An Evolving Approach to Computer Graphics Courses in Computer Science
Steve Cunningham · 1998
in the field. Topics in this course include the process of presenting 3D images on a 2D surface (projections and viewing; Z-buffers), developing and presenting realistic images (texture maps, environment maps, antialiasing, alpha channel, lighting models), and managing the viewing device (scan conversion, clipping). The second course is close to the concepts and algorithms course described in [BRO 88] and [OHL 86], frequently taught now as the first computer graphics course, but is not the kind of course in specialized techniques or systems that is sometimes considered as an advanced course [OWE 92]. Recent developments in computer graphics APIs permit us to take a new approach to teaching a first graphics course that parallels a first computer programming course. This first graphics course, and a second course that could follow it, are briefly described and are placed in the context of current graphics courses. New Opportunities in Graphics Courses There are two reasons students study computer graphics: to be able to do computer graphics programming, either on the job or for personal work, or to understand computer graphics deeply in order to build a graphics-focused career. Few computer science programs can develop separate courses for these two kinds of students because the faculty and equipment resources needed are too scarce. Thus we must consider courses that serve both purposes. An analogy might be useful. This analogy is the general programming environment, in which students learn programming through a high-level language (and the trend has been to move the level of the language upwards as the field has matured) and later learn the details of how program execution works. In a more diagrammatic form: Computer is: Problem Solving + Language