Diploma in Computer Games & Animation

Duration 1 Year
Price £2490
Tutors Dr Osei Adjei PhD and Dr Ali Mansour PhD, MCT
Starting Dates 14th January 2008 (Full-time)
14th April 2008 (Full-time)

Westminster College in conjunction with Chiltern Research is offering a 12 months training programme in Computer Games.

Aims

The games industry is the fastest growing segment of the entertainment market. Its ever increasing annual revenues have  stimulated profound interest in the study of techniques applied to implement such games. This course provides students with logical sequences of topics, in a simplistic manner that is required in developing computer games.

Outline Teaching Content

Lectures

Semester 1

Unit I: Application Software Development
Unit II: Fundamentals of Computer Games
Unit III: Computational Graphics Techniques
Unit IV: Scenario Creation
Unit V: Introduction to Artificial Intelligence

Semester 2

Unit VI: Rigid Body Animation, Animation Dynamics, Collision Detection
Unit VII: Object and Character Modelling, Character/Object Animation, File Structures
Unit VIII: Model Export/Import
Unit IX: Audio Development with DirectX and SDL (Simple Direct-Media Libraries)
Unit X: Games Strategy (i.e. Team Development, Business/Marketing, Maintenance)

Semester 3

Unit XI: Final Project (Design of a fully fledged computer game under supervision)
Practical Work

Students are expected to engage in a total of 28 practical sessions to cover whole course. Practical session sheets contain information designed to enhance concepts developed in lectures.

Teaching mode:

Lectures, Tutorials and Practical Sessions

Pre-requisites:

Some experience in computing with at least GCSE.

Learning strategy:

The module will be delivered using lectures/tutorials. A separate practical session is also scheduled every week in the laboratory. Practical exercises will be given to students to work through. Students’ workload per semester is as follows:

Lectures/Tutorials: 9 hours per week for 12 weeks
Practical work: 6 hours per week for 12 weeks
Directed Study: 3 hours per week for 12 weeks
Assessment: 2 hours per week for 12 weeks
Private Study: 4 hours per week for 12 weeks

Assessment strategy

There are four assessment points on the module.

Assessment 1 (15%): This is an assignment to solve a problem using concepts studied in semester 1.
Assessment 2 (15%): This is also designed to solve a problem using concepts studied in semester 2.
Assessment 3 (50%): This assessment is a closed-book written examination at the end of semester 3.
Assessment 4 (20%): Project and Oral Examination

Required Reading 
• Watt,Allan (2000) 3D ComputerGraphics, AddisonWesley, London. 
• Woo M et al., (2001) OpenGLProgramming Guide, AddisonWesley,London. 
• Hill F (2001) Computer Graphics Using OpenGL, Prentice Hall, London. 
• Watt Allanet al., (1998) The Computer Image, AddisonWesley,London. 
• Negnevitsky M. (2002) Artificial Intelligence: A Guideto Intelligent Systems, AddisonWesley, London. 
• Luger G F et al., (1997) Artificial Intelligence: Structures andStrategies for Complex Problem Solving, AddisonWesley, London. 
• Slater M et al., (2002) Computer Graphics andVirtual Environments,AddisonWesley, London.

Journals
• Computer Graphics (ACMSIGGRAPH, Annual Conference Series),AddisonWesley, London.