygon Clipping
• Polygon Database Intersection Querying
  • Ray/AABB/Sphere testing
• Broad Phase Implementation for Collision System
• Frame Coherence
• Hardware Friendly Rendering
  • Static vs. Dynamic Solutions
  • Polygon Caches (Pros/Cons)
• Hierarchical Frustum Culling/Rendering

Goals:

• Understand the Binary Space Partitioning (BSP) tree.
• Learn how to compile BSP node trees and use them for pixel-perfect transparent polygon sorting.
• Create BSP leaf trees and examine how to add solid and empty space information to our BSP tree representation.
• Use BSP trees to perform constructive solid geometry (CSG).
• Learn how to use CSG to merge geometric objects and carve shapes out of other shapes.

Key Topics:

• Node BSP Trees
  • Transparent Polygon Sorting
• Solid Leaf BSP Trees
  • Rendering
  • Line of Sight Tests
• Constructive Solid Geometry (CSG)
  • Union Operation
  • Intersection Operation
  • Difference Operation

Goals:

• Understand and learn how to calculate potential visibility sets (PVS).
• Discuss portal generation and clipping.
• Examine penumbras and anti-penumbras to see how volumetric lighting techniques can be used as visibility proxies.
• Model the flow of light through the scene for visibility.
• Learn how to compress PVS information.
• Use PVS to efficiently render complex scenes.
• Learn now to avoid problems caused by illegal geometry during BSP compilation.

Key Topics:

• Portals
  • Portal Clipping
• Potential Visibility Sets
  • Zero Run Length Encoding
  • Scene Rendering
• Anti-Penumbras
  • Generator Portal Visibility
  • Portal Flow

Goals:

• Understand how to use effects to manage state and organize scene rendering.
• Learn how to load and compile effects from files, resources, and memory buffers.
• Learn how to send custom data to the graphics pipeline for state management and as prelude to our coming shader discussions.

Key Topics:

• Effect File Components
  • Parameters
  • Techniques
  • Passes
  • Functions
• Effects and Device States
  • Render States
  • Texture Stage States
  • Sampler States
  • Transform States
  • Light States
  • Material States
• Integrating Effect Files
  • Loading and Creating Effects
    • D3DXCreateEffect
    • D3DXCreateEffectFromFile
    • D3DXCreateEffectFromResource
    • Macros
    • Includes
    • Extended Functions
    • The ID3DXInclude Interface
    • The Effect Compiler
    • Custom State Managers
  • Rendering with Effects
    • Beginning and Ending Techniques
    • Beginning and Ending Passes
    • CommitChanges
  • Handling Lost Devices
  • Getting and Setting Effect Parameters
  • Parameter Blocks
  • Semantics
  • Annotations
  • Effect Pools and Parameter Sharing

Goals:

• Understand shader hardware architecture and the concept of shader models.
• Learn how to use vertex and pixel shaders to replace fixed-function rendering techniques.
• See how to use HLSL with effect files to simplify shader integration into our code framework.
• Understand how data is passed from our application to shader programs running on the GPU.
• Convert our vertex lighting model to a per-pixel model that supports bump maps and real-time shadows.
• Introduce render target textures and deferred rendering.
• Learn how to use pixel shaders to process images to accomplish various effects.

Key Topics:

• The Evolution of Programmable Shaders
• Shader Models
• Vertex and Pixel Shader Overview
• Shader Programs and the GPU
  • Shader Hardware Architecture
  • The Vertex Shader Unit
  • The Pixel Shader Unit
  • Registers
• HLSL Shaders
  • Compiling Shaders
  • HLSL Shaders with Effects
  • HLSL Shaders without Effects
  • Shader Semantics
  • Vertex Declarations
  • Structures for Input/Output
  • Uniform Inputs
  • HLSL Keywords
  • Intrinsic Functions
  • Effects and The Pre-Shader
• Transformation & Lighting with Shaders
  • Vertex Transformation and Lighting
  • Vertex Blending and Skinning
  • Texturing and Samplers
  • Per-Pixel Diffuse and Specular Lighting
  • Per-Pixel Normal Mapped Lighting
    • Creating Normal Maps
    • Tangent Space
  • Per-Pixel Lighting with Shadows
    • Shadow Maps
    • Shadow Map Aliasing
    • Parallel Split Shadow Maps
• Deferred Rendering
  • Render Targets
  • Geometry Buffers
  • Lighting vs. Shading
• Image Processing
  • Processing Chain
  • Color Manipulation
  • Resampling
  • Blurs
• High Dynamic Range (HDR) Lighting
  • sRGB and Linear Lighting
  • Tone Mapping
  • HDR Texture Compression

Goals:

• Learn how to use image based rendering techniques to add complex objects and effects at low cost.
• Understand the different types of billboards available and what scenarios each is best suited for.
• Learn how to use particle systems to create dynamic effects like smoke, rain, snow, dust, etc.

Key Topics:

• Image Based Rendering Overview
  • Historical Perspective
  • Sprites
  • Use in Modern Games
• Billboards
  • Screen/View Plane Aligned
  • World Aligned
  • View Point Aligned
  • Axial
• Billboard Rendering
  • Billboard Updates
  • Buffer Management
  • Instancing Strategies
  • Vertex Shader Billboard Expansion
  • Lighting and Textures
  • Sorted vs. Unsorted Drawing
  • Screen-Door Transparency
• Particle Systems
  • Overview and Use Cases
  • Basic Physics
  • Hard vs. Soft Particles

Goals:

• Understand how to use noise functions to generate a variety of important procedural effects.
• Upgrade our terrain rendering with better geometry and more flexible lighting and texturing models.
• Introduce a new sky model that allows for more realistic visuals and improved scene lighting.
• Learn how to render simple but attractive water to add more realism to our scenes.

