ACAT8002 Computer Animation Theory A
A one-hour lecture each week for one year.
Aim
To develop a detailed understanding of the fundamentals of computer animation, its language and techniques.
Content
Semester 1
- Computer graphics hardware for input, output and processing.
- An introduction to 2D raster graphics including pixels and colour spaces, screen point, line and curve drawing, clipping, anti-aliasing and colour interpolation.
- An introduction to 2D geometry, including Cartesian coordinates, points and vectors, polygon curves, transformations and matrices.
- Animation fundamentals, including story-boarding, key-framing, cycles, ease-in and ease-out, squash and stretch, transitions and dynamics.
Semester 2
- 3D raster graphics fundamentals, including wire frame displays and hidden surface removal.
- Rendering, using lighting and shading models, mappings, ray-tracing and radiosity.
- An introduction to 3D geometry, including projective geometry and homogeneous coordinates, polyhedra, splines and patches, analytic geometry of parametric and implicit curves and surfaces.
- Animation geometry, including motion paths, hierarchical motion and metamorphisms.
Assessment
Written assignment-100%.
Texts
none
References
| Durrett, R., Color and the Computer, Academic Press, 1987. |
| Foley,. J., van Dam, A., Feiner, S., and Hughes, J., Computer Graphics: Principle and Practice, Addison-Wesley, 1989. |
| Layboume, K., The Animation Book, Crown Publishers, 1979. |
| Lewell, J., Computer Graphics: A Survey of Current Techniques and Applications, Orbis, 1985. |
| Newman, WM., and Sproull, R.E, Principles of Interactive Computer Graphics, McGraw-Hill, 1981. |
| Rogers, D.E, and Adams, J.A., Mathematical Elements for Computer Graphics, McGraw-Hill, 1976. |
| Rogers, D.E, Procedural Elements for Computer Graphics, McGraw-Hill, 1985. |
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