3D Graphics Programming: Games & Beyond [Paperback]

Sergei Savchenko (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 24, 2000

3D Graphics Programming: Games & Beyond is a comprehensive guide to polygonal 3D graphics with an emphasis on techniques used in computer games. It contains descriptions of the most useful algorithms and combines them with practical programming examples to give programmers more control over their programs. The book's structured approach enables programmers to create their own libraries if necessary. It offers a firm theoretical base that is presented in an intuitive manner. Describing both theoretical and practical issues, the book examines thoroughly the underlying mathematical principles of 3D graphics. It gives code examples and illustrations of vital concepts using an included library, which is well commented, easy to examine, change or use.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

3D Graphics Programming: Games & Beyond is a comprehensive guide to polygonal 3D graphics with an emphasis on techniques used in computer games. It contains descriptions of the most useful algorithms and combines them with practical programming examples to give programmers more control over their programs. The book's structured approach enables programmers to create their own libraries if necessary. It offers a firm theoretical base that is presented in an intuitive manner. Describing both theoretical and practical issues, the book examines thoroughly the underlying mathematical principles of 3D graphics. It gives code examples and illustrations of vital concepts using an included library, which is well commented, easy to examine, change or use.

About the Author

Sergei Savchenko, MSC is an avid gamer currently working as an engineer with Canadian Aviation Electronics in Montreal. His current projects include updating commercial flight simulators and integrating porting software. He has taught undergraduate computer science and artificial intelligence courses at McGill University in Canada. Sergei is also the creator of 3Dgpl a multiplatform graphics library and Hind MI-24 a flight simulator/visual game for NeXTStep. He is widely respected as a consultant in the domains of game graphics, scientific visualization and automated reasoning.

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Sams (July 24, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0672319292
• ISBN-13: 978-0672319297
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,369,642 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent: A MUST for beginners, August 14, 2000

By 

Hai Nguyen (Richardson, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 3D Graphics Programming: Games & Beyond (Paperback)

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.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Something for everyone..., October 16, 2000

By 

Chris Birtch (London, ON CANADA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 3D Graphics Programming: Games & Beyond (Paperback)

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.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A hands on approach to learning Graphics Programming, December 5, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: 3D Graphics Programming: Games & Beyond (Paperback)

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.