Key Topics:

• Noise
  • Perlin Noise
  • Turbulence
  • Fractals
  • Perturbation
  • Smoothing/Filtering
• Procedural Terrains
  • Heightmaps
    • Voronoi Diagrams
    • Multi-Fractals
    • Thermal Erosion
    • Hydraulic Erosion
  • Texturing
    • Pixel Shader Layered Blending
    • Height and Slope Based Weights
    • Triplanar Texture Mapping
    • Detail and Normal Mapping
• Sky Rendering
  • Sky Domes and Sky Planes
  • Skylight and Sunlight
  • Atmospheric Scattering
  • Cloud Generation and Lighting
  • Sunlight Shafts
• Water Rendering
  • Animated Water Surfaces
  • Reflection and Refraction
  • Water Optics

Goals:

• Understand how precomputed lighting can be used to reduce the costs of scene rendering.
• Learn how to create lightmap texture coordinates using mesh parameterization.
• Examine how atlasing allows us to pack large amounts of lighting information into a small number of textures.
• Build a basic ray-based direct lighting lightmapper with soft shadows.
• Build a GPU-based hemicube renderer with support for indirect, emissive lighting, and ambient occlusion.
• Include support for lighting normal mapped geometry with directional lightmapping solutions.
• See how irradiance caching can be used to speed up lightmap compilation times.
• Learn how to reduce HDR lighting texture bandwidth with various compression algorithms.

Key Topics:

• View-Independant Precomputed Lighting
• Mesh/Scene Parameterization
• Texture Atlases
  • The Gutter Helper
• Direct Lighting Compiler
  • Ray Tracing (CPU)
  • Light Sources
  • Lightmap Filtering
• Indirect Lighting Compiler
  • The Radiosity Equation
  • Hemicube Rendering (GPU)
  • Emissive Lighting
  • Ambient Occlusion
• Directional Lightmaps
  • Radiosity Normal Mapping
  • Spherical Harmonics
  • Approximated Precomputed Specular
• Irradiance Caching
• Lightmap Texture Compression
  • 8-bit HDR Formats (LogLUV, RGBe, RGBm)
  • DXT Texture Compression

Goals:

• Understand how the real numbers (integers, rational & irrational numbers) are used and the operations we can perform on them.
• Ensure a common "language" with a study of number lines and basic interval notation.
• Discuss equations and their properties (reflexive, symmetric, transitive, substitution).
• Get comfortable with fractions and exponents.

Key Topics:

• Introduction to Real Numbers
• Use of Real Numbers
• Number lines and interval notation
• Equations and their properties
• Operations
  • Order of Operations
• Fractions
• Exponents

Goals:

• Review the principles of high school level algebra.
• Understand the concept of a variable and how variables are used to form equations.
• Discuss the fundamental algebraic rules for solving single-variable and multi-variable equations.
• Solve linear equations and non-linear equations such as quadratics.
• Nail down the methods for simplifying and rearranging equations.
• Look at some of the common functions used in game development.
• Discuss domain, range, sets, inverse functions, square roots, exponentials, and logarithms.

Key Topics:

• Algebra
  • Variables
  • Solving single-variable equations
  • Solving multi-variable linear equations
  • Solving non-linear equations
  • Simplifying/Rearranging
    • Collecting Like Terms
    • Factoring
    • Expanding (FOIL)
• Functions
  • Set Theory Basics
  • Square Roots
    • The Quadratic Equation
  • Exponential Functions
  • Logarithmic Functions

Goals:

• Understand the basics of analytic geometry.
• Learn about the Cartesian coordinate system and the notion of graphing points.
• Examine lines, planes, and spheres and their equations in 2D and 3D.
• Learn how to find the intersections of the shapes introduced previously.

Key Topics:

• Analytic Geometry
  • The Cartesian Coordinate System
    • Graphing equations and functions
  • Equations of Geometric objects
    • Lines/planes/spheres
  • Intersecting geometric objects
    • Line/line and line/sphere

Goals:

• Understand the basics of set theory and its symbols.
• Learn how entities are grouped into sets.
• Conduct various operations on sets, such as unions and intersections (i.e., the algebra of sets).
• Introduce the relationship between functions and sets to set the stage for the next conversation.

Key Topics:

• Introduction to Set Theory
  • The Language of Set Theory
  • Set Membership
  • Subsets, Supersets, and Equality
  • The Algebra of Set Theory
  • Set Theory and Functions

Goals:

• Understand the role of functions in mathematics and in games.
• Look at the concept of mapping values between domain and range.
• Spend time visualizing various kinds of functions using graphs.
• Discuss some of the popular functions (absolute value, exponential, logarithmic) used in game development.
• Model game phenomena like fog and weapon damage using functions.
• Design a custom function and develop a means for selecting appropriate values that reflect the desired outcome.

Key Topics:

• Mathematical Functions
• Graphs
  • Single-Variable Functions
  • Two-Variable Functions
• Families of Functions
  • Absolute Value Function
  • Exponential Functions
    • Fog Density
    • Damage Calculations
  • Logarithmic Functions
    • Using the Log Function for Game Development

Goals:

• Examine the algebra of polynomials.
• Study graphs for various kinds of polynomial functions.
• Learn how to apply different kinds of polynomials in game development projects.
• See how to use linear interpolation to draw polygons on the display.
• Learn how to use polynomials to approximate the behavior of complex functions too costly to compute in real-time games.
• Learn how to use polynomials to predict the future values of variables.

Key Topics:

• Polynomial Algebra (Single Variable)
  • Addition/Subtraction
  • Scalar Multiplication
  • Multiplication/Division
• Quadratic Equations
• Graphing Polynomials
• Using Polynomials
  • Linear Interpolation
  • Approximating Functions
  • Prediction

Goals:

• Develop a firm grasp of the properties of triangles, and right triangles in particular.
• Look at the relationships that exist between the internal angles and the lengths of triangle sides.
• Understand the most commonly used trigonometric functions (sine, cosine, tangent) that relate triangle properties to unit circles.
• See how to use triangle properties and functions to solve a number of issues related to graphics programming.
• Create an animated wave function that might be used for a water or cloth simulation.
• Examine how to use trigonometric concepts to render circles and ellipses on the display.
• Look at how inverse trig functions (arcsin, arcos, arctan) can be used to determine angle values.
• Get comfortable with the core trig identities, such as the reduction and double angle identities.
• Learn how to use trig identities as a means for deriving mathematical proofs.
• Use trigonometry to rotate points in two and three dimensions.
• Construct a proper field-of-view for an in-game camera system.

