EG 2017 - Education Papers

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https://diglib.eg.org/handle/10.2312/2631247

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Browsing EG 2017 - Education Papers by Subject "K.3.2 [Computers and Education]"

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    Accessible GLSL Shader Programming
    (The Eurographics Association, 2017) Toisoul, Antoine; Rueckert, Daniel; Kainz, Bernhard; Jean-Jacques Bourdin and Amit Shesh
    Teaching fundamental principles of Computer Graphics requires a thoroughly prepared lecture alongside practical training. Modern graphics programming rarely provides a straightforward application programming interface (API) and the available APIs pose high entry barriers to students. Shader-based programming of standard graphics pipelines is often inaccessible through complex setup procedures and convoluted programming environments. In this paper we discuss an undergraduate entry level lecture with its according lab exercises. We present a programming framework that makes interactive graphics programming accessible while allowing to design individual tasks as instructive exercises to solidify the content of individual lecture units. The discussed teaching framework provides a well defined programmable graphics pipeline with geometry shading stages and image-based post processing functionality based on framebuffer objects. It is open-source and available online.
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    bRenderer: A Flexible Basis for a Modern Computer Graphics Curriculum
    (The Eurographics Association, 2017) Bürgisser, Benjamin; Steiner, David; Pajarola, Renato; Jean-Jacques Bourdin and Amit Shesh
    In this article, we present bRenderer, a basic educational 3D rendering framework that has resulted from four years of experience in teaching an introductory-level computer graphics course at the University of Zurich. Our renderer is based on the observation that teaching a single basic but comprehensive computer graphics course often means to face the choice between students learning a low-level graphics API bottom-up on one side, or a powerful (game) engine on the other. Solutions between these two extremes tend to be either too rudimentary to easily allow advanced visual effects in student projects, or too abstract to facilitate learning about the underlying principles of computer graphics. Our platform-independent framework abstracts the functionality of its underlying graphics API and libraries to an extent that still preserves the main concepts taught in a computer graphics course. Consequently, bRenderer can be used in student projects, as well as in exercises. It helps students to easily understand how a renderer is implemented without getting distracted by the particular implementation of the framework or platform-specific characteristics.
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    What Should a Virtual/Augmented Reality Course be?
    (The Eurographics Association, 2017) Santos, Beatriz Sousa; Dias, Paulo; Jean-Jacques Bourdin and Amit Shesh
    Never before has Virtual and Augmented Reality hardware been so affordable allowing so many new applications of these technologies; however, developing these applications implies specific skills that are not usually acquired in core courses in Computer Science/Engineering. In this context, specific courses introducing the basics on these technologies seem to be most relevant. With this panel we intend to foster a discussion concerning what should an introductory course on Virtual/Augmented Reality be as of 2017. A review of the courses described in literature is presented as well as guidelines issued by profes- sional/scientific associations concerning a basic Virtual Reality course identifying a set of relevant aspects to be considered when organizing such a course.