Homework Assignments

There will be 5 homework assignments. Homework 0 is smaller and worth fewer points than the other four homeworks. You will have 2-3 weeks to complete each of Homeworks 1-4, so be sure to manage your time effectively. On the weeks no homework assignment due, you will instead be required to post an informal but informative progress status report with sample output images (which may still be buggy) on Rensselaer LMS. The progress post(s) will be worth approximately one quarter of the homework grade (points awarded for effort and progress), so make sure you have plenty of real progress to report. The full homework submission (your code & README.txt) will be submitted to the homework web server.

The homework assignments (posted on the Calendar) involve a significant amount of C++ programming. You will submit all of your source code files (ending in .h or .cpp), your CMakeLists.txt file, a plaintext README.txt file (using the provided template), and a preliminary self-grading of the homework (using the provided template). The README.txt and gradesheet will document:

• completed homework assignment features,

• any known bugs in your code,

• any new features or extensions you've added (include instructions for use and test cases or screenshots of sample output as appropriate),

• how long it took you to complete the assignment, and

• the extent of your collaboration with other students or outside sources.

Collaboration Policy

We encourage you to discuss the assignments with other students in the class. Please acknowledge your collaborators in your README.txt file. However each student is responsible for implementing the assignment on his/her own. You may assist each other in debugging, but this should absolutely not involve "cutting and pasting" code. Likewise, consulting the assignment solutions of students from previous terms is not allowed. You may certainly use the internet as a resource for learning the material, but you may not submit or "borrow from" code found online. Please read the Academic Integrity policy for this course and speak with the instructor if you have any questions.

Compilers

To streamline grading your code must compile and run under gcc/g++ (available for Linux, FreeBSD, Cygwin on Windows, and Mac). If the grader must spend time editing your files in order to compile or run your code, you will receive no more than half credit for the assignment. Please see the instructor in office hours if you need help writing portable code.

We will be using CMake, a cross-platform, open-source make system. The provided homework code will be developed on MaxOSX using CMake/g++, but should also work on Linux using CMake/g++, and Windows using CMake/VisualStudio. See these detailed instructions for installing, building, and running the code:

• OpenGL/GLFW/GLEW/GLUT notes

• Using CMake

Homework Late Policy

Homework progress reports are due on Thursday nights at 11:59pm on LMS. Progress reports will not be graded if they are submitted late. (Unless accompanied by a written excuse from the Student Experience Office).

Final homework submissions are due on Thursday nights at 11:59pm on Submitty. Submission times will be judged from the timestamp on the web server. You may submit the assignment multiple times; we will only grade your last submission. Each student will be given three days (whole or partial) of grace for late homework assignments. These grace days should be used carefully. Once the late days have been exhausted, late assignments will not be accepted without a written excuse from the Student Experience Office.

Electronic Submission

Once you've finished writing, testing, debugging, and commenting your code, prepare your assignment for submission as described below.

1. Gather all of the files for your submission in a directory (hopefully everything you need is already in your hw0/src directory). Make sure to include:

   • the CMakeLists.txt file (edited appropriately if you added any .cpp files to the project),

   • all of your .cpp and .h source code files,

   • your plaintext README.txt file (please use the provided template),

   • (optional) new input test cases and/or screenshots of your program output,

   • and your self-assessment grading (please use the provided plaintext gradesheet template).

   Note: You should not submit the executable or any intermediate compilation files.

2. If you're using Linux or Mac OSX, cd to hw0 (the parent directory). And now zip up the directory containing all of your source files by typing:

      zip -r hw0_submit.zip src
   

   This will zip up the directory and all of the directory contents. It's important that your source directory not contain the executable or other big intermediate compilation files. (Those files will be in the neighboring build/ subdirectory)

   If you're using WinZip for Windows, create a new archive named hw0_submit.zip and then drag & drop all of the files your your src folder into the archive.

3. Log in to Submitty, using your RPI RCS username & password to log in (whatever you normally use to get your @rpi.edu email). Select the appropriate assignment, upload the zip file, and press "Submit".

   You should receive confirmation of your submission and a list of all the received files. Make sure each submitted file is prefixed by the "src/" directory name. If you find a mistake in your homework, you can fix it and re-submit using the same procedure. We will only grade the most recent submission. Please ask the instructor if you need help preparing your assignment for submission. Do not submit any other type of compressed file format or your files may not be correctly received.

   Note: If there's lots of "stuff" in your homework directory the zip file may be too big for submission. (Visual Studio makes lots of big temporary files.) Either manually delete this extra stuff OR make a new folder and copy just the necessary files to that folder for submission. If your submission files are still too big, please contact the instructor and we can increase the file size limit.