Lectures
| Date | Title | Materials |
| Week 1: Aug 27 | Course Introduction |
Course Overview and Game Genres PDF Lecture Video |
| Week 1: Aug 29 | Intro to Unreal Engine |
Your First Hour in UE 5.2 Epic Link UE 5 Basics |
| Week 2: Sep 3 | Art Assets |
Art: Assets PDF UE5 Features PDF Lecture Video MP1 Due Sep 12 Link Optional Reading: Fundamentals of Computer Graphics Ch 12 UIUC Library Link |
| Week 2: Sep 5 | Geometric Modeling |
Art: Bezier Curves PDF Video Art: Bezier Patches PDF Video Art: Static Meshes PDF Video Optional Reading: Real-Time Rendering Section 17.1.1-17.1.3, 17.2.1-17.2.3 |
| Week 3: Sep 10 | Rendering |
UE5 Nanite Example YouTube UE5 Nanite Introduction YouTube Rendering: Introduction PDF Rendering: Perspective Projection PDF Lecture Video Optional Reading: Fundamentals of Computer Graphics (4th Ed) Ch 7 PDF Real-Time Rendering Chapter 2 PDF |
| Week 3: Sep 12 | Rendering |
Rendering: Rendering Pipeline PDF Video PrairieLearn HW 1 Assigned Link |
| Week 4: Sep 17 | Rendering |
Design: Level Design PDF Rendering: LOD PDF Rendering: CLOD PDF Lecture Video |
| Week 4: Sep 19 | Rendering |
Rendering: LOD the Math PDF Video Optional Reading and Viewing SIGGRAPH 2021: A Deep Dive into Nanite Slides PDF SIGGRAPH 2021 Talk by Epic Engineer Brian Kariss YouTube |
| Week 5: Sep 24 | Game Design |
Game Design PDF Stardew Valley PDF Game AI History PDF Lecture Video Optional Viewing: Rules of the Game: Five Techniques from Quite Inventive Designers (2016) YouTube Designing Games for Game Designers (2012) YouTube Optional Reading: Blood, Sweat, and Pixels Amazon Link |
| Week 5: Sep 26 | Game AI |
Pathfinding Video PDF A* in Games Video PDF PrairieLearn HW 2 Link Optional Reading AI for Games 3rd Edition by Ian Millington Sections 4.1 to 4.3 UIUC Library Link “ |
| Week 6: Oct 1 | Rendering |
UE5 Virtual Geometry PDF Lecture Video |
| Week 6: Oct 3 | Rendering |
Rasterization 2022 Video PDF Nanite Rasterization Video PDF Optional Reading Real-Time Rendering Chapter 23 PDF |
| Week 7: Oct 8 | Rendering |
Shading PDF Video PrairieLearn HW 3 Assigned Link Optional Reading: Wikipedia Phong Reflection Model Link Fundamentals of Computer Graphics Ch 5 UIUC Library Link Real-Time Rendering Sections 5.1 - 5.3 PDF |
| Week 7: Oct 10 | Rendering |
Deferred Shading PDF UE Material Model PDF 2023 Lecture Video |
| Week 8: Oct 15 | EXAM 1 |
11am Central Time Exam Link 8pm Central Time Exam Link |
| Week 8: Oct 17 | Game Design |
Guest Lectures by Dan Cermak: Design Methodologies Video PDF Principles of Design Video PDF Vision Canvas Video PDF MDA Video PDF Narrative Video PDF |
| Week 9: Oct 22 | Course Project and Animation Basics |
Transformations PDF Video Optional Reading: Real-Time Rendering Section 4.1 PDF |
| Week 9: Oct 24 | GDC Talks on Design |
Rules of the Game: Five Techniques from Quite Inventive Designers (2016) YouTube Designing Games for Game Designers (2012) YouTube |
| Week 10: Oct 29 | Animation |
Video Euler Angles PDF Quaternions PDF Optional Reading: Real-Time Rendering Section 4.2 and 4.3 |
| Week 10: Oct 31 | Animation | GDC 2021 Talk: 2D Animation for Games: A Primer YouTube |
| Week 11: Nov 5 | Game Physics |
Physics Engine Basics PDF Euler Integration PDF Video Optional Reading: Game Physics Engine Development Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, |
| Week 11: Nov 7 | Game Physics |
Chaos Physics in UE YouTube Homework 4 PL Link Optional Reading: Game Physics Engine Development Chapter 12 |
| Week 12: Nov 12 | Game Physics |
Collision Detection PDF Kinematics PDF Video |
| Week 12: Nov 14 | Graphics: Ray Tracing |
Eric Haines Ray Tracing Intro Link PrairieLearn HW 5 Assigned Link Optional Reading: Fundamentals of Computer Graphics Chapter 4 |
| Week 13: Nov 19 | Graphics: UE5 Lumen |
Ray Tracing Basics PDF UE5 Lumen PDF |
| Week 13: Nov 21 | Graphics: Real-Time Ray Tracing |
GDC/GTC 2022 NVIDIA Real-Time Path Tracing Talk Video |
| Week 14: Nov 26 | FALL BREAK | NO LECTURE |
| Week 14: Nov 28 | FALL BREAK | NO LECTURE |
| Week 15: Dec 3 | Game AI | |
| Week 15: Dec 5 | Game AI | Creative Future with Artificial Intelligence - GDC 2023 Talk |
| Week 16: Dec 10 | EXAM 2 | |