The Essentials of CAGD [Hardcover]

Gerald Farin (Author), Dianne Hansford (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1568811233 | ISBN-13: 978-1568811239 | Publication Date: October 2000 | Edition: 1

Putting the G into CAGD, the authors provide a much-needed practical and basic introduction to computer-aided geometric design. This book will help readers understand and use the elements of computer-aided geometric design, curves and surfaces, without the mathematical baggage that is necessary only for more advanced work. Though only minimal background in mathematics is needed to understand the bookís concepts, the book covers an amazing array of topics such as Bezier and B-spline curves and their corresponding surfaces, subdivision surfaces, and NURBS (Non-Uniform Rational B-Splines). Also included are techniques such as interpolation and least squares methods.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 229 pages
• Publisher: A K Peters/CRC Press; 1 edition (October 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1568811233
• ISBN-13: 978-1568811239
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,066,123 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Compact but..., November 7, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Essentials of CAGD (Hardcover)

I'm currently taking a Intro to CAGD course with the author of this book. Taken with the class, it's might be a good reference book, but it is definitely not for the faint of heart. Unless you are very comfortable with vector math and linear algebra, I'd say that you will have a very hard time trying to learn CAGD from the book alone. This being the first edition, there are also a lot of errors (the reflection light algorithm for surface is incomplete, for example).

If you are somewhat of a computer graphics expert, you may find this book a good reference on the "math" of surface, curves, etc. However, in that case, you would still probably be better off getting one of the author's other books.

Also, this is not a computer graphics book. You will not find anything about 3D viewing, graphics pipelining, rendering, or anything like that. It's strictly computer-aided geometric design.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Delivers exactly what the title says..., June 4, 2003

By 

Noiruuk (Chandler, AZ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Essentials of CAGD (Hardcover)

This is a great book that delivers exactly what the title says, the "essentials". I used this book for a CAGD class (taught by one of the authors) and found the material very readable, straightforward, and useful. In fact, I found myself returning to this book as a reference in later graduate level coursework in CAGD.

The book attempts to give the reader all the tools that are necessary to get started in CAGD, and I strongly believe it succeeds in doing that. From the very first chapter, which reaches all the way back to descriptions of points and vectors, to the end of the book, which introduces the reader to some of the same methods that are used in Computer Graphic Animation (composite surfaces) and CAD/CAM (NURBS), the book provides just about everything necessary to learn the material.

With the material I learned in this book, I created some very cool looking models...the kind of things that got "ooh's" and "aah's" from my friends, and most of all made me feel like the methods used to create animated films are not beyond me.

To the first reviewer, I'd say go back and re-read the first two chapters that describe points, vectors, lines, and planes. Although if someone isn't comfortable with linear algebra and vector math, then that would make tackling any form of CAGD or graphics difficult. As far as graphics knowledge necessary, the methods in this book can be applied by only knowing how to draw lines on the screen.

It's a great book I'd recommend to anyone interested in CAGD!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars CAGD for Designers, June 3, 2003

By 

Dhiraj Nahar (Tempe, AZ United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Essentials of CAGD (Hardcover)

I am a Mechanical Engineer with interest in CAD/CAM/CAGD/CAE areas. I have learnt CAGD from different classes at school and by far "The Essentials of CAGD - by Dr. Hansford and Dr. Farin" has been the easiest to understand. It gives you a very compact knowledge of this vast and challenging field. The math is very well laid out and several examples have been solved to explain the fundamentals. The other CAGD books by the same authors give a deeper understanding of CAGD principles. This book is like a bible to designers, people in graphics, finite elements, CAD/CAM, artists, stylists!