Key Topics:

• Angles
  • Common Angles
  • The Polar Coordinate System
• Triangles
  • Properties
  • Right Triangles
• Introduction to Trigonometry
  • The Trigonometric Functions
  • Applications of Basic Trigonometry
  • Solving Triangle Problems
• Modeling Phenomena
  • Modeling Waves
  • Drawing Circles and Ellipses
  • Projection
• Trig Functions
  • Derivative Trigonometric Functions
  • Inverse Trig Functions
  • Identities
    • Pythagorean Identities
    • Reduction Identities
    • Angle Sum/Difference Identities
    • Double-Angle Identities
    • Sum-To-Product Identities
    • Product-to-Sum Identities
    • Triangle Laws
• Applications
  • Point Rotation
  • Field-of-View

Goals:

• Learn the basics of analytic geometry.
• Use functions and polynomials to mathematically represent points, lines, planes and ellipses.
• Understand 2D lines and their various forms, including the all-important parametric representation.
• Look at intersection and distance formulas with respect to lines, points, and planes.
• Briefly examine ellipsoidal intersections.

Key Topics:

• Points and Lines
• Two-Dimensional Lines
• Parametric Representation
• Parallel and Perpendicular Lines
• Intersection of Two Lines
• Distance from a Point to a Line
• Angles between Lines
• Three-Dimensional Lines
• Ellipses and Ellipsoids
  • Intersecting Lines with Ellipses
  • Intersecting Lines with Spheres
• Planes
  • Intersecting Lines with Planes

Goals:

• Get very comfortable with vectors, the mathematical heart of all 3D game engines.
• Learn vector addition and subtraction, scalar multiplication, and the all-important dot and cross products.
• Examine the use of vectors in games.
• Discuss the relationship between vectors and planes and the plane representation.
• Revisit distance calculations using vectors.
• Learn how to rotate and scale geometry using vector representations of mesh vertices.

Key Topics:

• Elementary Vector Math
  • Linear Combinations
  • Vector Representations
  • Addition/Subtraction
  • Scalar Multiplication/Division
  • Vector Magnitude
  • The Dot Product
  • Vector Projection
  • The Cross Product
• Applications of Vectors
  • Directed Lines
  • Vectors and Planes
  • Back-face Culling
  • Vector-based Plane Representation
  • Distance Calculations (Points, Planes, Lines)
  • Point Rotation, Scaling, Skewing

Goals:

• Get very comfortable with matrices, one of the other core components of every 3D game engine.
• Understand matrices from a purely mathematical perspective.
• Know what matrices are and what problems they are intended to solve.
• Examine important matrix mathematics -- addition and subtraction, multiplication by scalars and/or by other matrices.
• Learn how to use matrices to solve systems of linear equations with Gaussian elimination.
• Understand the idea of linear transformations.
• Learn how 4D homogenous coordinates can make the non-linear translation operation compliant with matrix operations.
• Examine a number of common matrices used to effect transformations in 3D games (projection, rotation, translation, scaling, skewing).
• See how to perform rotations around all three coordinate axes.
• Study the vector/matrix transformation operation (multiplication) at the heart of all 3D graphics rendering pipelines.

Key Topics:

• Matrices
  • Matrix Relations
  • Matrix Operations
    • Addition/Subtraction
    • Scalar Multiplication
    • Matrix Multiplication
    • Transpose
    • Determinant
    • Inverse
  • Systems of Linear Equations
  • Gaussian Elimination
• Linear Transformations
  • Computing Linear Transformation Matrices
  • Translation and Homogeneous Coordinates
  • Transformation Matrices
    • The Scaling Matrix
    • The Skewing Matrix
    • The Translation Matrix
    • The Rotation Matrices
    • The Projection Matrix
  • Linear Transformations in 3D Games

Goals:

• Examine the concept of imaginary numbers and the various arithmetical operations that can be performed on them.
• Discuss the similarities and differences between imaginary and real numbers.
• Study complex numbers and the algebra involved in working with them.
• Examine the quaternion and its associated algebra.
• Look at applications of the quaternion in game development.
• Understand how to use quaternions to perform rotations about arbitrary axes.
• Solve the gimbal lock problem encountered with Euler angles.
• Create an updated world-to-view space transformation matrix that is derived from a quaternion after rotation has taken place.

Key Topics:

• Imaginary Numbers
  • Powers
  • Multiplication/Division
  • Addition/Subtraction
• Complex Numbers
  • Addition/Subtraction
  • Multiplication/Division
  • Powers
  • Complex Conjugates
  • Magnitude
• Quaternions
  • Addition/Subtraction
  • Multiplication
  • Complex Conjugates
  • Magnitude
  • Inverse
  • Rotations
  • World-to-View Transformation

Goals:

• Spend time focusing on some practical applications of mathematics in games.
• Look at how analytic geometry plays an important role in a number of different areas of game development.
• Learn how to design a simple collision/response system in 2D using lines and planes (e.g., a billiards simulation).
• Find a way to detect collision between two convex polygons of arbitrary shape.
• Use vectors and planes to create reflections such as might be seen in a mirror.
• See how to use of a convex volume to create shadows in a game world.
• Take a look how vector dot products can be used to determine the lighting and shading of points across a surface.

Key Topics:

• 2D Collisions
• Reflections
• Polygon/Polygon Intersection
• Shadow Casting
• Lighting

Goals:

• Layout a few guidelines for AI in games.
• Learn about some of the different types of AI that exist.
• Introduce the fundamentals of pathfinding and explore the different types available.
• Work through some specific pathfinding examples.

