Syllabus

Instructor Information

Prof. Tony Jefferson
tony@mail.rit.edu
Office Location: (GOL)70-2671
Office Hours: Monday 8:00AM - 10:00AM
Office Hours: Wednesday 2:00 - 4:00PM

Teaching Assistants

Luis Bobadilla (section 01) - lab8998@rit.edu

Justin Gold (section 02) - jjg3359@rit.edu

Meeting times and Location

Section 01: Monday/Wednesday, 10:00 - 11:50 pm in room (GOL)70-2570

Section 02: Monday/Wednesday, 12:00 - 01:50 pm in room (GOL)70-2570

Course Description

This course introduces an event-driven scripting environment to enable the development of highly interactive user experiences. Students learn to manage and edit a wide variety of digital media types, e.g. still- and motion-graphics, text, audio, and video. Students write code to allow users to access, control, and manipulate each of these media types. Students gain foundational skills in media asset creation and in prototyping for applications and interface development. This course requires object-oriented programming. Credits 4

Prerequisites: Prereq. 4080-295 and 4080-223

Textbook

ActionScript 3 Bible (2nd Edition) ISBN: 9780470525234 - available in the RIT bookstore or on Books 24x7

Computer Materials & Accounts

• RIT Computer account: You'll need an RIT account in order to access "gibson," RIT's UNIX system that will store your web pages. You almost certainly already have this account, but if you don't (or if you have problems with it), bring your student ID to ITS in building 7B.
• Sneakernet: You should purchase and bring a USB flash drive to class to temporarily save your in-class work and take it somewhere more permanent. Make certain to keep all of your files and have them available each day in class, as they will serve as references for your later work.

Course Goals and Outcomes

The student will be able to define and discuss the following animation and media terms and concepts:

1. General Animation Principles: Frame rate, Ease-in, Ease-out, Squash, Stretch, Exaggeration
2. Cel animation principles: layers, frames, keyframes, keyframers, in-betweeners
3. Compare and contrast vector and bit-mapped graphics - file size, performance and optimization, appropriate usage
4. Flash file formats: swf, as, fla
5. Bit-mapped file formats: jpeg,gif,png,psd
6. Vector file formats: ai,svg
7. Digital sound characteristics and file formats: Lossless v. Lossy, mp3, aiff, wav, sample rate, bit-depth, bit rate, channels
8. Digital video characteristics and file formats: flv, mov, MPEG,H.264, bit rate, frame rate
9. XML - identifying well-formed and valid XML, the RSS web service format

The student will be able to utilize the Flash SDK and ActionScript 3 programming to create applications utlizing the following techniques and best practices:

1. Well thought out Interface and Interaction Design
2. Timeline animations using the following: Frame-by- Frame Animation, Shape Tweens, Motion Tweens, symbols, keyframes, empty keyframes
3. Procedural Animation driven by ActionScript
4. Interaction driven by the use of asynchronousus event listeners and callbacks
5. Software development utlizing Object-oriented programming, a Document class, and MVC design pattern
6. A Flash interactive experience with the following: a coherent theme, multiple screens, good use of color, effective navigation, nested movieclips, animation, and vector graphics created by the student.

7. A Flash game with the following: Procedural animation, game update loop, Keyboard and/or mouse control, collision detection, sound, levels, multiple “screens”, dynamically created game assets, symbols, vector and bit-mapped graphics, optimized sound and graphics.

Grading

• Projects: 50%
• Exams: 30%
• HW: 15%
• Attendance: 5%

Note: Grade A = superior work, not just satisfactory.
90+=A, 80+=B, 70+=C, 65+=D, 64.999-=F

Note: 1 absence 4/5 points, 2 absences 2.5/5 points, 3 absences 0/5 points. Each additional absence is 2.5% off of final average. Late is 1/2 absence (2 minute grace period). Facebooking or similar off-task activity during lectures or demos will count as a absence for the day.

Note: There are no make-ups and no extra credit.

Note: Overdue projects will lose 10% for every 24 hour period that they are late.

Note: The MAXIMUM grade awarded on any late project is an 85%

Academic Honesty

ANY instance of academic dishonesty (cheating, collusion, or duplicate submission) will result in a failing grade in the course and will be reported to the chair of the student's home department. This policy includes all assignments, including seemingly trivial ones like homework. There will be no second chances given.

IGM Academic Integrity Policy (pdf)
RIT Academic Honesty Policy

Important RIT Deadlines

• Last day of add/drop is the end of week 1.
• Last day to withdraw with a grade of W is the end of week 8.
• You have one quarter to challenge your grade. After that, grades cannot be challenged (IGM department policy).