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Introduction to Computational Media Syllabus

Danny Rozin

• danny.rozin@nyu.edu
• General ICM Page: includes links to helpful resources, work from other sections, and instructions on how to upload your homework.
• Office Hours Sign Up
• Homework Wiki Wed Section: This is where you upload your weekly assignments.
• Homework Wiki Thur Section: This is where you upload your weekly assignments.
• Homework Wiki Thur Section: This is where you upload your weekly assignments.
• book: www.learningprocessing.com
• Other Processing books available
• Processing site tutorials

Week 1 -- Introduction

• Class Introductions
• Why are we here? What is computational media? What is programming? What is it good for? What kinds of programming languages are there?
• The Algorithm
• High Level vs. Low Level.
• Processing and the Java Virtual Machine
• The Fundamentals of Programming
• Coordinate Systems
• Shapes and Color -- tutorial on learningprocessing.com
• Code itself & The Reference
• Pressing the "Play" button
• Exporting as an applet vs. application
• Homework
  • Chapters 1-2 from Learning Processing.
  • Also, chapters 1-3 from Getting Started with Processing
  • download and install Processing
  • Sign up for course mailing list!
  • Create your own screen drawing, using only 2D primitive shapes – arc(), curve(), ellipse(), line(), point(), quad(), rect(), triangle() – and basic color functions – background(), colorMode(), fill(), noFill(), noStroke(), stroke(). Remember to use size() to specify the dimensions of your window.
  • Upload your assignment and post a link to the homework wiki (Wed Class, Thur Class).
  • Examples: http://www.learningprocessing.com/examples/ -- take a look at Chapter 1 and 2 (3 if you are feeling ambitious).

Week 2 -- Interaction and Variation

• PowerPoint Presentation
• The flow: code blocks, setup, draw, and events
  • continuous lines
  • mouse and keyboard events
  • interactive zoog
• Variables: Declare, Initialize, Use
  • many variables
• Random
  • random
• Other Resources:
  • Chris Kairalla's notes
  • Shawn Van Every's handout
• Homework:
  • Read Chapters 3-4 from Learning Processing.
  • Also, chapters 4-5 from Getting Started with Processing
  • Create a dynamic application. You can continue to elaborate on last week's assignment or you can design something new. For example, move your shapes around the screen according to mouse / keyboard interaction. Use variables to change colors, grow and shrink your design, etc.

Week 3 -- Conditionals, Loops

• rollovers
• bouncing ball
• corners
• gravity

• Boolean Variables
  • button
• Loops
  • while loop
  • zoog loop
  • while_loop
  • for_loop
  • nested_for_loops
• Homework
  • Read Chapters 5-6 from Learning Processing.
  • Try Exercise 5-6 and Exercise 5-8. We will go over answers in class.
  • Homework: Continue to elaborate on last week's assignment incorporating conditionals.

Week 4 -- Modularity: Functions

• Functions: Modularity!
  • Define and call a function
  • bouncing ball with functions
• Re-usability and Parameter Passing
  • zoog function with arguments
  • function that returns a value
  • PowerPoint Presentation
  • bounce_object
  • 1_brush_objects
  • 4_brush_objects
• Homework
  • Chapters 7 and 8 from Learning Processing.
  • Also, chapters 8-9 from Getting Started with Processing
  • Try exercise 7-8 and Exercise 8-5. We will go over answers in class.
  • Re-organize the code of a previous assignment or example using functions and objects. If you are inspired by the power of modularity, feel free to elaborate on the assignment. Post results to the wiki: Wed Class, Thur Class

Week 5 -- Multiplicity: Arrays and Objects

• PowerPoint Presentation
• Arrays
  • draw_circles_array_for_loop
  • snake
  • From Book:
  • saving mouse coordinates with an array
  • an array of objects (car)
  • interacting with array of objects
  • resizing an array w/ append()
  • array of objects again (zoog)
• Object-Orientation!
  • bounce_object
  • bounce_objects_array
  • From Book:
  • a single car object
  • two car objects
  • zoog object
• for the brave - 2D array
  • brush_objects_2D_array
  • grid_array_object
• Dano's handout
• Chapters 6 and 9, from Learning Processing.
• Homework: Using arrays and loops, write a program that creates multiple instances of an object (feel free to use an object you developed previously or create something new).
• Try Exercise 9-6 and Exercise 9-7.