Key Topics:

• General Principles of AI
  • The KISS Method
  • Hard != Fun
  • Play Fair
• Fundamental AI Types
  • Decision Making
  • Classification
  • Life Systems
  • Pathfinding
• Types of Pathfinding
  • Non-Look-Ahead Iterative Traversals
  • Look-Ahead Iterative Traversals
  • Look-Ahead Recursive Traversals
• Non-Look-Ahead Iterative Traversals
  • Random Backstepping
  • Obstacle Tracing

Goals:

• Examine look-ahead iterative traversals for pathfinding.
• Understand Breadth-First Search, Best-First Search, and Dijkstra's search.
• Learn about the Depth-First Search.

Key Topics:

• Look-Ahead Iterative Traversals
  • Breadth First Search
  • Best First Search
  • Dijkstra's Search
• Look-Ahead Recursive Traversals
  • Depth First Search

Goals:

• Discover the famous A* search algorithm -- how it works, its limitations, and how to make it more efficient.
• Use the concept of heuristics to produce better traversal results.
• Talk about how we might apply A* to a simple RTS game.
• Introduce hierarchical pathfinding and discuss some possible use cases.

Key Topics:

• A* Search
  • How A* works.
  • Limitations of A*
  • Making A* more efficient
  • Heuristics
• Hierarchical Pathfinding

Goals:

• Complete our pathfinding studies with a look at pathfinding on non-gridded maps.
• Discuss methods for dealing with non-gridded worlds.
• Examine the design strategy used for the Pathfinding Demo, and see how the interface can be extended for your own use.

Key Topics:

• Grid It
• Visibility Points / Waypoint Networks
• Radial Basis
• Cost Fields
• Quad-Trees
• Mesh Navigation

Goals:

• Introduce the concept of decision making in AI.
• Examine various types of behavior-based movement to control single and grouped AI entities.
• Study a traditional implementation of flocking that demonstrates various behaviors for movement.

Key Topics:

• Separation
• Cohesion
• Alignment
• Avoidance
• Separation
• Cohesion
• Alignment
• Avoidance
• Cruising
• Stay Within Sphere

Goals:

• Examine the different types of decision making commonly used in game AI systems.
• Discuss state machines in detail -- one of the most popular types of decision making systems.
• Develop an understanding of transition diagrams and see how they can be used for state machines.

Key Topics:

• Decision Making
  • Decision Trees
  • State Machines
  • Rule Base
  • Squad Behaviors
• Finite State Machines
  • Transition Diagrams
  • Uses for State Machines
    • A.I.
    • Animation
    • Game State
    • Save File System

Goals:

• Discuss scripting and why it is important when developing an AI system.
• Learn how to integrate Python, a popular scripting language, into the state machine we developed earlier.

Key Topics:

• Scripting Basics
• Introdution to Python
  • Default Types and Built-ins
  • Classes
  • Functions
  • Control Statements
  • Importing Packages
• Embedding Python
  • Boost.Python
  • Scripting Engines

Goals:

• Learn how to create waypoint networks and how to load and store them in our AI engine.
• Examine some of the different kinds of data that can be stored at waypoints to help the AI make decisions.
• Traverse a waypoint network using our pathfinding methods for the purposes of navigating around in the environment.

Key Topics:

• Waypoint Networks
  • Loading and Storing Waypoints
  • Edges
    • Unidirectional vs. Bidirectional
    • Cost Modifiers
  • Waypoints and Decision Making
    • State Machine Updates
    • Waypoint Orientation
  • Waypoints and Navigation
    • A* Traversals

Goals:

• Learn the basic features and interface elements of the 3D Studio Max software.
• Address any software or display issues that might be occurring on your computer.
• Create basic objects and learn how to access object parameters.
• Discuss Low-Poly vs. High-Poly object creation.
• Examine the view ports and other basics of the environment like transforms, mesh types and selection types.
• Do some complex object manipulations in order to get nicer looking polygon structures.

Key Topics:

• Basic Interface
  • Display settings and other settings
  • How to make basic primitives and objects
  • View port controls and settings
  • Panning, rotating and zooming within the view ports
  • View port menus
  • The Quad Menu
• Low poly objects and high poly objects.
  • Creating a few objects for the main project
• Moving around in 3D space
  • Getting used to the perspective view port
  • Moving, rotating and Scaling objects
  • Generating arbitrary plane-aligned bounding boxes
• Importing/exporting
• Using the Edit Poly object type
  • Sub objects within edit poly
  • Various modifiers and controls within edit poly
• How to select objects
• Adjusting or moving an objects pivot
• Linking and unlinking objects

Goals:

• Start using tools in conjuntion with each other.
• Explore new modifiers and see how they work in conjunction with the modifier stack.
• Learn about splines and use them to make compound object types such as lofts and cross sections.
• Understand the duplicating processes of mirroring and cloning.
• Learn how to merge scene components together.
• Examine Booleans and spline Booleans to make more complex objects.
• Make lofts which will extrude a spline shape created along a path (great for pipes!).
• Introduce basic animation concepts.
• Add linking to your skill set along with basic animation of linked objects.
• Learn about pivot points.
• Examine various cutting techniques to divide meshes beyond what is possible with the basic segment controls.
• Learn about using the spacing tools (great for picket fences, vehicle details, etc.).
• Examine soft selections and learn how to sculpt models like clay.
• Use smoothing groups to get rid of those pesky faceted surfaces.
• Use scatter objects to add environmental details like grass or rocks to your scenes.
• Use mesh smooth to make low polygonal objects look smoother.
• Learn how to add wear and tear details to your texture maps in Photoshop to make them look more realistic.

Key Topics:

Goals:

• Learn how to create and apply texture maps to add detail to your models.
• Examine simple UVW coordinate generation.
• Learn how to make good looking and functional texture maps in Photoshop.
• Learn some new Photoshop tricks and techniques to make texture creation easier.
• Learn how to tile a texture so that it repeats seamlessly.
• Understand texture types like HDR and various bitmap file extensions.
• Start to develop familiarity with multi sub object types.
• Use more than one set of UV coordinates and apply different texture maps to a single object.
• Explore UVW Unwrapping and the UVW Unwrap editor.

