Postgraduate studies
>> Academic Calendar 2008/09 [ here ]
MSc Programme in Computer Graphics for the Media Industry has been designed in response to a growing demand in industry for professionals that combine advanced technical computing abilities with strong creative skills, blending computer science disciplines such as programming, specification and research, with creative themes such as character design, storyboarding and scriptwriting. Upon completing the course a student will be equipped with a wide range of skills leading to a variety of employment opportunities in industries such as the film industry, games development, computer animation and special effects.
This programme is primarily aimed at computer science graduates, though a similar degree or relevant experience may also be suitable. The creative elements of the course will be developed and taught in conjunction with our partners in the Fine Arts Academy and Film Academy of BiH, making use of their rich expertise in all aspects of literature, film and television. Between the partners, students will be introduced to a range of modern computer graphics and animation techniques, as well as character design, scriptwriting, film criticism, storyboarding and production.
The range of teaching methods, from lectures, hands-on demonstrations to drama workshops and small group discussions, means that the students will develop not only their technical and artistic skills, but will be able to communicate effectively with a range of professionals from programmers to artists and designers. The students will have the opportunity to create a portfolio and show-reel demonstrating the variety of technical and creative projects that they have undertaken. The MSc in Computer Graphics for the Media Industry will also provide the students with an understanding of the trade-offs required in the media industry so that they are able to choose the appropriate technologies for a particular challenge they are currently facing.
The curriculum for the MSc program will consist of core modules in both technical and creative subjects. In addition, a number of optional modules will be offered.
Preparatory courses (optional):
Core modules:
- Modeling and Animation 1 / finished in October 2008, results here
- Modeling and Animation 2 / finished in Decembre 2008, results here
- Directing and Storytelling / finished in February 2009, results here
- Postproduction (editing and compositing) / finished in March 2009, results here
- Project Thesis and Showreel
Optional modules:
Preparatory courses (optional)
>> Programming
This course aims to provide the student with an introducto
ry knowledge of programming in C language using OpenGL functionality.
Course Co-ordinators
Silvester Czanner
Martin Samuelcik
>> Drawing
This course aims to develop skills in free hand drawing and shading and to enable students to understand the picture as a combination of shape, light and shadow.
Course coordinator
Selma Rizvić
Core modules
>> Modeling and animation 1
This course aims to develop skills in creating 3D models, rigging, illuminating the scene, creating materials and texturing, creating cameras and basic rendering. Students will learn advanced computer modeling skills using the Maya software system.
- Basic modeling concepts: space, objects and structures; building with numbers; points, lines and surfaces; file formats for modeling
- Basic modeling techniques: geometric primitives, sweeping, free-form objects, basic modeling utilities, real-time polygonal models
- Advanced modeling techniques: free-form curved surfaces, subdivision surfaces, logical operators and trimmed surfaces, advanced modeling utilities, procedural descriptions and physical simulations, photogrammetry and image-based modeling
- Character modeling: representing body geometry, geometry data acquisition, geometry deformation, layered approach to human figure modeling
- Skeletons and kinematics - bone systems, forward and inverse kinematics, rigging
- Materials and texturing: surface shading techniques, surface shaders, image mapping, surface reflectivity, surface color, surface texture, surface transparency, environment dependent shading
- Scene illumination: lighting strategies and mood, types of light sources, basic components of a light, lighting the scene, basic positions of light sources
- Cameras: types of cameras, the pyramid of vision, types of camera lenses, camera animations
- Scene visualization: basic rendering concepts: light, camera and materials; color; steps in rendering process; hidden surface removal; Z-buffer; ray tracing, global illumination and radiosity, image-based rendering; non-photorealistic rendering; hardware rendering; file formats for rendering
Course coordinators
Selma Rizvić
Aida Sadzak
>> Modeling and animation 2
This course aims to develop skills in animating 3D models through basic animation, character animation, facial and cloth animation, dynamic simulation and liquid animation. Students will learn advanced animating skills using the Maya software system, Maya Cloth and Real Flow.
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Basic concepts of animation: types of animation, principles of animation, storytelling, storyboarding, character development, animation file formats
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Basic computer animation techniques: principles of keyframe interpolation, model animation, camera animation, light animation, hierarchical animation, two and three-dimensional integration
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Advanced computer animation techniques: inverse kinematix, performance animation and motion capture, motion dynamics, procedural animation, facial animation, crowd animation, location based and interactive environment
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Cloth animation: Maya Cloth
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Dynamic simulation: rigid body simulation: bodies in free fall, bodies in contact; enforcing soft and hard constraints: flexible objects, virtual springs, energy minimization, space-time constraints
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Animating liquids: water: still waters and small-amplitude waves, the anatomy of waves, modeling ocean waves, finding its way downhill; Gaseous phenomena: general approach to modeling gas, computational fluid dynamics, clouds, fire
Course coordinators
Selma Rizvić
Aida Sadzak
>> Directing and Storytelling
This core module will enable students to write, design, storyboard and direct an animated feature. The module will comprise six main elements:
- Drawing: regular life drawing practice, using a variety of media, enabling students to assemble a small portfolio. This element includes the analytical study of line, colour and form.
