Every quarter here at RIT is jam packed with things to do. Thankfully I finished winter quarter with a 4.0.
Cryptography was enjoyable, but hard until I got a grasp on the different algorithms. Going to the theory tutoring center was the only thing that saved me in the class. Thankfully Joe was able to explain the concepts at a basic level.
My second class Spanish was easy. It was still a review from what I learned in high school in addition to the subjunctive tense. I’m going to have to practice during the spring/summer since I won’t be taking the next class in sequence until the fall of next year.
My favorite class was Computer Graphics. I initially started developing a basic graphics library on the Game Boy Advance platform which could draw lines, anti-aliased lines, circles, polygons, filled polygons, clipped polygons, and the Mandelbrot fractal. The second part of the course dove into 2D/3D graphics in OpenGL using GLUT as a window/event handler. (I created a tutorial for setting up GLUT in Eclipse on Windows here)
For the 3D project I created a “turret simulation,” which you can find here: Turret Simulation It’s not perfect by any means, but it gives you basic control over the turret. It allows you to shoot multiple projectiles, record, playback, watch a chase camera view, and play with the lighting, textures, and materials of the scene. I only had a weekend to really put it together, so I’m amazed at what I was able to do under that time crunch.
With that said, for “Spring Break” I’m currently working on taking a lot of the concepts from that simulation and I’m building the “Turret Game.” I’m rewriting everything from an object oriented approach in C++, since the simulation was written procedurally. I should have it finished in the next few days and I’ll be posting again once that is finished.
And now you all think I’m crazy because I’m programming over Spring Break, don’t lose hope. I’ve also started running and lifting again so I’m getting pumped for Ultimate Frisbee this spring!
I now have two big things that I’m doing in addition to everything else. First, I’m planning on switching over to the Computer Science BS/MS program. So I’ll get a Masters in Computer Science with one additional year of college, putting me at 2010. For the MS degree, I plan on doing a cluster in computer graphics. It’s been a topic that has always intrigued me, but it wasn’t until this year that I was really able to dig into it with my Computer Graphics I course. Next quarter I’ll be taking my first graduate course, Computer Graphics II, which means I’ll have extra work to do, but it should be good since it’s interesting material.
I’m also looking to start a Computer Science Club/Organization here at RIT. Currently, nothing exists. To get things rolling, I’ve been talking with the chair of the CS department and with many friends in computer science who are all very interested. I want it to be a place were CS majors can meet each other through different social events, as well as a place to give student input directly to the department. Along side organizing I am trying to design some CS T-shirts/sweatshirts to sell to students who are proud to be a Computer Science major. In the next few weeks I’ll be setting up a meeting to get student feedback and to see if anyone is willing to work on the executive board. I’m already VP of another club, so I would need people willing to help out.
My WordPress blog is finally alive!
Thing’s have been busy here at RIT. I find myself pulled in so many different directions all at the same time. It’s a mix between courses, work, and club related activities. However I’m still managing to stay organized and on top of all my work. The only thing that’s been slacking has been my visits to the gym, which is my favorite place on campus.
The big news for this week besides the blog is that my club, the Game Developers Club, will be hosting a series of presentations on Microsoft’s XNA framework and how to use it through Game Studio Express. Check out the flier here.
I’ve been doing quite a bit of administrative work for the club, so I’m hoping that these presentations turn out well and that all my hard work starts to pay off. A lot of people are interested in the topic, so it has the potential to be huge. I guess I’ll find out on Saturday.
My WordPress blog is now hosted on Mike’s server!
