uisGL

Abstract

Computer graphics is an important part of the computer science curriculum [8]. The advancement of graphical user interfaces and increased hardware performance allows almost anyone to create stunning pictures using commercial software. However, we are interested in teaching computer science students how to create these software tools rather than just use them [3, 11]. Students must have a firm understanding of the underlying algorithms and how the computer renders images.Content of the introductory course has increased in complexity to allow the advanced courses to remain at the frontier of graphics research [9]. Some suggest that an introductory course should emphasize 3D rendering of realistic images [10]. Most introductory graphics courses teach the traditional graphics pipeline that includes three steps: model building, transformations and rendering [5].