- Narrative: composing a short screenplay for animation, including the analytical study of narrative structure and characterisation.
- Technical Feasibility Assessment: undertaking such assessments on any projects, this element includes consideration of A.I. for animation issues.
- Storyboarding: composing a short storyboard, this element includes the analytical study of compositional technique and screen grammar.
- Presentation: a group or individual presentation of a project idea and storyboard to a panel of tutors and peers. This includes study of presentation and ‘pitching' techniques.
- Directing: coordinating all elements presented in the storyboard, making the filming plan, deciding on the number of cameras, lightning, actors, costumes, green key and the set elements.
Each of the above elements will include consideration of aspects of current industrial structures and practices.
>> Postproduction (editing and compositing)
This core course provides the students with the skills necessary to produce the polished finished product. Topics will include:
- The basic principles of film language, editing basics, editing techniques,
- Compositing principles: image layers, matte, multisource operators, keying, image processing operations, color manipulations, spatial filters, geometric transformations
- Compositing techniques: combining live picture with computer generated characters and environments
Course Co-ordinators
Zijad Mehić
Selma Rizvić
>> Project Thesis and Showreel
This key core module will enable the studens to undertake a major piece of project work starting from a project proposal. The students will be able to produce a detailed design for a project, implement it, evaluate its performance, and document what they have achieved. The project will contain a significant scientific or technical component and will usually involve a software development component. The students will be expected to work full-time on the project and meet regularly with their supervisors to discuss progress and new ideas. The outcome will be a dissertation documenting the project and a show reel of the results achieved.
Course Co-ordinator
Jasminka Hasić
Optional modules
The optional modules enable the students to specialise in either the game's or film industies.
>> Real Time Graphics and Game Development
This module is aimed at those students who are planning a career in the games industry, either as part of an exisiting company or in their own startup. Topics will include:
- Rasterisation: algorithms for taking a 3D scene, described as polygons or triangles, and rendering it rapidly onto a 2D display; transformations, clipping, scan conversion, acceleration techniques, graphics pipeline.
- Textures: making the scenes look more real; environment mapping, bump mapping, multiresolution textures
- Advanced techniques: Level of Detail, shadow mapping
- Hardware acceleeration: GPU programming, OpenGL, DirectX
Course Co-ordinators
Silvester Czanner
Diego Gutierrez
Jasminka Hasić
>> Advanced Computer Graphics
This optional module provides the students with an understanding of the techniques necessary to produce highly realistic computer imagery. Topics to accurately simulate real world environments will include:
- The physical world : colour, the propagation of light, high dynamic range imagery
- Global illumination: computer algorithms for high fidelity graphics, ray-tracing, radiosity, photon mapping.
- Simulating advanced natural phenemena: participating media, caustics, mirages
- Visual perception: the human visual system, saliency and task maps, selective rendering
Course Co-ordinators
Alan Chalmers
Diego Gutierrez
Jasminka Hasić
>> Graphic Design
This optional module will provide the students will a detailed understanding of visual communication using text and/or images to present information, or promote a message. The topics to be covered include:
- Visual language
- Color theory, color systems, basic color harmonies,
- Composition and layout,
- Perspective,
- Typography
- Multimedia design
- Cultural differences in graphic design
Course Co-ordinator
Matej Novotny
>> Drama and Acting
This optional module will provide the students with an introduction to the processes of creating and representing characters. This module will include:
- Methods of reading rhythm, shape, energy and text in relation to human and animal bodies and movements
- Placing these methods in the context of live performance, moving image and animation in order to explore how embodied characters become represented
- Using the practical study of masks, live object animation and animated figures to examine ways in which meanings are created and received
- Undertaking critical analysis of screen based characterisation in film, animation and computer games to explore how a character is represented and read.
Full teaching material, including lecture slides, coursework and solutions will be developed for each ofthese modules. Questionnaires will be given to both students and staff during the inplementation phase of this project to obtain detailed feedback which will be used to strengthen the course where necessary.
The longer term goal of this MSc project is to enable industry and other target groups to take some orall of these modules to provide advanced training for their employees.
The staff and students of SSST already have a high competency of English (and German) since SSST is an English speaking university, and thus no additional intensive English language courses are planned. It may be necessary, however, to introduce a short course on technical English writing to assist the students with their thesis preparation. It is envisaged that both staff and teaching assistants will need training in running and managing this course and in the application of modern teaching methods. Provision is thus made to host these people at the partner universities for a period of time so they can benefit significantly from how similar courses are taught and managed. These staff and teaching assistants will subsequently become a bridge between all the partners and will significantly facilitate future international co-operation not only ineducation, but also in research.
To facilitate and support the rapid growth of the Media Industry in BiH, and to sustain the course inthe future, a high quality Digital Media Centre will be created at SSST, complete with state-of-the-artsoftware, hardware, infrastructure and a well stocked library. A detailed website will not only support the course, but also provide a centre of focus for media activity both within the region and across Europe, providing a means for significantly facilitating future joint ventures between the media industry in BiH and the rest of the world. All Consortium members are seeking long-term cooperation,thus future joint projects and plans will be a key future part of this Digital Media Centre.