Key Topics:

• The Asset Browser
  • How to easily import and view assets from around your computer
• Making texture maps
  • Photoshop tips
  • Photoshop brushes
  • Photoshop Layers
  • Adding grime and dirt
  • Tiling a texture
• Mapping basics
  • UVW Mapping
  • UVW Mapping types
  • Multi sub objects and applying surface IDs
  • Mapping scale and proper UVs
  • Alpha channels and masks
• The Material Editor
  • Making a basic bitmap shader
  • Making Multi sub object shaders
  • Finding your way around the material editor
  • Specular settings
  • Opacity settings and maps
  • Bump maps and settings
• The UVW Unwrap editor
• Fixing X forms
• Intro to normal maps
  • Nvidia DDS extensions and normal map plugin

Goals:

• Spend more time in the material editor and learn to create some procedural shaders.
• Revisit the multi sub material type and explore popular shader types like raytrace, splat, and gradient ramps.
• Save and retriev shaders you've created.
• Take advantage of the many materials and shaders stored in Max's material library.
• Make and apply a cartoon shader to your objects.

Key Topics:

• More multi sub editor controls
• More material editor controls and menus
  • Making and finding procedural shader
  • Exploring the material library
  • Saving shaders
  • Retrieving shaders previously saved
  • Retrieving shaders and materials from your scene or object
  • Shader view port controls
  • Using Material slots and the various slots available
  • Creating a reflective surface
  • Cartoon shaders

Goals:

• Create lights and cameras and place them in your scenes.
• Develop an understanding of basic lighting models.
• Master camera placement controls.

Key Topics:

• Lighting
• Light types
• Shadow types associated with each light
• Changing light types in a scene
• How to control shadow settings so your shadows look great
• Placement of lights within a scene
• Light colors and multipliers
• Skylights
• Falloff
• Volume lights
• Camera setup and controls

Goals:

• Revisit the scatter type objects to add more scene detail.
• Learn how to use displacement maps and do displacement vertex painting.
• Examine vertex coloring, skyboxes, and blend shaders.

Key Topics:

• Environment setup
  • Deformations maps
  • Painting deformations
  • Exporting a deformation map
  • Vertex coloring
  • Photoshop techniques for making displacement maps
  • Skybox creation and placement in the scene
• More scatter objects
  • Skyboxes and making the background for your final project
  • Setting up the skybox multi sub object
• Shader types for the environment
  • Making and applying blend shaders
  • Top/Bottom shaders

Goals:

• Animate our vehicle treads and learn simple keyframe animation.
• Learn how to fix small texture and modeling issues.
• Use particle generation to add cool effects like rockets, smoke, flame throwers, and more.
• Make a diorama to show off your model.
• Introduce parallax/relief mapping to render displacements using a texture-based approach rather than a geometric one.

Key Topics:

• Animation Menu Basics
• Skybox creation and placement in the scene
• Keyframes
• Animating path deforms
• Cloning and copying animations
• Rendering the final scene
• Rendering particles
• Dioramas
• Parallax/Relief Mapping

Goals:

• Learn how to create error free models.
• Revisit box modeling and look at a few processes not covered in our initial conversations.
• See how to divide edges to add geometric detail right where you want it.
• Learn how to turn edges to work nicely within your model geometry.
• Understand how to fix holes in your model caused by broken edges, flipped polygons, or double vertices that need welding.
• Use "alt x" to ghost an object (a great trick for seeing into a model to figure out where errors are hiding).
• Find open seams and fix them quickly.

Key Topics:

• Low polygon modeling techniques
• View port controls and settings
• Panning, rotating, and zooming within the view ports
• View port menus
• The Quad Menu
• Box Modeling and Edge Modeling
  • Creating complex structures using basic modeling tools
  • Edge divide, connect, seeing and turning edges
  • Selection techniques
  • Capping holes
  • Correcting holes and errors
• Using STL check and finding split edges
  • Identifying errors
  • Fixing errors
  • Border extrudes
• Ghost mode

Goals:

• Explore some new modeling tools and modifiers not yet covered.
• Begin delving into more complex issues like UV mapping and curved surface modeling.

Key Topics:

• Organic modeling techniques
  • Chamfer edges
  • Edge loop and ring
  • Bridge
• Advanced box modeling
  • Using symmetry
• Intro to UVW Unwrapping processes
• Smoothing group controls
• Boolean techniques
  • Fixing boolean errors
• Vertex weld, edge weld and target weld
• Insert vertex
• Cut and slice
• Clone (both polygons and objects)
• Detaching polygons
• Saving scene material

Goals:

• Examine the complex process of UV mapping and get comfortable with the UV mapping editor.
• Use pelt mapping and combing multi sub objects to make textures look good on a model.
• Introduce specular maps, normal maps, and ambient occlusion maps.
• Make some simple props.

Key Topics:

• Multi sub objects (and working with UVW Unwrap)
• UVW Unwrap advanced techniques
  • UV layout choices
• Box modeling a simple prop
  • Working with low polygon structures
  • Cutting and designing details within low poly structures
  • Working with concepts and design images within the scene
• Using checker templates to approximate UV scales
• Saving scene file assets properly
• Creating different texture types for export to game engines
  • Ambient occlusion maps
  • Specular maps
  • Diffuse maps
  • Normal maps

Goals:

• Use curved surfaces to begin building an organic character model.
• Learn how to model organic meshes, building up from single polygons and basic box shapes.
• Understand how to use edge extrudes and surface modifiers to model complex organics.

Key Topics:

• Principles behind making maps optimized for unwrapping and UV layouts
• Various skin layout techniques
• Differences in layouts for normal and non-normal mapped objects
• Creating and applying a generic surface material
• Adding realism to maps
• Modeling a complex object for use in a game engine

Goals:

• Tackle complex modeling tasks in anatomy.
• Make muscle structures that look good even with very few polygons to define the form.
• Use the UV editor to start developing a final texture for your creature.
• Learn how to connect different body parts and make the seams fit together well.
• Make a head, ears, and horns for your creature using edge extrudes and more box modeling tricks.
• Understand the skin layout and how using normal maps can affect the UV layouts.
• Add a biped rig to pose your model.
• Use masks and alpha channels to add translucent or masked details (like hair, fins, butterfly wings, plants).