Week 6 -- Images and Pixels

• Images
  • Load and Display
  • Image Sequence
  • Pixels From Scratch
  • Basic Pixels
  • Image Processing
  • Pointillism , Pointillism with camera
• Video as Image
  • Simple Capture
  • Software Mirror
  • Scribbler
• Video as Sensor
  • Color Tracking
  • Background Removal
  • Motion Detection
• More Examples:
  • Adjust colors
  • Tracking Examples
• Learning Processing, Chapters 15-16
• Homework: Incorporate the pixels of an image (or video) into a Processing sketch.
• Midterm: Brainstorm an idea for a midterm project. Feel free to think of your midterm on as grand a scale as you like, however, the midterm assignment will involve implementing only one step of a larger project. Remember, it's only a one week assignment! Be prepared to speak briefly about your midterm idea next week.

Week 7 -- Review and Midterm Workshop, also basic Strings

• Strings examples from book:
  • Displaying Text
  • Moving Text
  • Fancy Moving Text!
• some more:
  • Display Text test1
  • Display Text display_string
  • Animate Text stamp_strings
  • Text keyboard input text_input
• Mentioned in class:
  • Reading King Lear
  • Fancy Moving Text!
• Chapter 17-18, Learning Processing
• Homework: Complete midterm assignment and be prepared to show your work next week. .

Week 8 -- Show Midterms

Week 9 -- Loading and saving external data into/from Processing

• Very Simple Save To File - Very_Simple_Save_To_File.zip
• Very Simple Read From File - Very_Simple_Read_From_File.zip
• Simple Data From File - simple_data_from_file.zip
• Load And Save To File.zip - load_and_save_to_file.zip
• Reading King Lear
• reference of String functions in Processing - http://processing.org/reference/String.html
• reference to all java String functions - http://download.oracle.com/javase/1.4.2/docs/api/java/lang/String.html

• Homework: Create a Processing sketch that loads external data or saves external data, or both. Post a link to your assignment on the wiki. Wed, Thur

Week 10 -- Processing and the internet

• Client
  • from HTML load_image_from_HTML
  • from XML Yahoo weather xml
  • from XML with SimpleML library Yahoo SimpleML
  • using API Yahoo search API , Yahoo Search API tutorial
• Server
  • php tutorial in Processing book
  • more php in the Processing book
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PHP, http://www.php.net/
  • Fundamentals of Programming in PHP
  • Sean's php and html forms useful tutorial
  • generate random number in php , see the script
  • send email in php and Processing , see the php script
  • PHP and Processing together w/ Persistence
  • get Tweets via php, taken from the Processing book
• Server + database
  • mySQL tutorial
  • Demo using student photos from people database, if you want, this can be your final project! Processing+php+mySQL
• Homework: Prepare a final project proposal. Create a web page or blog post with title, description, sample imagery, diagrams, Processing code, etc. Presentations will be split over the next two weeks. Check the wiki for assigned date: Wed, Thur

Week 11 -- Propose Final Projects plus transformations and 3D

• transformations - rotate, rotate_3D
• transformations with pushMatrix clock
• 3D Graphics
  • geometry, color, light, texture, and video
  • all examples in zip

Week 12 -- Propose Final Projects plus video tracking and manipulation

• Video Processing
• tracking :
  • brightness
  • color
  • change/ movement
• Masking:
  • Chroma key
  • background removal
• all examples in zip

Week 13 -- Final Project Presentations

Week 14 -- Final Project Presentations

Requirements

• You are required to attend all class meetings and submit all weekly assignments, a midterm, and a final project.
• Grading (pass/fail) will be based on a combination of factors:
  • Attendance and participation in class discussion and engagement in other students' projects.
  • Quality of weekly assignments, midterm, and final project.
  • Personal progress; how much did you advance from your initial state in this class.