33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
This book seems to be *the* book on this topic., March 16, 2000
This review is from: Mathematics for Computer Graphics Applications (Hardcover)
I am only in the first 1/4 of this book, but I can say that the text is clear and the exercises are useful. A small down side was some typos in the solved exercises, that's why it is a 4.
While I haven't finised the text yet, I peeked ahead and it seems to be a winner. I chose this book to be my backgrounder before going through Watt's 3rd Ed. on Computer Graphics.
I find that this book shows me math tools and I actually think about why they are useful, not just how they are useful.
I think it is sad that algorithms books get more reviews (and sales?) while accessible, foundational books like this one get ignored, based on the low number of reviews. Maybe its because they don't use a slick looking sample of ray tracing or radiosity on the front cover ;-).
This is a book for first principles! Check it out.
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This is the book for would be game developers., December 18, 2000
This review is from: Mathematics for Computer Graphics Applications (Hardcover)
I have many books on the subject, but this one takes the cake. Of all my books this one explains the fundamental math algorithms in ENGLISH and allows you to intuitively understand things both from a purelely mathematical standpoint as well as from a geometric standpoint. I consulted this book after having problems understanding linear combinations and basis, and how it applies to computing the plane equation. I also learnt how to geometrically interpret the dot product. This book is inexpensive considering the subject, and a welcome addition to any personal library if your learning these things. I'm building a 3D engine for MAC/PC that require a solid understanding of linear algebra and this is basically what this book has to offer.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good geometry and few computer stuff, November 6, 2006
This review is from: Mathematics for Computer Graphics Applications (Hardcover)
This 2nd edition of a 1989 book maintains its mathematic approach with few or no relation to computers. The long title suggests a book with practical examples, but what it contains is pure math. Just to give an idea, the word "pixel" appears just in one page. However, the basics on hypernumbers, introduction on matrix methods, limits, points, lines, CSG spend half of book.
Computer Graphics today is much more than geometry, by the way solved by powerful graphics cards and APIs like OpenGL. Scientific visualization uses intensively colors, transparencies, movements, animation and none of these subjects are even touched. Nowadays mathematics apply also to fog, antialianing, specular, caustics, LOD, transparencies, reflexes, lightning. Unfortunately these math applications aren't tackled in this book. So, don't expect to find computer graphics in this book, as we understand it today. This is still a 1989 book.
If the title was just "Computer Graphics: An Introduction to the Mathematics and Geometry", as in its first edition, it was more related to its content. Unfortunately, just extending the book's title doesn't make it up-to-date.
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