Mathematics for 3D Game Programming & Computer Graphics

by Eric Lengyel

Book Overview

This completely updated second edition illustrates the mathematical concepts that a game programmer would need to develop a professional-quality 3D engine. Although the book is geared toward... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1584500379
• ISBN13: 9781584500377
• Release Date: December 2001
• Publisher: Delmar Thomson Learning
• Length: 382 Pages
• Weight: 2.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 7.6" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

Even better than the first edition

I gave the first edition of this book a 5 star rating, so considering that the second edition provides updates to the original as well as four new chapters, it's no surprise that the second edition earns a 5 star rating as well. The new material includes a brief but informative chapter covering graphics pipeline essentials. This should make the book somewhat more accessible for beginners - though it'll still be daunting for someone without at least high school level math. The shadow volume coverage from the first book has been broken out into its own chapter and greatly expanded. The remaining two chapters are dedicated to numerical methods and curves and surfaces. If you already own the first edition of the book, then the updates and new chapters probably aren't worth the cost. Otherwise, considering that they retail at the same price, there's no reason not to get this edition instead of the first. It's an excellent resource for anyone who wants a deep and broad knowledge of 3D math.

Great book!

This book explain the mathematics behind a game engine, and it does it pretty well. If you are looking for code to cut and paste into your programs, then this book is not for you. But if you want to really anderstand the theory, it has, in my opinion, a very good balance between explanations, demonstrations and examples.I got this book because my math was a little 'rusty' and it does a perfect job in bringing all this stuff back in memory, and mutch more as I discover a lot of new stuff and how it can be used in a game engine. I really enjoy this book!

For a rock-solid understanding of 3D math

This book provides a solid foundation for anyone who wants to develop a good understanding of the math behind computer graphics. The author provides clear and concise explanations of the concepts covered, backs them up with mathematical proofs, and usually discusses how the concepts can be applied in games, often with sample code. Each chapter has accompanying exercises that I recommended working through.The topics covered include things you would expect like matrices, vectors, transformations, 3D geometry, and lighting, but also includes are topics like collision detection, ray tracing, visibility determination, and techniques such as billboarding and shadows. It concludes with several chapters on physics including fluid simulation, and a few useful appendices covering trig, complex numbers, and Taylor series.If you're brand new to graphics and game programming and haven't had a math class in a while, then the somewhat textbook-like language may be a little daunting, but otherwise, this book is an excellent resource for those interested in solidifying their knowledge of 3D math.

Great reference

This is a great reference for anybody who is interested in 3d. It presents the material in a concise fashion, with plenty of illustrations, and without deviating from the subjects presented. This is a MATH book for the most part, so don't expect to find source code (actually, in my opinion, this is much better).

Essential reference for any real-time 3D programming

Finally, no more searching through all my college math textbooks for the reference I need for real-time 3D software development. The basics of vectors and matrices are of course included, but in much more depth than you got in school, more than likely - and with emphasis on how they are useful in 3D game programming. So many game developers lack an intuitive feel for such basics as transformation matrices, dot products, and cross products and are hobbled by this; just read up to chapter three and the lights will go on, so to speak. The chapter on lighting is particularly, well, enlightening - not only are the various lighting models explained in detail (including some I was unfamiliar with before), but the author provides means for accomplishing them in real-time using texture and vertex shaders.The notation used in the book is modern and consistent, and the code samples clearly written. I believe this is the first volume to combine complete mathematical explanations of essential 3D computer graphics operations with practical advice on how to implement the sometimes complex math efficiently in real-time systems.The chapters on picking and collision detection are also complete and include practical advice on implementation in addition to the theory behind it.This is not a book for most high school math students - the author assumes you've at least been through some higher level math and can talk the basic language of mathematics. However, it does not presuppose that you are familiar with anything but basic calculus, and more importantly, it doesn't assume that you're familiar with some quirky notational system specific to the author. I haven't been in a math class for ten years, but I had no trouble understanding any concepts introduced in this book upon the first read.I don't forsee this volume leaving my desk anytime soon!