Key Topics:

• Creating realistic texture skins for character models
  • Exporting UV layouts to Photoshop
  • Opacity slots
  • Masks
  • Alpha channels
  • Normal maps (normal map type)
  • Specular maps
  • Diffuse maps
  • Mapping basics
    • Matching seams in UV unwrap
    • Correcting seams using various software packages
    • Matching scale in the layout (checker maps)
    • Specular settings
    • Opacity settings and maps
    • Bump maps and settings

Goals:

• Learn how to preserve model UV coordinates while continuing to work on a mesh or downsampling from high to low polygon.
• Create some simple but fun props like plants and rocks for detail.
• Make normal maps more detailed with features like chamfered edges.
• Learn how to create normal maps in Mudbox (easy to use and great for adding anatomical details to character meshes).

Key Topics:

• Preserving UVs when moving from high to low polygon meshes
• Modifiers types: Shell, push, relax
• Anatomy based edge modeling
• Luminosity slots
• More UVW unwrap editor
• Show seam display
• Sketch vertices
• Render to texture basics
  • Burning skylight shadows into maps (ambient occlusion)

Goals:

• Examine pre-rendered sprites.
• Make lighting rigs and camera templates to make sure our sprites look perfect from all sides.

Key Topics:

• Sprites and other basic game asset types
• Rendering sprites
• Prerendering lights
• Setting up a sprite rig or template
• Setting up camera rigs
• Setting up light rigs

Goals:

• Learn more about using ambient occlusion maps to significantly improve a model's look or add grunge.
• Improve diffuse map appearance by burning in ambient occlusion maps in Photoshop.
• Spend more time with specular and luminosity maps as well.
• Learn how to make cloth and realistic clothing with the garment maker modifier.

Key Topics:

• Ambient occlusion maps
• Specular maps
• Luminosity maps
• Cloth and the garment maker modifier

Goals:

• Get a good looking final render with pelt mapping, ray traced shadows, and global lighting.
• Learn how to render a turnaround and set up lighting rigs and camera templates.
• Revisit some basic features of the biped and skin tools for posing purposes.

Key Topics:

• Final texturing tips
  • Pelt mapping
  • Using light and dark colouring to establish depth in texture maps
  • Using generic surface materials to establish overall texture
• Setting up the final renders
  • Turnarounds and displaying final projects
  • Adding environmental details to the turnaround
  • Turnaround templates and rigs
  • Parallax mapping redux
• How to save everything properly

Goals:

• Learn high-level foundations of character design, including Jungian archetypes and borrowing ideas from mythology and religion.
• Understand how game genre and technical limitations of the game engine have an impact on the type of characters we develop.
• Learn what to look for when researching other art in a genre.
• Get comfortable with using sketches.
• Use expression sheets to explore different moods and action poses.
• Learn about color studies.
• Create model sheets to be used as reference in the modeling process.

Key Topics:

Goals:

• Learn how to model a humanoid character.
• Understand the importance of planning ahead and modeling in a methodical way.
• Learn how to make the most of the current polygons before adding more.
• Understand modeling efficiency and creating potential LOD models as you work.
• Add extra detail in areas that will bend and deform, such as the joints, tails, and ponytails.

Key Topics:

• Preparation for Modeling
  • Setting up reference planes
  • Setting up the working environment
• File Management
  • Incremental saves
  • Save for LOD
• How many parts?
  • Seamless mesh
  • Rigid parts
  • Separate binding
• What needs to move?
  • Deformation
  • Joints
• Knowing when to subdivide
• Optimization and cleanup
  • STL check modifier
  • Patch Holes modifier
  • Reset transforms, set pivot

Goals:

• Examine the process of applying mapping coordinates to a character model.
• Learn how to strategies for minimizing seams and understanding where to place them on the model.
• Apply a checkerboard during UVW mapping to more easily visualize the current mapping.
• Learn how to separate a character into logical parts, flattening and unwrap those parts for mapping.
• See how to and stitch parts together to create efficient mappings.
• Render the UVW mapping to create a template that can be used to create the texture map.

Key Topics:

• Texture coordinates vs texture images
• Planning ahead
  • Placing the seams
  • Separating parts
• Mapping
  • Checkerboard for reference
  • UVW Mapping modifier
  • UVW Unwrap modifier
  • Separating & flattening
  • Stitching
  • UVW template

Goals:

• Learn how to set up a character skeleton for animation.
• Learn how to freeze a mesh so that it can be seen but doesn't get in the way during rigging.
• Use transparency to better see the mesh and skeleton parts at the same time.
• Create a biped skeleton and adjust its structure.
• Understand the limits on the number of bones or joints imposed by game engines.
• Pick up some tips for choosing the appropriate number of spine and neck (and tail) links.
• Learn how to scale the bones to fit the mesh, and to place joints in the optimal location for bending.
• See some great tools for working with symmetrical characters.

Key Topics:

• Preparation
  • Freezing the mesh
  • Transparency
• Biped Rigging
  • Creating a Biped
  • Adjusting the Structure of the Biped
    • Game engines and link limitations
    • Figure Mode
    • How many spine links
    • How many neck links
    • The ponytails
    • The tail
  • Fitting the Biped to the mesh
    • Scaling the bones
    • Symmetry
    • Copy, cut and paste
    • Rubber band mode

Goals:

• Bind the model mesh to the skeleton.
• Use envelopes to make make changes to the topology of the model as necessary, after binding.
• Learn how to scale and manipulate envelopes for each bone in the skeleton.
• See how envelope adjustments affect the deformation of the model.
• Adjust vertex weights manually to limit the extent to which you can make changes to the model.
• Use the software tools for working with symmetrical models.
• Learn how to test your model and deformations while working, prior to adding animations.

