This course will be a seminar covering topics necessary for research on future graphics hardware (also possibly hardware for image processing and computer vision) . I envision focusing on two main areas: (1) computer/media architectures, and (2) implementation on FPGAs. The course will be project-heavy. We will implement circuits on a Xilinx FPGA using Verilog.
The ideal student for this class has experience with digital hardware, wants to do research on graphics (or related) architectures, and has a particular project in mind. The project doesn't necessarily have to be in graphics. For example, perhaps you've been wanting to build stereo depth extraction hardware. I would like to talk to each of you about projects.
Prerequisites: You should have some experience with digital logic, such as an undergraduate course. Knowledge of Verilog is a plus, but you can probably ramp up quickly if you've used some other HDL or even learned logic the old fashioned way. I expect you to know how to use a scope and logic analyzer. You shouldn't need much, if any, experience with analog electronics. If you have no experience with hardware, please see me before registering for this class.
I'll start off the semester by quickly presenting Verilog and the software/hardware we'll be using. The first assignment will be to design a VGA circuit to put a pattern up on the screen. Then I'll talk about DRAMs and you'll expand your project to put an image on the screen. After that I expect that your hardware work will focus on building infrastructure for your projects, perhaps in teams. The class work will be reading and discussing papers, led by class members. Possible topics are listed below. Exact directions will be driven by our interests.
Instructor: Anselmo Lastra