Introduction to Computer Graphics

Overview

This class teaches the fundamentals of computer graphics: how to input, create, edit and output a variety of images. Through hands-on use of visual arts software and hardware, students gain insights into the basic principles of digital computers and digital graphics. The lectures also introduce new art forms made possible by computer technology.

Two hours lecture and three hours lab per week.

Topics

1. Initial orientation.
   1. Rules and precautions for computer lab use.
   2. Course scope and requirements.
   3. Recommended learning strategies: coping with complexity.
2. Seeing digitally.
   1. They're everywhere: breadth and depth of digital graphics penetration in contemporary life.
   2. Who's responsible: professional digital art practices and job descriptions.
   3. How to join in: overview of computer graphics classes and their applications.
3. Thinking digitally
   1. Quantization: simplify and conquer.
   2. A case of the jaggies: aliasing in everything the computer does.
   3. Smooth operators: the anti-aliasing fix.
   4. Forks in the road: counting numbers the binary way.
   5. Hearing pictures and seeing sounds: it's all data to me.
   6. A computer's job: sorting data into buckets.
   7. Measuring the size of data buckets: bits and bytes.
   8. Measuring the speed of data sorters: MegaHertz and word sizes.
   9. Measuring data quality: resolution, bit-depth, frame rate, etc.
4. Working digitally.
   1. Human-computer dialog: the user interface.
   2. What's going on: feedback cues.
   3. What's wrong: mishaps and error messages.
   4. Working out a solution: on-screen help, support sites, and the dreaded manual.
5. Digital computer hardware
   1. Processor
   2. Main and secondary storage
   3. Display
   4. Input devices
   5. Output devices
   6. Networks and communications
   7. Features specific to the peripherals in use.
6. Digital computer programs.
   1. Default settings and user preferences.
   2. Document setup.
   3. Document storage and retrieval.
   4. Document-window features.
   5. Menus and commands, palettes.
   6. Error recovery: undoing and reverting.
   7. Data creation tools and techniques.
   8. Selection tools and techniques.
   9. Editing tools and techniques.
   10. Data output options.
   11. Document-management features.
7. Digital computer graphics programs
   1. Underlying graphics data format (pixels, display list, etc.)
   2. Graphics creation tools and techniques.
   3. Graphics selection tools and techniques.
   4. Graphics editing tools and techniques.
   5. Graphics-management features.
   6. External links: import and export, printing, online posting.
   7. Features specific to the programs in use.
8. Digital computers as an art medium.
   1. Historical overview of digital art.
   2. Impact of digital techniques on image-making.
   3. Influence of digital techniques on other art forms.
   4. Procedural, distributed, responsive art forms, and other uniquely cybernetic endeavors in the visual arts.

Outcomes

Students successful in this class will:

• Complete assigned laboratory projects.
• Create files compatible with the intended delivery medium.
• Demonstrate the ability to follow effective production workflow methods.
• Develop a portfolio of digital art.
• Discriminate between visual treatments suited to different types of software.

This page is Bobby Section 508 Approved, accessible to the disabled.

This page qualifies as valid HTML 4.01 strict.

This page qualifies as valid CSS 2.

Created: 2003-03-07. Last Updated: 2005-03-10 This document originally at <http://www.sanedraw.com/ED/CURRICLM/ACG100.HTM> Copyright 2005 by | Sandro Corsi |