01. Capstone Intro

Capstone Intro

C Capstone V1

Overview

The Capstone Project gives you a chance to integrate what you've learned throughout this program. This project will become an important part of your portfolio to share with current and future colleagues and employers.

In this project, you will build a C++ application, following the principles you have learned throughout this Nanodegree Program. This project will demonstrate that you can independently create applications using a wide range of C++ features.

You can choose from two possible options for this capstone project:

Capstone Option 1

The first option is to build the project of your choice. This is the most flexible option, as this will allow you to focus on the type of application that interests you most. There are a wide variety of applications you can choose from, but here are some suggestions for you to think about:

  • Chatbot
  • Neural network deployment
  • Solitaire
  • Microcontroller for an embedded system
  • ROS Node simulated in Gazebo
  • Networking protocol
  • Mandelbrot or Fractal creator
  • Hot dog detector using OpenCV
  • Video game

There are a wide variety of existing projects and tutorials online that can help you get started, and we'll provide some links below to help. We'll also provide a code repository with a CMakeLists.txt and a "Hello World" application that you can build from. You can use this repo to get started if you wish, but you aren't required to use it.

Capstone Option 2

The second option for the capstone is to add features to a video game. We'll provide you with a simple 2D Snake game that was inspired by this Stack Overflow post on beginning game development with the SDL game programming library. The game code provides a solid foundation for you to extend with additional features, or you are welcome to use the code as a framework to build you own game from scratch. If you decide to build your own game, cloning a classic 2D game is great way to get started. Possible ideas include:

  • Asteroids
  • Pacman
  • Space Invaders
  • Pong

The game you create doesn’t need to be a fully-featured clone of the original, but there should be enough of a game for a user to play.

Both project options will require a solid effort from you to complete, but I am confident that you will be successful, and we can't wait to see what you create!

Resources

Code Repo and Rubric

  • The 2D Snake game Github repository is here.
  • The empty starter Github repositry is here.
  • The project rubric is here. Note that not every rubric item needs to be satisfied to pass the project. Detailed instructions are provided in the next classroom concept.

Selected Project Resources

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