Six Thursdays starting October 8 * 7-9pm * $75 suggested donation * REGISTER
Learn to create beautiful, extremely high-quality digital art and animation using the power of math!
Modern video game graphics, Virtual Reality environments, feature-film CGI, and even AI learning systems all share a common, high-performance graphics programming language. This near-universal technology also runs behind-the-scenes on your laptop or smartphone: where it is accessible to you, should you have the gumption to learn!
This course will teach graphics programming through the widely available OpenGL Shading Language (GLSL). Participants will learn how to create small programs by typing code into an editor which will display, in real-time, the image or animation which they have created. The course will introduce mathematical concepts which have wide application in arts and engineering. Students will learn to create abstract, exploratory compositions from scratch, as well as to manipulate video and images with traditional or custom filters and effects.
The course is designed for those with zero programming experience, but the course goals are ambitious and the content is challenging. Participants should expect to spend their own time between courses on supplied exercises if they want to make progress.
Coming into the course, participants should be quite comfortable using a computer, and at least tolerant of the many things that can go wrong while doing so. Seasoned programmers are welcome, and will find much to learn here as well, as GPU programs (also known as "shaders") require a very different mindset from most any other programming task.
If you'd like to see more examples of GLSL programs and the art that they can generate, click around here: https://thebookofshaders.com
Planned course sessions:
Live Coding Practicum: Creating and using a programming environment
Mathematical functions for space and color
Mathematical functions for rhythmic and smooth animations
Creating simple shapes with logic
Basic Video and image processing (filters and effects such as: greyscale, inversion, fades, colorization, zoom)—including how to create your own custom video/image effects
The following topics will be covered based on student interest and available time:
- Making shapes look three-dimensional by simulating light and shading
- Image repetition and patterns
- Video Processing 2: combining videos (chroma/luma keying), advanced filters (bloom, blur, pixelation)
- Making animations synchronize to music
THERE WILL BE A FREE DEMO SESSION FOR ANYONE INTERESTED ON SATURDAY SEPT.26 AT 4PM.