Getting Started With Alice

Why Learn about Programming computers. Learning to program a computer does not turn you into a nerd We will use Alice which makes it possible to write programs in a totally different way than ever before The applications of computers are becoming so pervasive in our society that if you were born tomorrow you might be interacting with a computer from your first day to your last

Learn to Program Some of the reasons computer advances in medical research computer controlled airbags and brakes in our car computer modelling that allows us to design new drugs to fight different diseases

About the entertainment industry Computers and the software that computer programmers write for them have revolutionized the entertainment industry Computer gaming is very popular

Other things computers allow us to do Computers help us communicate with each other by maintaining complex cellular telephone networks Allow us to explore space

Computer programming course One course in computer programming can be useful as a way of learning a new way to think Learning to think in new ways is always extremely value Computer programming is a pure, distilled form of problem solving So learning to program a computer will truly help you learn a new way to think – enabling you to find answers to questions and figure out how to make things work.

A new Approach to programming

The old way Add up a bunch of numbers Print out the sum and average

The New Way with Alice Alice lets you be the director of a movie, or the creator of a video game, where 3D objects in an on-screen virtual world move around according to the directions you give them You use move forward or turn right Mistakes are easy(visually easy) to correct

Being a computer programmer using Alice Like being a movie director A choreographer A puppeteer Anyone who gives people instructions about what to do in a precise but limited vocabulary

After you Learned how to use Alice You understand the fundamental ideas involved in programming Be able to use Java or C++

Basics of Computer Programming

Computer Program Sequence of instructions that tell a computer what to do It is also a sequence of instructions that tells another human being what to do Learning how to program is actually learning how to think about arranging a sequence of instructions to carry out a task

All computer programs are made from very simple ideas A list of instructions – like following a recipe- sequential processing If – if it is raining take an umbrella – conditional execution Repeating behavior – bounce a ball 5 times – looping or iteration Breaking things into smaller pieces – problem decomposition, step-wise refinement, top down design or reductionism – break a complex task into a list of simpler tasks Ask a question so as to find an answer – calling a function

Computer Programs Most computers understand only about 100 different instructions The millions of programs that run on computers use these same 100 instructions in different orders and combinations Learning how to think about arranging a sequence of instructions to carry out a task(how to design a program) is probably the most valuable part of learning to program

Alice Concept

Concept 1 : Virtual World A flight simulator, a video game implemented in 3D is called a virtual world Using a virtual world lends a sense of reality to the simulator and increases its effectiveness The virtual world has width, height and depth

Concept 2 : Objects and 3D models Alice contains many 3D models already developed Includes a gallery of 3D models Not a 3D graphics drawing program – uses 3D graphic models to develop programs

Concept 3 : Three dimensions and six directions Objects in Alice world are 3D Each object has a width, height and depth Object has 6 possible directions it can move in (up, down, left, right, forward, back)

Concept 4 : Center of an Object Center point is set by the graphic artist when the 3D model is first created Center point provides a reference for a pivot or spin type of movement Person has center point between feet on the ground

Concept 5 : Distance Objects distance to another is measured from its center

Concept 6 : Position The center of an object is the point used as its position in a world Center of the ground is located at (0,0 and 0) Like the ground, any object in the world is located relative to the center of the world

Concept 7 : Animation In Alice, you will build virtual worlds and create animations by moving the objects in a world the same way that objects are moved in a flight simulator or a video game. Use many of the same techniques to give the illusion of motion as are used by animators to create animated cartoons for film studios such as Disney and Pixar

Concept 8 : Animation 2 Animation is an illusion The illusion is the scene is drawn with objects, and then redrawn with the objects positioned in a slightly different place Alice takes care of all the computer graphic work to create the sequence of frames Alice renders the animation

Tips and Techiques 1 3D text – changing text Graphics Images – Billboards

Summary Chapter 1 Computer program presented as a sequence of instructions that tell the computer what to do Importantly, a computer program is also a way to tell another human being what you want the computer to do Learning to think about arranging a sequence of instructions to carry out a task (how to design a program) is probably the most important part of learning to program Alice is a 3D animation software tool that can be used to learn how to design and write computer programs Alice allows you to quickly design create cartoon-like animations of objects in a 3D virtual world

Summary Chapter 1 - Continued The objects are 3D – have width, height and depth Each object has a sense of direction – it knows which way is up, down, left, right, forward and backward relative to itself