CSL781 Assignment 1

This assignment is an exercise in interactive graphics. You may use OpenGL and glut functions. You will create and manipulate a 3D-robot.

There are several parts of this assignment -- all to be done individually:

• Design and create a robot. The simplest robot may consist of 13 cylinders:
  • A body
  • 2 legs (Each leg must have a thigh, a foreleg and a foot)
  • 2 arms (Each arm must have an upper arm, a forearm and a palm)
  In addition, the robot has a sphere as its head. You must also draw two eyes -- you have the freedom to choose how to do that. Of course, You may make the robot more complex than these specs if you like. You must design a file format for describing the geometry hierarchichally and create a file describing a robot that your program should read. Robot design should then be changeable by changing the file.
• Once your program has read the robot, the first step is to display it. Appropriately set up the window and viewing parameters and then render the robot.
• The final step is to interact with the robot. You should be able to move any limb (without disembodying the robot). Each part should be able to rtate about two axes at its base joint. All parts extreme to that moved part should move with it.

  You will need to figure out the correct transformations to get the instructed behavior. You should design a User Interface for interacting with the robot. It is advisable to first attempt this with keyboard input. Once you have all interactions working, you should allow mouse/cursor based input:

  • You need to figure out which part the cursor is currently at.
  • Use mouse buttons to specify rotations.
  • Use the third button smartly.
  • By the direction of the motion figure out the intended axis of rotation.
  • Allow rotation only by "safe" angles. You choose safe angles but no joint should rotate 360 degrees.

** Revised: Sat, 30 Jul 2011 by Subodh Kumar

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