Game Worlds

Why study games programming?

Learn core transferable skills that can be applied across domains in computer science (Games, eCommerce, databases, and software development), in a fun and exciting domain
Workshop with Ernest Adams (ex EA games and author of many books on games design)
Guest lecturers from industry and academia (3D animation & motion capture)
Improve your programming and problem skills and apply them in may diverse areas
Compete in the Microsoft/BT sponsored Imagine Cup XNA Challenge (top prize $25,000)
No students have failed n 2 years (over 30 have passed)

For more information, see the course flyer.

The purpose of this module is to introduce students to the core concepts required to develop modern 3D games in a PC environment. This course combines a foundation in algorithms and physics programming for 3D games, with 3D graphics. This course has a strong practical and technical focus and gives students the opportunity to learn practical games development at a low level. This course teaces the DirectX API's as used on the XBOX, XBOX 360, Windows XP and Vista in such games as Half Life 2. On this course you will learn:

The rendering pipeline.
How objects are drawn by a 3D engine.
How to perform common tasks in a 3D engine, such as positioning, moving and turning objects.
How to load meshes and program vertex and index buffers.
How to program a camera for a first person shooter or a real time strategy game.
How to interact with the keyboad and mouse, picking.
How to render terrain and particle effects.
How to create a scene graph and a level loader.
How to animate meshes using skeletal animation.

First class Monday 21 September, 5pm A305

Lectures

Labs

Code

Assignment

Past Papers

Wiki logins

aoloughlin
abannister
pbumbar
iconnolly
nnevin
ibreen
bdoyle
pkavanagh
fhan

Last Updated: 20 September 2009
Contact me at: bryan.duggan@dit.ie