Courses

We're pleased to be able to offer courses in a variety of graphics topics, from OpenGL 3 to higher-level toolkits to OpenSceneGraph. We offer these around the world several times a year, so while we'd encourage you to sign up early, don't be worried if your class is already full – we'll have another coming within 8-12 weeks.

In addition to our public trainings, we offer our same succinct trainings on-site for clients as well. We're willing to tailor for your specific interests and domain if you need. Please contact us to get a quote and check on availability.

Our full 2010 schedule will be posted very soon. Watch this space!

OpenGL 3

Bolt yourself to your chair, because it's going to be an intense 4 days of OpenGL 3. Regardless of if you're new to graphics, new to OpenGL, or just looking to uncover the latest techniques that OpenGL will allow, this is your course. We'll teach you all aspects of OpenGL 3 from soup (of course) to nuts, or from triangles to fragments. Each day runs from 9-5 with breaks for snacks, coffee, and lunch. Our outline is below, and don't hesitate to contact us to ask any questions.

  • DAY 1

    • Introduction to OpenGL3 & Viewing

      • What OpenGL 3 does and why to learn it.
      • How to view in 3D and setting up a virtual camera.

    • Modeling & Texturing

      • What you can create in OpenGL 3; how to generate geometry.
      • Art school color fundamentals, creating texture coordinates, and making normals for lighting.

  • DAY 2

    • The OpenGL Shading Language

      • What GLSL does and why to learn it.
      • Supplanting traditional OpenGL with GLSL.
      • How to write GLSL programs; vertex and pixel shaders.
      • Geometry shaders and more!

    • Animating

      • Disney-style animation fundamentals turned into code.
      • Offloading animation onto the graphics card.

  • DAY 3

    • Lighting

      • Hollywood lighting fundamentals.
      • Lighting models.
      • Shadows.

    • Rendering and Image Processing

      • Material fundamentals and using GLSL shading.
      • OpenGL's hardware buffers and how to use them.
      • Image processing in hardware.

  • DAY 4

    • Interaction Techniques

      • Using input devices.
      • Methods for manipulating objects.
      • How to do selection.

    • Tips and Tricks

      • Math on graphics hardware.
      • Special effects.
      • Questions from the audience, answered in code.

OpenSceneGraph

We offer a variety of courses for developers using OpenSceneGraph, an object-oriented graphics toolkit. We'll take you from novice to nerd in the span of 4 days. Here are the components:

Introduction to OSG (1 day)

This introduction to programming using OSG v2.x provides developers with the basics of scene graph technology. Topics covered include OSG sample apps and examples, OSG resources, memory management, Nodes and Geometry, rendering state, and simple callbacks. The course includes both lecture and lab. You should be adept in C++ and will receive electronic copies of all lab example software and slides.

Intermediate OSG (2 days)

The focus of the course is intermediate programming topics in OSG v2.x. Topics covered include NodeVisitors, Callbacks, texture mapping, lighting, shaders, custom Nodes and Drawables, file I/O, OpenThreads, nodekits, Text, Shadows, transparency and render order, Camera manipulators, performance analysis, and optimization techniques. The course includes both lecture and lab. You should already have some experience with OSG or another scene graph, and you should have extensive experience with C++. You will receive electronic copies of all lab example software and slides.

Terrain Databases in OSG (1 day)

This course will focus on terrain databases in OSG v2.x, including topics such as data sources and tools, building databases with VirtualPlanetBuilder, techniques for dealing with precision issues, OSG classes for working with terrain databases, PagedLOD Nodes, and the DatabasePager. The course includes both lecture and lab. You should be an experienced OSG developer. You will receive electronic copies of all lab example software and slides.

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