3D Graphics Programming: Games and Beyond [With CDROM]

by Sergei Savchenko

Book Overview

Explaining the key mathematical concepts upon which 3D computer graphics libraries such as OpenGL and DirectX are built, this text goes on to provide the algorithms necessary to code exciting and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0672319292
• ISBN13: 9780672319297
• Release Date: January 2000
• Publisher: Sams
• Length: 353 Pages
• Weight: 1.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 7.3" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

Awesome!

Published in 2000 but, you'll lay a great foundation with this book. This is my first graphics programming book. Purchased used and cheap. I wanted to test the waters before stepping out. Now I'm sure I can walk on water. I'll go for a more up to date book and take this knowledge with me. Learned C++ this year first so the programming techniques in this book aren't so foreign. I recommend if you want to test before stepping out also.

This book is awesome!

This is a great book. It is for beginners. It assumes some math background. And is discusses the fundamental concepts that apply to graphics development in a platform independent manner. However, there is a great implementation of a game engine (3dgpl) that supports multiple platforms, so you can see the concepts at work. I love it. After this book, I plan on reading a few more advanced books on game development, OpenGL and DirectX. This book is where to start.

A hands on approach to learning Graphics Programming

A clean & simple look into the field of computer graphics, without the use of complex examples & arcane solutions. This book is by far the best I have read in the field of general graphics programming. The topics flow together in a logical manner that actually makes sense. The examples are applied solutions rather than the theological stuff you find in most other books. The straightforward style make it ideal to the beginner, yet it still contains lots of little tricks for the more advanced. A real gem.

Something for everyone...

Savchenko does a great job of clearly illustrating the fundamentals of 3d graphics programming. I was particularly impressed with the author's clear and understandable mathematical representations of 3d modelling (linear algebra with a touch of calculus). I will continue to use this book as a solid reference.Don't expect to find a lot of programming or code within the book; Savchenko tends to focus on the theoretical. The information presented is useful for building a foundation of knowledge with which to connect the multitude of concepts required to program in 3d.The CDROM contains some very good examples. I would have preferred to see examples using the OpenGL or DirectX library, however, the 3Dgpl library, included, does the trick.

Excellent: A MUST for beginners

This book is perhaps the best book I found to date about 3D programming. If you've read all the other books and understood the concepts but still wondered how things works in the mathematical background - get this book. Where most other books tend to overcomplicate topics and go into too much detail - this book provides just enough details and easy to understand examples. If you've ever wondered about: 3D Tranformation, Texture Mapping, Lighting, Modeling, Clipping, Rasterization - read this book first - it will provide a very well rounded introduction and understanding for thse concepts - all of which are essential to 3D programming. Savchenko breaks down the concepts into easily digestable parts so you don't get overwhelmed with big words and useless details.