CGVIS Computer Graphics and Visualization

Teaching

Courses, theses, and module information.

Current teaching activities, archived semester pages, thesis topics, and the chair's course database.

Study Pathway

Pathway to Computer Graphics Specialization.

Recent developments in artificial intelligence are changing the job market for computer science graduates. It is no longer enough to finish a degree with a loose collection of unrelated topics. Students need a broad, solid command of computer science fundamentals and a focused area of expertise. AI systems can take over many routine tasks, but their results still need to be understood, supervised, corrected, and used efficiently. Our pathway helps students build this combination: strong foundations, practical experience, and specialized knowledge in computer graphics and visualization, a field with excellent future prospects in entertainment, science, simulation, and visual computing.

Explore the pathway

Courses

Current Semester

The active course page includes lectures, seminars, lab courses, schedules, Moodle links, and course material. Past semester pages remain available as an archive.

Summer Term 2026 Past Semesters

Theses

Thesis Topics

Open topics for bachelor's and master's theses, including project descriptions and contact persons.

Open Topics

Database

Course Database

The VDB collects module and course information for the teaching program.

Open VDB

Study Pathway

A focused route through computer graphics and visualization.

Students in computer science can combine our lectures, practical projects, seminars, and thesis topics into a focused education in computer graphics and visualization. The goal is a profile that is both comprehensive and specialized: students should understand the underlying computer science well enough to evaluate and guide automated systems, while also developing expert knowledge in a field that remains central to entertainment, scientific discovery, simulation, and visual data analysis. The pathway can start in the bachelor's program, but it also supports students who join the topic area during the master's program.

Bachelor's foundation

Build the basics

Start with no required prior knowledge in computer graphics, learn the core concepts, and apply them in a practical project, a seminar, and a bachelor's thesis.

Master's specialization

Deepen and extend

Move into modern rendering, image synthesis, and scientific visualization, then complete a master's project, seminar, and thesis at the chair.

Master entry

Joining later is possible

Students who enter the pathway in the master's program need to catch up on selected fundamentals. Important concepts are revisited in the master's lectures to support this transition.

Bachelor

Example start in the winter semester

  1. Semesters 1-3 Programming and theoretical foundations

    Core computer science, mathematics, and programming skills.

  2. Semester 4 Einführung in die Computergrafik (Introduction to Computer Graphics)

    First graphics lecture for students without prior graphics or visualization knowledge.

  3. Semester 5 Practical project in computer graphics and visualization

    Hands-on work that turns lecture concepts into implementation experience.

  4. Semester 6 Seminar and bachelor's thesis

    Presentation training and a thesis topic at the Computer Graphics and Visualization chair.

Master

Advanced graphics and visualization

  1. Semester 1 Computer Graphics and Scientific Visualization

    Rendering foundations, radiance transport, and visualization of simulation and measurement data.

  2. Semester 2 Advanced Image Synthesis and master's project

    Modern rasterization, neural rendering, differentiable rendering, and applied project work.

  3. Semester 3 Seminar and master's thesis

    Research-oriented specialization leading to a master's thesis at the chair.

Lecture Topics

What students learn along the way.

Einführung in die Computergrafik (Introduction to Computer Graphics)

  • Geometric models: polygons, meshes, parametric and implicit surfaces, normals, intersections
  • Splines: Hermite, Catmull-Rom, Bezier, B-Splines
  • Color: color models, perception, RGB, CMYK, HSL, HSV, YUV, Lab
  • Lighting, reflection models, ray tracing, ray tracing acceleration, transformations

Computer Graphics

  • Radiance transfer, ray tracing review, path tracing, subsurface scattering
  • Volume graphics, photon mapping, radiosity, irradiance volumes
  • Precomputed radiance transfer, ambient occlusion, sampling
  • Virtual reality, image compression, high dynamic range imaging

Advanced Image Synthesis

  • Rasterization review, reflections, transparency, shadows, terrain rendering, fur, REYES
  • Neural functions and optimization, differentiable rendering, NeRF
  • Acceleration, 3D Gaussian splatting, neural appearance, inverse rendering

Scientific Visualization

  • History, simulation, measurements, data representation, filtering, mapping
  • Volumes, GPU volume rendering, advanced volume rendering and sampling
  • Indirect volume rendering, geometric and dense flow visualization, feature based flow visualization