Rationale

It is common for game developers to need to present technical topics to a knowledgeable audience. There are internal presentations on possible approaches before starting development on a new feature. After the method works, there will be presentations within the company to encourage algorithmic reuse, and so others will know enough to get started tracking down bugs if the original developer leaves or is not available. It is also common to present particularly new or successful methods outside the company, with presentations at conferences (especially GDC or SIGGRAPH courses) or publications (blogs, book chapters, or focused conferences like I3D). From the game company's perspective, these help to raise the profile of the studio, promote the game, and attract new talent.

Assignment

Each of you will choose one day to do a 10-minute presentation about a cutting edge game graphics method as described in a game developer's blog, presentation, or chapter in a book such as Game Programming Gems, Shader X, GPU Gems, etc. Keep in mind your audience's background (students in this class). Spend just enough time on background material they may not already know for them to be able to follow the main new idea. Note that these kinds of algorithms can still be relevant five or ten years or more after they're introduced. If you choose an older method, try to determine if it is something still in use today.

Don't attempt to present an entire 40-60 minute presentation in 10 minutes! Choose one aspect to present. Present the new technique as a whole, this is where you can go into more detail on critical background, but be sure to emphasize what is new and how the new method compares to the alternatives.

Game developers usually focus on stability (even occasional frame stalls or bad frames can kill a method), performance (in milliseconds, not frames per second, since other stuff is happening during a frame), memory usage (CPU and GPU), and scalability (sure it works on a single disembodied head in the middle of the screen, but how will it do on an army?). You're reporting someone else's work, so won't necessarily have all of this data, but be sure to report any of this that is available.

Your presentation should use google slides (which you should make) and, if available, images, video or demos (from the original author or games that use the technique). Add a link to your source material and your slides to the sign up sheet. There will only be 1-2 tech talk presentations on any one class day, available on a first-come first-served basis. Sign up early to get the day you want.

Feedback

To provide constructive feedback, each student will complete a short feedback form for each presentation. These will be returned to the student who did the presentation, so please be respectful and constructive in your comments.

Sources

Here are a few places to find source material: