CMSC110 (Introduction to Computing)

Fall 2010

Assignment#1

Due before start of class on Tuesday, September 7, 2010

First, read Chapters 1, 2, 3 from Shifman's text.

Task#1: Design and create your own sketch using the Processing language/environment. Think of yourself as a creative designer when chosing the topic of your design. This is your very first sketch, so here are some guidelines:

• Make sure that it is at least 500 pixels by 500 pixels. The dimensions can vary depending upon your design, but make sure that it is not "small".
• Make use of any of the drawing primitives learned in class this week: size, no/smooth, stroke, fill, point, line, rect, triangle, ellipse, quad, begin/endShape, arc, curve, mouseX, mouseY, image, etc.
• Your sketch should make use of several functions (as this is the point of this assignment!. A really "abstract" sketch like a simple circle in the center of the screen will not suffice (as asthetic as it may seem).

To give you some ideas, several sketches will be presented in class. Here are some additional ideas:

• A self-portrait
• An avatar or a cartoon of someone
• Your favorite cartoon TV Show character (e.e. South Park), or design your own...
• A city scape
• Animal/object caricatures/study
• A Post Card Design
• A fabric pattern
• Stylize your name's initials...or a logo
• The Bryn Mawr Owl
• A Poster
• Imitation of existing design or art (check out Ndebele and other folk designs, works of artists like: Kasimir malevich, Robert Delauney, Piet Mondrian, Giorgio Morandi, etc.)
• etc.

Make sure that every Processing file has the following lines at the top:

// Assignment #
// Name: Your Name
// E-mail: your e-mail address 
// Date: Date of submission 

What to Hand in: Write a short note about the sketch, its inspiration, and how you designed and implemented it. Write a short paragraph about your impressions on working on this assignment. Include a printout of the sketch in your document. Hand in a printed copy of this handout in class. Additionally, place it in the same folder as your sketch as a Word/Office document and submit all work electronically using the free dropbox service (see Task#2 below). Feel free to send an e-mail to Deepak after your submission to get an acknowledgement of receipt of your work. It is entirely your responsibility to ensure that your work is placed in the assigned folder by the due date. Failure to do so will result in loss of credit for the assignment.

Task#2: By Friday, Septemebr 3 you will receive an e-mail invitation from Deepak Kumar to join dropbox.com folder sharing service. Follow the instructions:

Go to dropbox.com or click on the link sent my Deepak.

Fill out the information for creating a new account:

First Name

Last Name

Email Address

Password

After the account is created, you can (if you want) download the dropbox program. If you install dropbox on your computer, you will get a folder named "My Dropbox" and in it will be a folder with your name that is shared with Deepak Kumar. This is where you will copy your Assignment folders all semester for submission and grading.

To upload files into the shared folder:

From any web browser: sign in, choose the folder with your name on it, and click the upload button. Select the folder you are submitting, then click start upload.

(If you install the dropbox program) From the desktop dropbox icon: open the My Dropbox andthen the folder with your name on it. Select and copy the folder you are submitting into this folder. Dropbox will automaticall sync the new submission with the shared folder. That's it!

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