SIGGRAPH 96
Courses

SIGGRAPH 96 presented a record number of courses and course presentation hours. Topics ranged from the fundamentals to advanced representations of geometry, with business, animation, user interfaces, and special effects all mixed in.

As expected, entertainment and World Wide Web topics drew the largest crowds. The Making of Toy Story was attended by over 2,000 people. Two half-day courses on digital compositing were wildly popular as well, and if the crowd at Designing Real-Time 3D Graphics for Entertainment is any indication, we can expect a whole new generation of games and interactive programs. From these numbers, it appears that reports of California's recovery from the aerospace industry downsizing, due in part to the entertainment industry and computer graphics, are true.

A follow-up course to SIGGRAPH 95's course on VRML was warmly received and very popular. Also, a good indication that we've turned the corner on Web technology, Creative Design for the Internet gathered a lot of attention. The popularity of this course, with its focus on "what to do" instead of "how to do," shows that the community has matured and is focusing on providing quality and useful information.

At SIGGRAPH 96, we tried to reach past the traditional notion of SIGGRAPH courses. Several courses on business strategy were aimed at the entrepreneural nature of SIGGRAPH attendees. Two half-day courses on sound and an exciting course on touch as an input device showed another side of SIGGRAPH that sometimes gets lost in all the images. The touch course, in particular, gave attendees a chance to actually try the hardware that was being discussed in the course -- a unique opportunity to interact with technology that isn't easily available.

Finally, there was a concerted effort to decouple the content of course notes from their delivery. The result was a more consistent level of information across both the printed course notes and the Course Notes CD-ROM. In addition, the CD-ROM represents a new standard in the design of electronic documents. The SIGGRAPH 96 version is the most complete and useful electronic document that SIGGRAPH Courses has ever provided.

Credit for the success of the SIGGRAPH 96 Courses program resides with all of our dedicated organizers and speakers. Without their proposals, ideas, contributions, and dedication to the graphics community, the information discussed in their courses would never have been disseminated. Credit also goes to the SIGGRAPH 96 Courses Committee. This group laid the foundation that SIGGRAPH 96 Courses was built on and shaped the program that was presented. Lyn Bartram (SIGGRAPH 96 On-Line Pubs and Promo Chair) and Tom Berryhill (SIGGRAPH 96 Courses CD-ROM Production Editor) are responsible for the Course Notes CD-ROM. Special thanks, too, to Brenda Hash, SIGGRAPH 96 Courses Administrator, for keeping everything organized and moving forward.

Scott D. Senften
SIGGRAPH 96 Courses Chair

Course Organizers Contact Information | Courses Committee
SIGGRAPH 97 Call for Participation - Courses

Course Notes

Conference Passport and Courses Passport registrants received all course notes on CD-ROM.

For information on how to buy the SIGGRAPH 96 Course Notes CD-ROM, please contact ACM Order Department.

Course Categories

Beginning
No prerequisites for introductory courses, but prior experience with computing or graphics may be helpful.

Intermediate
Attendees should have working knowledge of the subject, based on introductory courses, reading, and practical experience. Intermediate-level courses supply substantial technical content in detail, such as algorithms, techniques, and architectures.

Advanced
Narrow topics covered in substantial depth. Presentations may include challenging mathematical concepts and programming examples.

1.* The Making of "Toy Story" - Full Day
2. 3D Graphics Programming With QuickDraw 3D - Half Day
3. Creative Design for the Internet - Half Day
4. Programming with OpenGL: An Introduction - Half Day
5. Design and Application of Object-Oriented 3D Graphics and Visualization Systems - Half Day
6. CANCELLED Course 6, The Physics of Rendering Illumination and Shadows of Smokes and Clouds, has been cancelled due to withdrawal of support beyond the control of the organizer and SIGGRAPH 96.
7. Global Illumination in Architecture and Theater - Half Day
8. Information Visualization - Half Day
9. Introduction to Computer Graphics - Full Day
10. Procedural Modeling and Animation Techniques - Full Day
11. Implicit Surfaces for Geometric Modeling and Computer Graphics - Full Day
12. Graphic Design for Usable GUIs - Full Day
13. Wavelets in Computer Graphics - Full Day
14. Introduction to Virtual Reality - Full Day
15. A Practical Guide to Recording Video Animation from Computer Graphics - Full Day
16. Visualizing Scientific Data and Information: Focusing on the Physical and Natural Sciences - Full Day
17. Creating and Manipulating Sound to Enhance Computer Graphics I: Algorithms and Techniques - Half Day
18. Creating and Manipulating Sound to Enhance Computer Graphics II: Applications and Demonstrations - Half Day
19. High-Technology Marketing: An Introduction to Key Concepts and Tools for Strategic Marketing of Technology Products - Half Day
20. Introduction to Digital Compositing - Half Day
21. Intermediate Digital Compositing - Half Day
22. OpenGL and Window System Integration - Half Day
23. Programming with OpenGL: Advanced Rendering - Half Day
24. How to Survive as a Computer Graphics Entrepreneur - Half Day
25. Life-Like, Believable Communication Agents - Full Day
26. Introduction to Curves and Surfaces - Full Day
27. Fractal Models for Image Synthesis, Compression, and Analysis - Full Day
28. Digital Color - Full Day
29. Representations of Geometry for Computer Graphics - Full Day
30. Pixel Cinematography: A Lighting Approach for Computer Graphics - Full Day
31. Practical 3D User Interface Design - Full Day
32. Introduction to VRML - Full Day
33. Designing Real-Time 3D Graphics for Entertainment - Full Day
34. Volume Visualization: Principles and Practice - Full Day
35. Interactive Walkthrough of Large Geometric Databases - Full Day
36. Artificial Life for Graphics, Animation, Multimedia, and Virtual Reality - Full Day
37. So Real I Can Almost Touch It: The Use of Touch as an I/O Device for Graphics and Visualization - Full Day
38. Scene Modeling Tools in Open Inventor - Half Day
39. Programming Animation and Interaction in Open Inventor - Half Day

Programs and Events Main Page ACM SIGGRAPH Contact us about:
Courses | This Web Site

Final SIGGRAPH 96 Web site update: 25 October 1996.
For complete information on the next conference and exhibition, see: http/www.siggraph.org/s97/