Final State Exam Questions – N-VIZ_A Visual Informatics

Common Core Programme

  1. Algorithms and data structures. Advanced algorithm design techniques: dynamic programming, hungry strategies, backtracking. Amortized analysis. String search: naive string search algorithm, Karp-Rabin algorithm, string search using finite automata. Knuth-Morris-Pratt algorithm (IV003).
  2. Numerical methods. Iterative methods for solving non-linear equations (Newton's method and its modifications). Direct methods for solving systems of linear equations (Gauss elimination, Jacobi, Gauss-Seidel, relaxation methods). Numerical differentiation, differentiation schemes. (MA018)
  3. Statistics. Discrete and continuous random variables (RV), basic distributions. Numerical characteristics of RVs. Central limit theorem. Point estimates, confidence intervals, statistical hypothesis testing, significance level. Basic parametric and non-parametric tests, ANOVA, tests of independence of RV. Linear regression, overall F-test, partial t-tests. (MV013)
  4. 3D modelling and data structures. Polygonal and triangular meshes: data structures, modelling, changing mesh structure, mesh simplification. Implicit representation and modelling (SDF, CSG, B-Rep). (PB009, PA010)
  5. Curves and surfaces. Implicit and parametric representations. Interpolation and approximation. Cn, Gn continuity, continuity conditions for piecewise-defined functions. Bézier curves, B-spline curves, Coons surfaces. Surfaces formed by recursive subdivision of polygons. (PB009, PA010)
  6. Machine learning. Machine learning and pattern recognition: classification and regression problem, cluster analysis, learning with and without teacher. Multilayer neural networks, multilayer perceptrons, loss functions, backpropagation. Convolutional networks, recurrent networks. (PV021)
  7. Graphs and graph algorithms. Graph representations. Graph connectivity, planar graphs. Graph search in breadth and depth, shortest distance, skeletons, flows in networks. Algorithms: Bellman-Ford, Dijkstra, Ford-Fulkerson, Push-Relabel, maximal matching in bipartite graphs (IB000, IB002, IV003).
  8. Modelling and projection. Homogeneous coordinates, modelling, view and projection matrices, perspective, and orthographic projection. Basic affine transformations. (PV189, PV112)
  9. Digital image processing. Point transforms. Histogram, histogram equalization, histogram analysis. Linear and non-linear filters. Edge detection. Fourier transform. Sampling theorem, resampling, geometric transformations. Wavelet transform. Hough/Radon transform. (PB130, PV131, PV291)
  10. Digital image analysis. Image segmentation, component labelling algorithms, object description, and object classification. Calculation of distance maps. Basic mathematical morphology (dilation and erosion, opening and closing, hit-or-miss, top-hat, watershed) (PB130).

Specialisation - Image Analysis and Processing

  1. Image data acquisition. Radiation sources and detectors, cameras and their properties, types of noise. Image coding, transmission and storage. Image formation in optical systems, optical resolution, PSF, optical artefacts, microscopes and telescopes. Acquisition of multidimensional image data (3D, spectral, time series). Automation of image acquisition. (PA172)
  2. Digital filters. Discrete transforms and their optimization strategies; Recursive filtering; Deconvolution; Image descriptors; Lossy/non-lossy image compression; Video compression; Steerable filters. (PA171)
  3. Digital Geometry. Digitizing models (Gauss, Jordan, intersections with grid). Estimation of geometric and topological properties of digital sets (length and area measures, Euler characteristic), computation of digital metrics (Euclidean and geodesic) and their approximation. (PA170)
  4. Mathematical morphology. Properties of morphological operators (ordering, idempotence, etc.). Morphological and algebraic openings and closings. Granulometry. Hit-or-miss transforms. Geodesic transforms and morphological reconstruction. Morphological filters. Segmentation using mathematical morphology. (PA173)
  5. Image processing using energy minimization. Variational filtering. Active curves and surfaces (geodesic model, Chan-Vese model). Minimization using graph cuts. Variational optical flow. (PA166)
  6. Image processing using PDE. Diffusion filtering (linear diffusion, non-linear isotropic and non-linear anisotropic diffusion). Level set methods (motion in the normal direction, curvature driven motion and motion in the external vector field). Fast marching algorithm. (PA166)
  7. Geometric algorithms. Convex hulls, 2D and 3D structures. Voronoi diagrams, Delaunay triangulations, duality, spatial search (data structures, algorithms). (MA017, PA010, PA093)
  8. GPU programming. Architecture, programming model and optimization for GPU. Memory hierarchies in GPUs. Parallelism model on GPU. Example of a simple implementation. Examples of suitable and unsuitable problems for GPU acceleration. (PV197, PV227)
  9. Machine learning in image processing. Image classification (VGGNet, GoogLeNet, ResNet, SENet). Object detection (R-CNN, Fast R-CNN, Faster R-CNN, YOLO). Image segmentation (FCN, UNet, Mask R-CNN). Conditional and unconditional generative models (autoregressive models, VAEs, GANs). Models based on convolutional networks and transformers (attention, CNN vs. ViT). (PA228)

