VIS 42

VIS 42 - Intro to Creative Code - Fall 2025

Schedule | Description | Resources | Grading | Policies | References

detail of CSRSNT-CAAI-038-of-128.png, csrsnt (Casey Reas), 20 April 2021

Description

This course provides students with a foundation in programming and computational thinking, and their application in creative projects. Topics covered may include generative graphics and sound, interactive media, and others. Students will gain practical skills through hands-on experience and experimentation, learning to integrate computing into artistic practices. No prior programming experience is required.

Description

Teaching Team

Prerequisites: None

Tools

We will use the open source creative coding language p5.js within a jupyterlite environment. Try it out here!

Resources

Required Materials

You will need access to a laptop or other computer. I recommend a notebook specifically for taking notes, drawing ideas, “writing” code, etc.

Course Format

The emphasis of this class is on regular, weekly coding practice, self-expression, reflection, and peer community/support.

Educational Objectives

At the end of the course, students will be able to:

Topics and Schedule

Week Day Topics
Week 0 Sept 25 What is creative code?; Why p5?
Web editor overview // jupyter lite; submitting homework
Week 1 Sept 30 2D coordinate plane; using p5 drawing functions; shapes; colors; custom shapes;
  Oct 2 creating functions; curves();
Week 2 Oct 7 Variables; operators; conditional statements (if); arcs();
  Oct 9 if else; if/else if; visual plotting; interactivity functions (mouseX, mouseY, mouseIsPressed); map(); counters and conditions;
Week 3 Oct 14 more map(); complex conditionals; basic images;
  Oct 16 GIFs and tint(); random(); mousePressed();
Week 4 Oct 21 for loops
  Oct 23 nested loops; visual patterning nested;
Week 5 Oct 28 Array, iterating; random() selection; pixels as Array; Array of pictures;
  Oct 30 Transformations: translate, rotate, scale; 3D: primitive shapes, coordinate plane
Week 6 Nov 4 3D: advanced (lights, materials, loading models)
  Nov 6 P5 sound library - Music Player; create a Music Video - amplitude()
Week 7 Nov 11 NO CLASS - VETERANS DAY
  Nov 13 Video (finding, adding, and using video methods)
Critique and Review
Week 8 Nov 18 Video II
  Nov 20 OOP or other advanced topics
Week 9 Nov 25 DOM and html5. p5-notebook (jupyterlite) to html and web IDE; Presenting work through web.
  Nov 27 NO CLASS - THANKSGIVING
Week 10 Dec 2 Project work time. Choose a project to post to class website vis42.org
  Dec 4 Final Showcase
Finals Week Dec 12 All work and documentation due

Assignments

Every week* you will have the following assignments:

*Towards the end of the semester, we’ll have one or two longer projects.

Grading

Policies

Course-specific policies and rules.

ICAM Policies Reflection Peer Review Attendance Late Work Academic Integrity Other People’s Code UCSD Course Policies

Reflection

In the text box below, write a reflection (4 sentences minimum):

Peer Review

Answer at least two of the Peer Review questions below, in response to your peer’s project. Take care to not just Evaluate. (4 sentences)

ICAM Policies

File naming conventions and submissions. More [TK].

Attendance

On-time attendance is required as well as work inside and outside of section. Please notify your instructor in advance if you must be absent for illness or family emergency. Any absences must be cleared with the instructor, or justified with written documentation (e.g. letter from team, etc.). We do not differentiate between mental and physical health and in either case please be in communication for when you need to take a day off. After a student misses a week’s worth of classes each subsequent missed class will result in the reduction of the final grade by a full letter grade (i.e., A to B, B- to C-). Excessive tardiness or leaving early will also impact your grade and will follow the same rubric.

On-time attendance is required. Lateness or leaving early, when not cleared with the instructor, will also impact your participation grade. Lateness will be counted as 80% for your participation grade for the day.

Late Work

Late Work Grading Policy. Late work will be docked 5% for each day they are late (if an assignment is two days late, the grade will be docked 10%). An assignment submitted after the due date time on the due date will still be docked 5%. The lowest possible grade for late work is 70%, which means that for an assignment submitted more than 6 days late, no more than 30% will be docked, but the maximum grade you will receive is 70%. Details about submission format and due date are given in Canvas.

Excused Late Work. Requests to submit late work for special circumstances must be approved by your instructor at least 24 hours before the due date and time. Any late requests made less than 24 hours before the assignment is due may still be subject to a lateness penalty. We do not distinguish between mental and physical health. Email your instructor, 24 hours in advance, explaining generally the reason you are missing class and your plans for making up any missed lecture, activity, and assignment.

An assignment may receive an F if a student does not participate in every phase of the development of the project and meet all deadlines for preliminary materials (proposals, drafts, etc.). Failure to submit any of the graded course assignments is grounds for failure in the course.

Academic Integrity

Integrity of scholarship is essential for an academic community. The University expects that both faculty and students will honor this principle and in so doing protect the validity of University intellectual work. For students, this means that all academic work will be done by the individual to whom it is assigned, without unauthorized aid of any kind. http://senate.ucsd.edu/Operating-Procedures/Senate-Manual/Appendices/2

Other People’s Code

If you use a piece of code from the p5 reference or another piece of publicly available code, you must cite your use of it at the top of your code file as a comment. Include a link to the original code file, the author, and the date.

UCSD Course Policies

Students are responsible for knowing the university academic policies and resources found on this page:

Students with Disabilities

Students registered with the Office for Students with Disabilities are to provide copies of their AFA letters to both the course instructor and the OSD Liaison of the Visual Arts Department . If you have any questions about utilizing your OSD accommodation, please contact Dept. OSD Liaison at vis-ug@ucsd.edu or 858-534-2860. You may also contact the Office of Students with Disabilities directly at osd@ucsd.edu or 858-534-4382. http://disabilities.ucsd.edu/

Land Acknowledgment

This public acknowledgment serves to honor and respect Indigenous peoples and their land on which our campus resides. UC San Diego was built upon the territory of the Kumeyaay Nation. From time immemorial, the Kumeyaay people have been a part of this land. Today, the Kumeyaay people continue to maintain their political sovereignty and cultural traditions as vital members of the San Diego community.

References