About this Course

This class will teach you about the basic principles of 3D computer graphics: meshes, transforms, cameras, materials, lighting, and animation.

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Course Cost
Free
Timeline
Approx. 2 months
Skill Level
intermediate
Included in Product

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Interactive 3D Graphics

byAutodesk

Enhance your skill set and boost your hirability through innovative, independent learning.

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Course Leads

Eric Haines

Eric Haines

Instructor

Gundega Dekena

Gundega Dekena

Instructor

What You Will Learn

lesson 1

Introduction

  • Motivation and a trip down the graphics pipeline, laying out the fundamental processes.
lesson 2

Points, Vectors, and Meshes

  • The basics of 3D geometry definition.
lesson 3

Colors and Materials

  • Color representation, material computations, transparency.
lesson 4

Transforms

  • Translation, scale, rotate and how to properly combine all these.
lesson 5

Matrices

  • Transform representation and how to fully control these.
lesson 6

Lights

  • Directional and point light sources.
lesson 7

Cameras

  • How the camera is defined.
lesson 8

Textures and Reflections

  • Color and opacity textures, along with reflection and normal mapping.
lesson 9

Shader Programming

  • An introduction to programming vertex and pixel shaders.
lesson 10

Interaction and Animation

  • How to select and make objects move.

Prerequisites and Requirements

Knowing how to program in some language is all you’ll need to get started. Some knowledge of JavaScript is useful later on if you wish to make your projects more interactive and engaging. Familiarity with vectors and matrices will ease your way but is not critical.

To be able to see the interactive demos and do programming assignments you need a browser that supports WebGL technology. An up to date version of Chrome or Firefox will work (see our FAQ for more information). You can test if your browser supports this technology by visiting the WebGL project homepage.

Almost all programming will be done in JavaScript using three.js library/API.


About Autodesk

This course is developed in conjunction with Autodesk, a worldwide leader in 3D design, engineering, and entertainment software. http://www.autodesk.com

See the Technology Requirements for using Udacity.

Why Take This Course

By the end of this class you will know enough to make an animated 3D demo program that runs in a web browser, while also understanding the basic principles of how realistic computer images are generated.

You will also have a portfolio of small interactive programs that run in any web browser that supports WebGL.

What do I get?