Specialization - Computer Game Development

  1. Computer graphics principles. Preproduction of scene (grayboxing, placeholders). Local and global lighting models. Physically based rendering (PBR). Scene optimization techniques (Level of Detail, culling, MIP maps). (PB009, PA010, PA213, PV255)
  2. Physical principles. Types of physical simulations, and their usage in games (rigid bodies, soft bodies, particle systems). Dynamics of rigid bodies (forces, friction). Collider objects (their types and limits, collision layers. Collision detection (discrete and continuous, typical problems, usage in game mechanics). (PV255)
  3. Game design I. Game, video game, board game, digital game, computer game, toy, puzzle, play. Player typology, focus group. Game experience, game loop, game dynamic, game mechanic. Game hook, game anchor. Process of game design prototyping. The role of a game designer (creative, abstract, analytical, systematic, communication). (PA215, PA216)
  4. Game Design II. Game design unit, game design proposal, game design documentation. Game analysis concepts (Magic Circle (Huizinga), Cybertext (Aarseth), Flow (Csikszentmihalyi)). Symmetric and asymmetric (competitive) games, dominant strategies. Narrative, storytelling, story, gameplay. Tutorial, onboarding, foreshadowing. Gameplay testing (focus test, play test). (PA215, PA216)
  5. Game development. The architecture of the game engine (individual modules and their meaning). Game interfaces (physical, virtual, types of IO devices, mapping). Audio in games (sound propagation in scene, digital sound, PCM, latency, sound mixing). Network layer (bandwidth, latency, RTT, jitter, data loss), latency reduction methods, TCP vs. UDP. (PV255)
  6. Artificial intelligence in computer games. Movement, kinematics, steering behaviors. Pathfinding, graph search algorithms, A* with its data structures and heuristics, game world representation, and hierarchical pathfinding. Decision making, decision trees, state machines, behaviour trees, goal-oriented behaviour. Tactical and strategic AI, waypoint tactics, tactical analysis. Board games, minimaxing, Monte Carlo tree search. (PA217)
  7. Rendering using GPUs. OpenGL principles, coordinate spaces (object space, world space, camera space, clip space, NDC space). Shader types and their uses in games (vertex, fragment, geometry, compute, tessellation). Shadow map technique. Principles of deferred shading. Screen-space ambient occlusion. (PV227)
  8. Principles of 3D modelling. Polygonal mesh modelling (surface subdivision, retopology, high-poly, low-poly), Material (BSDF, albedo, metallic, roughness, normal, and bump maps). Surface texturing (mapping, unwrapping, quality checks of the mapping). Animation of 3D model (forward and inverse kinematics, rigging, skinning). (VV035)

