Customer Reviews

Essential Mathematics for Computer Graphics Fast

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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.

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.

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.