High-Performance Graphics and Games Engineering MSc

The following modules are available in 2023/24 for the High-Performance Graphics and Games Engineering MSc and are examples of the modules you are likely to study. All Modules are subject to change. You will study 180 credits in total.

Compulsory modules:

MSc Project – 60 credits
Independent research on a topic relevant to the games industry, agreed between you and your supervisor, throughout the second semester and the summer months.

Group Project – 30 credits
The Group Project provides an opportunity for you to work on a major computing project as part of a team. The project will further develop both your team working/ project management skills and your technical knowledge and skills.

Deep Learning – 15 credits

The module introduces the field of Deep Learning, taking a strongly integrative and state of the art approach. In line with the use of AI in key sectors (e.g., finance, health, law), there is an emphasis on the combination of multiple input modalities – specifically, combining images, text and structured data.

Foundations of Modelling and Rendering – 15 credits
Builds a solid foundation of understanding for the physics, mathematics and computation underlying all computer graphics. Delving deeper than a first undergraduate module in 3D graphics, it delivers an understanding of high-quality rendering through software raytracing as the essential foundation for building a hardware-accelerated approximation of high-quality visual effects.  This will be complemented by solid coverage of the mathematics necessary for full comprehension and exploitation of accelerated graphics hardware.

Geometric Processing – 15 credits

On successful completion of this module a student will have demonstrated the ability to understand the foundations of geometric modelling in differential geometry, develop data structures for representing, editing and traversing tessellated lines and surfaces, understand and create texture-based representations of geometric information and manipulate geometric models with techniques such as texture parametrisation, simplification, refinement, smoothing, mesh repair and mesh quality improvement.

High-Performance Graphics – 15 credits

The module is organised around key technologies and principles exploited in computer games and other resource-constrained applications. Starting from your initial understanding of ideal rendering, the module explores how real-time rendering achieves high visual veracity within a fixed budget of computational resources.

Animation and Simulation – 15 credits

This module covers motion in virtual environments, including animation, simulation, and specialised rendering effects, based initially on Parent, Computer Animation (3d ed).

Scientific Computation – 15 credits

This module covers a range of numerical algorithms for computational problems that can be formulated as continuous nonlinear equations and large linear equation systems. Starting from standard algorithms, such as the Newton-Raphson method, we cover the various properties and difficulties faced by such numerical algorithms (robustness, complexity, generality) and ways to tackle these problems reliably.

The full list of module information can be read in the course catalogue.