Mathematics for 3D Game Programming & Computer Graphics

Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: Excellent Book, I am very pleased with it and encourage it to anyone who already has ground knowledge in Trig + Calc. No fluffer in this book, all content and well written.

Rating:
Summary: Essential reference for any real-time 3D programming
Review: 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!

Rating:
Summary: Reference use only, lacks sample source code
Review: For reference only. This book is basically just filled with formulas (hence, all the other reviewers calling it a math book). This is not the kind of book that I would sit down and read from front to back, however I will keep it in my library.
Anytime you need a formula for your 3d application, you'll more than likely find it in this book. However, much of the book is lacking explanation. Some may like the fact that it is very much to the point, no messing around, here's the formula. I bought this book because I wanted to know more about matrices, rotation, views, and lighting. I was expecting to see more source code samples, especially source code that converts complex formulas into usable code. There are a few OpenGL snippets that do this, but not enough to satisfy my thirst. Hopefully, a newer edition will show each formula along with the corresponding code, or pseudo-code so that you can quickly make use of the formulas. Now, if you are interested in nifty things like decals, edge collapse, and billboarding, you'll find this info in the book. There are other useful tidbits like projectile motion, basic physics and fluid sim. There are many other topics so check the TOC.
4 stars:
For lacking source code samples and for lacking explanation. Front cover exploits OpenGL, but very little code exists (Less than 10 pages of code).
Introduction lacks definition of common 3D terms, so unless you have previous knowledge, this book will be a stumper.

Rating:
Summary: good reference for computer graphics math
Review: like others books in charles media , written by someone in the industry , which means value infos will be in the book .
this book is good for someone studied linear algebra I,II + calculs courses and want to see the applied math in computer applications such as games .
i suggest before reading this book , reading a book about linear algebra + gemetry + calculs so as not to lost in that book because this book not for beginners in math .

Rating:
Summary: A Book for The Whole Life
Review: Surely this is the book I was looking for.
Mostly of the 3D games books just presents codes and some few mentions to the maths techniques, without regarding the concepts behind them.
This one presents the Maths we use in 3D game development in such way that it does not bore the reader and yet makes him learn the math basis behind the 3D graphics programming, presenting, yet, some physics notes to implement a physics based engine.
If you just wanna code, certainly this is not the book for you, but if you are a serious developer (and programmer), surely this is the only book you should need.

Rating:
Summary: For a rock-solid understanding of 3D math
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Concise reference book , Helps if you already know the stuff
Review: Warning! If you are like I was and do not know much about 3d math, this is NOT a book for you. The author looks like he knows a lot on the subject but fails to explain clearly how and why that stuff works. Some important concepts are explained in only half a page and will leave you with lots of unanswered questions. And the problem is, what good is a book like that if it is for people who already know what the book is suppose to teach? Some chapters are almost identical to Mortenson's Mathematics for computer graphics applications. Really not enough on 3d game programming, just brief overviews. I think you will learn more on the subject with web resources. The author may be a 3D guru but he certainly is a bad teacher. You can see that customers that like the book already knew a lot on the subject. So beginners, stay away!