This is an intermediate course about real-time computer graphics focusing on techniques used in contemporary 3D games.
News
Follow the appropriate channel at Gamedev Discord!
https://discord.gg/c49DHBJ
Dates (SIS)
Lectures: Thursdays 9:00, S4
Labs: Thursdays, 17:20, S8
Online: Discord (invite above)
How to pass the course (DRAFT)
You are required to enter a team of ideally 3 people (not more), select a topic (i.e. a whitepaper with GPU technique), implement it, and present it at the end of the semester.
Then you have to pass the oral examination.
Course Exam
There will be an oral examination done during the examination period.
Here goes a list of topics (might be updated as the semester proceeds) including some details on the examination itself.
Exam dates:
TO-BE-DECIDED
Schedule
| Type | No. | Date | Format | Topic | Lecturer | Content | Slides / Videos |
| Lec | 1. | Thu 20.2.2025 | Physical (S4) |
Introduction | Tomáš Iser | Course overview | |
| Lec | 2. | Thu 27.2.2025 | Online (Discord) |
Review of the GPU architecture and the OpenGL/DirectX pipeline Shaders & Shading Technology |
Martin Pernica | GPU architecture Moving geometry primitives through the pipeline Shader stages one by one: vertex, pixel, geometry, tessellation, compute |
|
| Lab | 1. | Thu 27.2.2025 | Physical (S8) |
Introduction | Darryl Gouder | Supplemental material PDF | PDF 1 (2022) MP4 1 (2022) PDF 2 (2022) MP4 2 (2022) |
| Lec | 3. | Thu 6.3.2025 | Online (Discord) |
Game Engine Architecture: Overview | Martin Pernica | Game engine components / layers Game loops (single/multi processor) Gameplay system Development, debugging, optimizations |
|
| Lab | 2. | Thu 6.3.2025 | Physical (S8) |
DirectX 11 Part 1 + 2 | Darryl Gouder | PDF (2022) MP4 (2022) |
|
| Lec | 4. | Thu 13.3.2025 | Physical (S4) |
Real-time shadows | Tomáš Iser | Shadow calculation (shadow mapping, shadow volume) Advanced shadow mapping techniques Soft shadows Anti-aliasing (if time permits) |
|
| Lab | 3. | Thu 13.3.2025 | Online (Discord) |
DirectX Part 3 | Darryl Gouder | PDF -1- -2- (2022) MP4 (2022) |
|
| Lec | 5. | Thu 20.3.2025 | Physical (S4) |
GTA V + DOOM 4 renderer dissection | Martin Pernica | Techniques used in GTA V and DOOM 4 renderers | |
| Lab | 4. | Thu 20.3.2025 | Physical (S8) |
Semester project initial presentations Deadline: Initial presentation (5 mins) + specification (written) |
Tomáš Iser Darryl Gouder |
||
| Lec | 6. | Thu 27.3.2025 | Online (Discord) |
Animation | Tomáš Iser | Animation – formats and compression Bone (or skeletal) animation; rigid bodies, joints Vertex blending and problems Forward and inverse kinematics, solvers Facial animations; blend shapes, morph targets Motion capture Physically based animations; hair animation, anatomical body models |
|
| Lec | 7. | Thu 3.4.2025 | Physical (S4) |
Physically-based Rendering – Part I | Tomáš Iser | Intro to radiometry, photometry, colorimetry Radiance, luminance, color spaces, chromacity diagram sRGB, brightness and gamma correction Light-matter interactions, BRDF, the reflection equation |
|
| Lec | 8. | Thu 10.4.2025 | Physical (S4) |
Physically-based Rendering – Part II | Tomáš Iser | Reflection models introduction Lambertian diffuse, Fresnel reflection Environment maps Spherical Harmonics |
|
| Lab | 6. | Thu 10.4.2025 | Physical (S8) |
Direct X 11 Part 4 Deadline: Project report 1 (text + images, roughly 1-2 A4 pages) |
Darryl Gouder | PDF (2022) MP4 (2022) (incomplete) |
|
| Lab | 7. | Thu 17.4.2025 | Online (Discord) |
Semester Project Consultation | Darryl Gouder | ||
| Lec | 9. | Thu 24.4.2025 | Physical (S4) |
Physically-based Rendering – Part III Advanced real-time shading techniques |
Tomáš Iser | Brief overview of Monte Carlo integration Image-based lighting Prefiltered environment maps Filtered importance sampling Basic global illumination & path-tracing Photon mapping |
|
| Lab | 8. | Thu 24.4.2025 | Online (Discord) |
Semester Project Consultation | Darryl Gouder | ||
| Thu 8.5.2025 | Deadline: Project report 2 (text + images, roughly 1-2 A4 pages) | ||||||
| Lec | 10. | Thu 15.5.2025 | Physical (S4) |
Content Creation I – Manual | Tomáš Iser | Content creation for games in general The importance of texture calibration Level of detail Photogrammetry Creating large landscapes |
|
| Lab | 9. | Thu 15.5.2025 | Online (Discord) |
Semester Project Consultation | Darryl Gouder | ||
| Lec | 11. | Thu 22.5.2025 | Physical (S4) |
Content Creation II – Procedural | Tomáš Iser | Gentle introduction to procedural modelling Procedural shading basics Examples of use in gaming engines |
|
| Lab | 10. | Thu 22.5.2025 | Online (Discord) |
Semester Project Consultation | Darryl Gouder | ||
| Week after (TBD) | Physical (TBD) |
Final presentations including demo | Tomáš Iser Jakub Gemrot |
Labs details [DRAFT]
The labs have two parts:
- there are going to be (1+)4 labs oriented on Direct X 11 and the low-level programming for GPUs (no homeworks),
- you will be required to form a team of 2 people,
- then you have to select a semester project and write a document with the assignment,
- on which you will be incrementally working throughout the semester,
- extend your document with 2 reports
- and finally deliver the project during presentations.
You will receive credits for labs if you:
- are sending us regular semester project reports,
- successfully deliver and defend a semester project.
Semester Project Topics [DRAFT]
See this document with some suggestions.
Deliverables
- Project description
Example: LINK (solo project, does not include -6-)
Mandatory sections:- Name of the project
- Your starting point (possibly detailing your starting knowledge in real-time graphics)
- Features you are targetting
- Technologies you will use
- Milestones
- Responsibilities – mapping features -> team members
Semester Project Grading
You need to gather at least 60 points for your semester project in order to pass.
You are gathering points by choosing a semester project topic, sending reports and defending your semester project (on time).
You receive points for:
- Forming a team and choosing a semester project topic on time – 10 points
- Deliver Semestral report 1 on time – 10 points
- Deliver Semestral report 2 on time – 10 points
- Defending your project – up-to 40 points
Semester projects are judged by teachers.
Semester Project Final Presentations
Prepare 10 minutes presentation at max. It is mandatory to show your project in action, video is not accepted. It will be followed by 10 minutes of Q&A.
Example presentation flow:
1. Topic introduction [1 minute]
2. Team and features mapping (who did what) [2 minutes]
3. Live show-case [6 minutes]
4. Closing remarks [1 minute]