Specialization - Computer Graphics and Visualization

  1. Fundamentals of visualization. Basic metrics for evaluating the quality of visualization, visual variables. Basic visualization techniques for 1D, 2D, 3D and 4D data. Volumetric data - visualization of explicit and implicit surfaces. Geovisualization - choropleth maps, cartograms.(PV251,PA214)
  2. Visualization methods. Visualization of multidimensional data - scatterplot matrix, parallel coordinates, dimension stacking. Visualization of hierarchical structures - treemaps, radial techniques. Basic classes of interaction techniques, techniques used in screen space, object space, data, data structures. (PV251,PA214)
  3. Fundamentals of computer graphics. OpenGL block diagram, GLSL - vertex and fragment shader. Creating a GLSL program. Basic types of input and output variables. Types of graphical primitives. Vertex Buffer Objects and Vertex Array Objects. Principle of rasterization, framebuffer. Textures: mapping, filtering, synthesis. (PB009, PV112, PV227)
  4. Geometric algorithms. Convex hulls, 2D and 3D constructions. Voronoi diagrams, Delaunay triangulation, duality, triangulation, triangulation with constraints. Spatial search (data structures, algorithms). (MA017, PA093)
  5. Space and scene partitioning techniques. Data structures (oct-, quad-, BSP-, k-d trees), their construction and maintenance, heuristics used. Bounding volumes and their hierarchies, construction, and usage. Collision detection, rendering. (MA017, PA010, PA213)
  6. Rendering volumetric data. Surface reconstruction - contours, volume, point cloud. Marching cubes algorithm. Direct rendering of volumetric data. (PA010, PA213)
  7. Local and global illumination models. Blinn-Phong illumination model, BRDF, ray tracing, radiosity, photon maps, participating media. Physically based rendering (PBR). Image-based lighting (IBL). (PB009, PV227, PA010, PA213)
  8. Real-time rendering. Clipping, visibility techniques, level of detail rendering, terrain rendering. Shadows: hard shadows, soft shadows, techniques for rendering shadows in scene space and image space. (PA010, PA213)
  9. Image processing using energy minimization. Variational filtering. Active curves and surfaces (geodesic model, Chan-Vese model). Minimization using graph cuts. Variational optical flow. (PA166)
  10. Image processing using PDE. Diffusion filtering (linear diffusion, non-linear isotropic and non-linear anisotropic diffusion). Level set methods (motion in the normal direction, curvature driven motion and motion in the external vector field). Fast marching algorithm. (PA166)

Specialization - Graphic Design

  1. History of graphic design. Relation of historical milestones of the discipline of printing techniques: invention of letterpress, lithography, serigraphy, offset, digital printing. Important creators. History of posters, corporate style, visual information systems, book design. Origins of computer graphics and influence on graphic design. (PV123,PV078)
  2. Bauhaus and international typographic style. Artistic movements and movements of the 19th-20th centuries influencing the emergence and work of the Bauhaus School of Art. Bauhaus in 1919-1933. Bauhaus directors and teachers. Significant creators and pioneers of graphic design in the first half of the 20th century, their influence on the current form of graphic design.(PV123,PV078)
  3. Type design I. Basic terms, construction of type: glyph and its structure, alphabet, type measurements, categories of typefaces, font family. Type design today and in the past, a computer font and its editors, contemporary type designers and type foundries. (PV123,PV084)
  4. Type design II. Key periods in the type design, important type designers in history. Classification of typefaces, Solpera’s classification (static×dynamic principle, serif×sans typefaces, calligraphic and handwritten typefaces). (PV123,PV084)
  5. Typography I. Original and contemporary term of typography. Typographic measure systems and units. Typesetting and its categories, layout and its construction. Paragraph, its separation and alignment. Computer typesetting editors.(PV123,PV066)
  6. Typography II. Key periods in typographic technology from the letterpress to the present. Important typography theorists. Typesetting rules: hyphenation, word spaces, quotation marks, numbers. Typesetting rules in English. Typographic proofreading before and now. (PV123,PV066)
  7. Visual communication. Definition of visual communication. Non-verbal communication, uncanny valley phenomenon. Representation, eidetic reduction. Sign, triadic model of the sign according to Ch. S. Peirce, icon, index, symbol. The theory of myth according to Roland Barthes. Gestalt - Principles of shape psychology. (PV123)