Workshops

For a practical and enjoyable experience on:

• 3D Engine
• Advanced Debugging
• Design Patterns
• Memory management
• Shaders
• Cool Effects
• Rendering Techniques
• And many more….

Target audience: Students at the University “Politehnica” of Bucharest and from other IT colleges.

Workshop Period: First semester.

Workshop Duration: 4 hours / week (Saturday, 9:00 – 13:00).

Location: 3DUPB – Gameloft Learning Center (EG 204).

Application Period: October 1 – October 18 (deadline: October 18, 17:00).

Privacy Policy

Candidates selection: 

On  October 19 the candidates will be required to pass a theoretical and practical C++ test with a duration of 2 hours. (Location: EG 204 – 9:00 AM).

The test results will be announced by October 24, and the best 11 candidates will be selected.

The chosen candidates will be asked to confirm their participation by October 25.

Candidates who do not confirm their participation will lose the opportunity to join the workshop, and the next best candidates will be contacted.

Evaluation after Workshops:

Participants will be required to present their practical application and pass a theoretical test after this module.

What Will We Learn in This Workshop?

• Creating a Game Engine from Scratch: No, you will not receive a pre-made game engine to experiment with; you will build your own game engine, learning the basics required for such a project. You will then use this game engine to create your own game using the learned techniques.
• Shader Effects: Adding models with textures inside a scene; using geometric transformations to scale and move objects within the scene and to implement a camera; implementing trajectories for scene objects; creating terrain and mixing textures using a blend map; using a height map; adding a skybox; skybox reflection; fog effect; using lights (Phong model); normal mapping; creating animated fire using a displacement map; text rendering; collisions; adding sounds corresponding to different events in the game; using framebuffers for post-processing effects (such as grayscale, blur, and bloom effects); and other optional but cool effects for those who finish the project early.
• Secondary Aspects: Working with Visual Studio, using its features and shortcuts, and using a Visual Studio plugin; several debugging techniques; an introduction to design patterns (e.g., singleton and factory patterns); memory management; writing and reading an XML file using a C++ library.

What Should We Know About the Test?

You should have at least intermediate knowledge of C++ (mostly C++98, with some questions from C++11). There will also be some questions from the STL (Standard Template Library). You are allowed to bring books or use the internet during the test (but without accessing email, messenger, Facebook, or any other communication platform; also no online compilers).

The test will have two parts:

• Several questions requiring short answers to be solved on paper without using a compiler.
• An exercise that involves implementing a short program on a computer, not on paper.

I recommend you apply even if you are a beginner in C++. I will send each applicant an email containing a set of useful links to online books, references, and tutorials to help prepare for the test. The email will also contain sample test questions and additional information about the test.

You do not need a specific grade to pass; your grade must simply be among the top 11 (or more if some students agree to bring a laptop — we only have 11 computers in the laboratory). However, if your grade is low, it may indicate that you do not know C++ well enough, and it will be difficult, if not impossible, to complete the project unless you begin learning C++ in the first 2-3 weeks of the semester.

After the test, I will provide each of you with study materials covering the exercises that you could not solve or did not answer correctly.

What Programming Languages Will We Use?

C++ and GLSL (shading language).

What Libraries Will We Use?

OpenGL ES 2.0.

How Long Will the Project Take? How Much Time Should We Dedicate Weekly? How Does the Schedule Look?

We will have workshops every Saturday (lasting 4-5 hours). The schedule (subject to minor changes, depending on the number of questions or the lesson):

• The class will start at 9:00 AM.
• The first 30-45 minutes will be for questions or help with bugs from the previous week’s assignment.
• You will receive some questions about the previous lesson (not a test; the purpose is to check if everyone understood the content).
• A presentation of the new lesson will follow, lasting about 30 minutes to 1 hour.
• After the presentation, you will receive tasks to practice the learned theory. If you do not finish them during class, they will become homework. Some tasks require more time, so depending on the lesson, your homework may take between 0-4 hours weekly.

The workshop will last until the end of the semester. If the project is not finished by then, we can schedule a few more meetings after the semester ends (during the examination period, if you have some free time, or at the beginning of the college break) — but let’s hope that this will not be necessary. This is why you should complete the assigned homework every week so we can follow the workshop plan and avoid delays at the end of the semester.