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changnis

Since computer graphics goes beyond visual information, how much will we learn about transforming digital information into other sensory stimuli in this class, if at all?

mtday

I had a similar question to the one above... but to add on, will VR be incorporated into the course at all?

keenan

@changnis The basic principles we'll discuss for physically based animation apply equally well to synthesizing visual and acoustic aspects of mechanical phenomena. In a nutshell, what you really need are algorithms that will tell you how some physical object changes over time. If you sample this motion at a sufficiently high rate (i.e., take very small time steps), you can approximate the pressure wave produced by the object, which in turn provides a source for the sound. Here's a little project I did along those lines when I was an undergrad: Synthesizing the Sound of Splashing

To get more realistic sound, you then also have to talk about acoustic transfer, i.e., how that pressure wave propagates throughout an environment. We won't talk about that aspect of simulation, but it's not too far (in principle) from the basic wave equation, which we will discuss.

In a nutshell, understanding the basic principles behind numerical approximation of PDEs is gonna give you the tools you need for all sorts of simulation problems (visual, acoustic, ...)

keenan

@mtday We may have a lecture that talks a bit about VR near the end, but we won't do any coding exercises (for instance). Maybe something to add in the future! :-)