Computational Art is an emerging new field that uses mathematical algorithms and computers to generate imaginative and abstract images. Fractals are a small but well known subset within this extensive and varied field. In this course, students learn and apply mathematics and computer programming to generate a wide range of images and animations. The work is guided and evaluated by standard principles of design and composition.
See brief list of topics (time permitting) or look at the schedule.
Expectations: Willamette's Credit Hour Policy holds that for every hour of class time there is an expectation of 2-3 hours work outside of lecture where you are engaged in course-related activities. Since our class also meets for 3 hours per week in lab, this policy translates into 3-6 hours of work beyond lecture and lab.
There are no pre-requisites. It is assumed that students have little or no experience with programming or computer graphics. Review of needed mathematical concepts will also be covered in the class.
Lecture: MWF 10:20-11:20am in Ford 202
Lab: MWF 3-4pm in Ford 202. Lab is required.
The required text for this course is
Processing:
Creative Coding and Generative Art in Processing 2, by
Ira Greenberg, Dianna Xu, Deepak Kumar
Optional books are also available here.
This course will require extensive programming.
It is critical that you backup your work after every work session. Work lost due to failure to back up files will have to be redone if credit is to be received. If you do not own a thumb drive or other similar backup device then you are required to purchase one.
Lecture time will be used as follows:
Class and lab are critical for collaboration and class critiques. For this reason:
Lab exercises are an important component of this course. Detailed lab instructions will be available on the schedule. Each lab will be worth some number of points depending on its level of difficulty. All lab points will be accumulated over the entire semester and will contribute to 50% of your grade.
Because of the cumulative nature of the course material, it is difficult to catch up once you are behind. For this reason, it is important that assignments are completed and turned in on time.
If you must miss class due to things such as sports, job interviews, family demands, etc, you are still expected to have your work turned in by the due date of the assignment. Work can be submitted electronically and so does not require your physical presence. If you are late with an assignment once or twice due to severe illness, your work will not be penalized if it is turned in within a reasonable amount of time. Repeatedly turning in late assignments due to illness will require a note from a doctor.
There will be three equally weighted exams, one given during our finals slot. These will test the programming and mathematical principles covered in the class. The lowest of the three grades will be dropped.
If you must miss an exam due to sports or other non-illness related reason, then you must contact the professor well ahead of time to schedule a time to take the exam on or before the date of the exam.
Quizzes will be given occassionally. They typically will be not be graded but will rather serve as practice for the exams and as a measure of how well students are understanding the concepts. If quizzes are graded, their scores will be averaged in with the assignment grade.
Credit Distribution
Note: More than 5 unexcused absences from lecture or lab will result in an automatic grade reduction.
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50% |
Three exams (lowest of 3 scores is dropped). |
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50% |
Assignments (see late policy).
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In accordance with University policy, if you have a documented disability and require accommodations to obtain equal access to this class, please contact the instructor at the beginning of the semester or when given an assignment for which an accommodation is required. Students must verify their eligibility though the University in order to receive accommodations. The university policies on disability accommodation may be found here.
A significant amount of code is available online and in books. You are not to use this material without authorization from the instructor. The purpose of this class is to create your own work. If you do wish to use exisiting code then you must 1) ask for permission from the instructor, 2) identify the code's author and where the code originated, and 3) make it clear what portion of your resulting code you wrote.
In the context of this class, plagiarism is defined as representing someone else's work as your own. Cheating is defined as violating stated rules for an exam or an assignment. Plagiarized work will receive a grade of 0 as will any assignment in which cheating occurred Generally, you will be encouraged to cooperate on lab assignments. The rules and limitations of this cooperation will be defined in class. For more details, see the following links: