The Advanced Rendering Techniques course is designed to help students advance their rendering and presentation skills to the next level. Want to learn how to make a great “hero” shot or render an image that will leave people wondering if it is real or not? Then this course is for you!
To achieve this next level, a variety of skills are required. Skills include lighting, using direct lights (spot, point, directional, etc), or environmental lighting through HDR images and studio setups. Material is another important skill. Students will learn how to make a variety of materials thru advanced material graphs or utilize external programs. To pull it together, other skills will be covered, including compositing images, color theory, texture mapping, rendering efficient and more. Programs used for this course include KeyShot, Maya, VRED Pro, Substance Alchemist, HDR Light Studio, and Photoshop. Software used in the course will be available through the vLab (https://mycloud.gatech.edu/) or students can install the software on their own computer if it is compatible.
The course is open to all majors, but students need to be familiar with working in a 3D program (SolidWorks, Fusion 360, Maya, etc). Students in the undergraduate/graduate programs in Industrial Design are strongly encouraged to take the course since it will advance your rendering skills. Students in the ID Minor program will also benefit if they have other 3D experience.
Grading will include homework along with an assignment each week. The assignments will focus on one program per week but show how content is created and moved between programs.
To learn more and see a video about the assignments, go to … http://purdy.gatech.edu/summer/
Advance Rendering Techniques will be delivered in a remote, asynchronous mode. All course lectures are pre-recorded so students can move through the material at their own pace during the shorten summer session. The course syllabus, assignments, support files, etc will be available through Canvas.
I will be available during the shorten summer session to answer questions, help students with individual instructions, etc. I will have extended office hours (including evenings) to meet with students at their convenience. I have found that this format works well for summer courses since students tend to have other commitments (jobs, internships, vacations, etc) during the summer sessions.
Course Platform: Canvas, MS Teams
Availability of study aids: Support Files, PDFs
Required technology: vLab (https://mycloud.gatech.edu)
Assessment plan: Projects & Homework
Assessment modality: Online
Required textbooks/resources: None