Key Topics:

• The Physique modifier
• Binding the Biped to the mesh
  • Smooth
  • Rigid
• Working with envelopes
• Adjusting vertex weights
• Symmetry
• Copy, cut and paste
• Testing your binding

Goals:

• Study the mechanics of character animation, including both Forward and Inverse Kinematics.
• Use Biped tools to select commonly used bones and their animation tracks.
• Revisit keyframing and the edit keyframes and motion in the Track View.
• Set the skeleton to use the Quaternion and Euler rotation options.
• Learn the time-tested rules of animation developed by pioneers in the field.
• Understand the process of animating game characters in detail.
• Learn how to support animations in one file (back-to-back), or separate files.
• Get familiar with short animation loops, some of which will begin and end with the idle pose.
• See how squash and stretch animations can be applied to computer characters.
• Create an idle animation and progress to walk and run cycles.

Key Topics:

Goals:

• Examine the basic menus and tools of Photoshop.
• Set up your workspace for quick access to commonly used menu items, filters and buttons.
• Understand how to work with digital images.
• Introduce layers and discuss how they will be used for creating and manipulating images.
• Start painting details and shallow depth elements.
• Learn how to use the grid to organize textures and reduce load times.
• Introduce basic layering techniques for adding age, wear, environmental effects, and structural clues to textures.

Key Topics:

• Introduction
• Overview / Photoshop Interface
• Menu items
• Layers
  • Layer Types
  • Layer Blending
  • Color Dodge and Color Fills
• Selections
  • Lasso Selections
  • Color Selections
  • Clone and Patch Tools
• Correcting Digital Photos to Use as Texture Bases
  • Perspective Correction
  • Color Correction
• Tiling Difficult Textures
  • Offset
• Using Lights and Darks to Define Details
• Defining Profiles and Shallow Space
• Exploring the Grid
  • Power of 2 Grids
  • Thirding
• Weathering and Age
• Defining Generic Textures

Goals:

• Continue exploring Photoshop basics while starting to use tools in conjuntion with each other.
• Examine 3D principles like multisub objects and normal maps.
• Explore the many uses of brushes in Photoshop.
• Understand visual clues and how our eyes perceive depth.
• Discuss normal maps and specular maps.

Key Topics:

• Review of 3D Material Properties
  • UV Map layouts
  • UV Editors
• Brushes
  • Directional Brushes
  • Detail brushes
• Normal Maps
  • Using the nVidia Filter
  • Normal map properties
• Organizing and Saving Brush Sets
• Adding Environmental Clues to Textures
  • Wear and Grunge
  • Storytelling with Environmental Wear

Goals:

• Continue to explore visual interpretation of our environments.
• Learn new skills like color matching, smart blurs, and the transform tools.
• Learn how to extract and integrate elements from different sources to make cohesive images.
• See how the stroking selection technique allows you to precisely place lines where you need them.
• Introduce techniques used to make your textures look worn and aged.

Key Topics:

• Extract Tool
• Matching Detail Element Color
  • Color Match Tool
• Stroking Selections
  • Creating Stroked Effects
• Creating Hard Surface Textures
• 1 Pixel Brushes
• Cleaning Textures with Blurs
• Transform Again

Goals:

• Learn how to use polarize to make curved or circular elements.
• Use actions to reduce work time by recording and playing back processes on a texture or groups of images.
• Understand the role of masks, alpha, and decals in Photoshop as well as games.
• Make complex texture maps such as tire prints in mud or snow.
• Learn how pixel density and UV map coordinates relate our textures to 3D scenery.

Key Topics:

• Polarize and Creating Curved Structures
• Blending Environmental Elements
  • Color Matching of Structural Elements
• Actions and the Production Process
  • Production Tricks to Save Time
• Masks and Alpha Channels
  • Decals
• Complex Textures
• Texture Scale
• Texture Pixel Density
• Using Checkerboard Patterns in 3D to Define Scale
• Using Textures in a 3D Program
• UV Layouts Using a 3D Program
  • Advanced Techniques
  • Advanced UV Editor Techniques
• Exporting and Defining Skin Templates in a 3D Program
  • Using Templates in Photoshop

Goals:

• Use structure and environmental wear to dictate what your texture looks like.
• Explore color theory and design fundamentals.
• Wrap up the texture painting process.
• Make your first aged texture skin and apply to a model.

Key Topics:

• Building Structure into Textures
  • Defining Shallow Space
  • Exploring Structure and Details
  • Exploring Creative Architectural Elements
• Defining Spaces: Ceilings, Floors, Walls, etc.

Goals:

• Develop an understanding of analog circuits.
• Learn some of the fundamentals of electronics including: electron motion, Ohm's law, Kirchoff's laws.
• Understand some of the common circuit solving techniques.
• Become familiar with common engineering tools such as solderless breadboards, digital multi-meters, and more.
• Create a 5 Volt regulator that will be used for all additional hardware experiments.
• Turn blinking lights (LEDs) on and off with a few simple components.
• Learn about the relationships between capacitors, inductors, transformers, and transistors.
• Test circuit designs in software using a circuit simulator.

Key Topics:

Goals:

• Learn about digital circuits.
• Understand concepts such as Boolean logic, truth tables, logic voltage levels, and basic gates.
• Become comfortable with binary math.
• Learn advanced digital design concepts that are required for building game consoles.
• Learn about glue logic and logic simplification through techniques like K-maps and ones looping.
• Examine more complicated digital chips like shift registers that are used on the XGS micro-edition for reading joysticks and the SRAM.
• Get familiar with state machines.
• Design, on paper, a full state machine with inputs and outputs and then finish the design in hardware with LEDs and switches.

Key Topics:

• Logic Symbols
• Truth Tables
• Boolean Algebra
• DeMorgan's Theorem
• Datasheets
• Loading Concepts
• DIP Packages
• Half/Full Bit Adders
• Logic Simplification
• Bubble Pushing
• Minterms/Maxterms
• K-Maps
• Decoders, 7 Segment Displays, Muxes
• Flip Flops
• State Machine Design

Goals:

• Learn about microprocessors and microcontrollers.
• Understand the general ideas behind building your own simple computer.
• Know the inner workings of a processor.
• Learn how assembly language and machine code comes together to control inputs and outputs.
• Work with a microprocessor entirely in simulation by writing some basic code.
• Learn how to run and save your programs without having to touch a single piece of hardware.
• Perform experiments with the sx-28 microcontroller (the heart of the Pico XGS).

