Essential Mathematics for Computer Graphics Fast [Paperback]

John Vince (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1852333804 | ISBN-13: 978-1852333805 | Publication Date: October 16, 2001 | Edition: 1

Baffled by maths? Then don't give up hope.
John Vince will show you how to understand many of the mathematical ideas used in computer animation, virtual reality, CAD, and other areas of computer graphics.
In ten chapters you will rediscover - and hopefully discover for the first time a new way of understanding - the mathematical techniques required to solve problems and design computer programs for computer graphic applications. Each chapter explores a specific mathematical topic and takes you forward into more advanced areas until you are able to understand 3D curves and surface patches, and solve problems using vectors.
After reading the book, you should be able to refer to more challenging books with confidence and develop a greater insight into the design of computer graphics software.
Get to grips with mathematics fast ...
- Numbers
- Algebra
- Trigonometry
- Coordinate geometry
- Transforms
- Vectors
- Curves and surfaces
- Analytic geometry
Essential Mathematics for Computer Graphics fast
The book you will read once, and refer to over and over again!

Product Details

• Paperback: 228 pages
• Publisher: Springer; 1 edition (October 16, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1852333804
• ISBN-13: 978-1852333805
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,452,890 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Concise, tight mathematics reference., November 29, 2001

By 

James D. Christopher "nerd" (Charlotte, NC United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Essential Mathematics for Computer Graphics Fast (Paperback)

First off, here is what you should expect when buying this book: it's a mathematical quick-reference book, and as such, it contains absolutely no code. What it does contain is background information and formulas for a bunch of the most common situations you'll encounter in computer graphics.

This book covers a lot of ground in relatively few pages, making it a tight read. It moves through Algebra, Trig, and Geometry, along the way covering such topics as 2D and 3D transforms, perspective, and Beziers. Most of the topics in the book are explained in sufficient detail in a small amount of space. The author makes great and liberal use of diagrams and pictures, which I find particularly helpful to understanding the material since math isn't one of my strong points.

There are also straightforward examples that demonstrate the mathematical principles, although there is usually only one or two examples per topic. This can be difficult if, like me, you have problems "getting it" without lots of examples to chew on.

As a software engineer, I enjoy figuring out how things work. And in that respect, this book is great. I have some experience dabbling in OpenGL, and I've read several other computer graphics texts that were laden with code examples but lacking in adequate explanations of the math being used. I have also read basic math books that were not geared towards computer programming topics, which made application and transfer of the mathematical threory difficult. This book filled the gap for me, taking me from thinking things like "Hey, look what I can do with OpenGL" to "Hey, I know how OpenGL is doing that!!" Well, maybe I don't know *exactly* how OpenGL works behind the scenes, but because of this book I have a much better understanding of basic computer graphics.

Highly recommended, especially if you don't have a strong math or computer science background.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific Book!, August 12, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Essential Mathematics for Computer Graphics Fast (Paperback)

This book is terrific. The word "fast" in the title hints that you are only going to get a superficial overview of various topics, but this is not the case: you actually come away with an UNDERSTANDING of the topics. The chapter on interpolation is a case in point... I came away being able to derive cubic interpolants, which means that I UNDERSTOOD cubic interpolants. The discussion on quaternions paved the way for me to be able to use them, and the chapter on Bezier curves and patches also gave me an excellent foundation on which to begin using them in OpenGL. In short, I guess this is just one of those magical books in which the author knows how to explain complex subjects in a simple, direct manner. This book is excellent, and I heartily recommend it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great refresher, May 7, 2004

By 

Gregorio "gtada" (Pasadena, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Essential Mathematics for Computer Graphics Fast (Paperback)

I love that the author was able to fit so much into so few pages. If I had to carry my old math books from college, I would have to hire a chiropractor.

It's important to point out that this isn't really the text to learn math from; however, it's a great little refresher that's to the point. So if you're rusty, get this book... if this is all new to you, I'd look into more indepth books.