Key Topics:

• Microprocessors & Microcontrollers
• Von Neumann vs. Harvard
• Endianess
• External/Internal Architecture
• Pipelining
• Addressing Modes
• Interrupts
• Memory Types
• Intro to the SX-28 Microcontroller

Goals:

• Study the early generation game consoles.
• Examine ideas implemented by other video game console designers, to better understand how all the pieces fit together.
• Do a series of experiments with sound.
• Experiment with input devices like the Nintendo controller.
• Draw video to a TV screen.

Key Topics:

Goals:

• Assemble a working video game console on a breadboard.
• Play your first games on a TV with sound and input.

Key Topics:

• Game Console Schematic
• 5 Volt Regulator Construction
• SX-28 Circuit
• Clock Circuit
• LED Output Port
• Video Out Circuit
• Audio Out Circuit
• Joystick Port

Goals:

• Make a more permanent game console by soldering it onto a prefabricated printed circuit board (PCB).
• Learn about the different components of a PCB like silk screen, solder mask, copper traces, through holes, and more.
• Get comfortable with various soldering techniques.

Key Topics:

• Soldering Iron Usage
• 5 Volt Power Supply
• Filtering and Pull Up Resistors
• Current Limiting Resistors
• Directional Pad and LEDs
• 7 Segment LEDs
• Audio and Video R2R Ladders
• DIP Socket Headers
• Expansion, RCA, and Joystick Headers

Goals:

• Gain confidence in programming the game console by making small changes (hacks) to existing assembly language demos.

Key Topics:

• Starfield Hack
• Character Tiles Hack
• Game Text Hack
• Racer Hack
• Sound Hack

Goals:

• Develop games for the console you've built.
• Experiment with tile engines to build the game world.
• Add your own customizations to provided samples.
• Show off your new games to friends and family :)

Key Topics:

• Game Components Required
• Organizing Code and Art into System ROM Space
• Organizing RAM
• Using the Real Time Clock Counter
• Creating the Title Screen
• Creating the Game Boards
• Game Screen Layout
• Creating the Game Screen

Goals:

• Use emulators and simulators to reduce game development time and increase your productivity.

Key Topics:

• Emulators and Simulators
• XGS Emu Overview
• SXSim Overview
• Launching the SXSim
• Breakpoints
• Measuring Clock Cycles
• Code Organizing
• Macro Expansion

Goals:

• Develop a familiarity with the electrical and mechanical components of the robot kit.
• Inventory and organize all parts of the kit.
• Explore the electronic content for awareness and possibility for future use.
• Become familiar with the Parallax web site and public forums.

Key Topics:

Goals:

• Develop a thorough understanding of the electrical and electronic components in the robot kit.
• Learn about basic theory of operation, uses, schematic symbols and tips on handling.
• Construct circuits based upon schematic diagrams.
• Learn to perform basic calculations for current and resistance.

Key Topics:

Goals:

• Install the BASIC Stamp Editor software.
• Insert the BASIC Stamp II Microcontroller into the Board of Education.
• Learn a few PBASIC language keywords.
• Write and load simple programs into the BASIC Stamp (BS2).

Key Topics:

• BASIC Stamp Editor Installation
• Using the Editor
• Setting up the Board of Education
• BASIC Stamp safety requirements
• Power requirements
• Connecting the PC to the Board of Education
• Basic PBASIC commands
• Writing and loading a program into the BS2
• Adding comments and a header to program
• BASIC Editor Help File
• PBASIC Syntax Help

Goals:

• Learn dozens of new programming keywords and techniques.
• Write several programs applying the new PBASIC keywords you've learned.
• Pay close attention to programming style.

Key Topics:

• PAUSE
• DEBUG CR
• DEBUG CRSRXY
• DO..LOOP
• Variable and variable sizes
• Assigning values to variables
• DEBUGIN
• FOR..NEXT
• GOSUB..RETURN
• IF..THEN..ELSE..ENDIF

Goals:

• Learn about the Continuous Rotation Servo (servomotor).
• Center and program the motors.
• Understand timing diagrams and how to program them.
• Learn how to program LED outputs.

Key Topics:

• HIGH
• LOW
• LED Circuit
• PULSOUT
• Timing Diagram
• Pulse Width
• Center Servos
• RPM
• Pulse Train
• Controls Speed and Direction
• Servo Run Time

Goals:

• Construct the robot and test the operation of the servos.
• Program the robot to perform basic manuevering and to travel a predetermined distance.
• Write code to allow for smooth starting, stopping and turning.
• Create subroutines to simplify the sequencing of the robot's behavior.
• Program the piezospeaker to allow the robot to inform you about its activity through a series of tones.

Key Topics:

• Robot Assembly
• Wheel Testing
• Start/Reset Indicator
• FREQOUT
• Transfer Curve
• Initialization Routine
• Ramping
• EEPROM
• Memory map
• ASCII Codes

Goals:

• Add sensors to the robot to improve its ability to navigate around obstacles.
• Understand how collision detection is performed via two mechanical whiskers that act as bumper switches.
• Replace the whiskers with photoresistors to have the robot follow shadows or light.

Key Topics:

• Tactile Navigation
• Whiskers
• 3-pin Headers
• Artificial Intelligence
• Photoresistors
• Capacitors
• RC Decay Time
• RCTIME
• Threshold

Goals:

• Replacing the whiskers and photoresistors with infrared (IR) sensors and LEDs to detect other objects and the edge (drop-off) of a table.
• Use the IR system to provide distance information.

Key Topics:

• Infrared Detector
• Infrared LED
• FREQOUT
• Harmonics
• Detection Range Adjustments
• Drop Off Detector
• Frequency Sweep