3D Programming for Windows (Pro - Developer) (Paperback)

by Charles Petzold (Author)
Key Phrases: binding source, projection camera, load assembly, Charles Petzold, Angle Rotation, Matrix Transforms (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Get the practical introduction to programming 3D graphics using the Windows Presentation Foundation--straight from programming legend Charles Petzold. The Windows Presentation Foundation is a key component of .NET Framework 3.0, which is a part of Windows Vista(tm) and available for Windows XP. With the Windows Presentation Foundation, 3D images can be displayed regardless of the video-display hardware on the user's machine. This practical guide is the ideal supplement to Applications = Code + Markup: A Guide to the Microsoft Windows Presentation Foundation. Focusing on developing user interface objects or simple animations, this book builds on a reader's knowledge of Windows Presentation Foundation essentials to demonstrate how to effectively create 3D graphics for Windows. You get the fundamental information for using the Windows Presentation Foundation 3D application programming interface (API), as well as in-depth coverage of mesh geometries--the key technology that enables 3D graphics. Includes code samples in XAML, with additional code samples in Microsoft Visual C#®.

From the Publisher
Key Book Benefits:

-Features in-depth coverage of mesh geometries--the key technology that enables 3D in the Windows Presentation Foundation

-Written by a premier Windows programmer, Charles Petzold

-Includes code examples in XAML and Visual C#

-Supplements the Windows Presentation Foundation essentials covered in Applications = Code + Markup: A Guide to the Microsoft Windows Presentation Foundation

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Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Microsoft Press (July 25, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0735623945
• ISBN-13: 978-0735623941
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #242,024 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Strong fundamentals and fun stuff too, September 18, 2007

By	Eric Sink (Champaign, Illinois) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is an excellent overview of WPF 3D.

Petzold blends his development experience with his math background to explain everything quite thoroughly, from the details of the API to the hows and whys of the math underneath.

* He explains why WPF 3D shades triangles differently depending on whether they share their vertices or not.

* His explanation of quaternions is probably the best I have read.

* He talks about why Viewport3DVisual is better than Viewport3D for printing.

* He explains the math behind lighting calculations.

The book contains lots of pictures, lots of sample code and a library of useful classes for WPF 3D programming.

If you're doing anything with WPF 3D, you simply must have this book.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Definitive Guide!, August 21, 2007

By	R. Zelt (Raleigh, NC) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

In his informative writing style of writing, the author of this book gives you both a good understanding of 3D graphics concepts and digs deep into the specifics WPF and XAML 3D APIs. If you're doing and 3D WPF, this title is a must have sitting next to his previous WPF title, Applications = Code + Markup.

This is the definitive guide to WPF 3D.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent and practical introduction to WPF 3D, January 17, 2009

By	Eran Levy (Jerusalem Israel) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

First, maybe it's worth mentioning that unlike most other books on 3D out there, it concentrates solely on WPF 3D, right from the beginning, and it assumes you have enough knowledge of C# .net/WPF. It doesn't "waste" half of the book trying to teach you C#/Visual Studio/XAML etc... it's a very good attitude. If you need to learn WPF/C#, read another book first. Charles Petzold has a great book on WPF, for example.

And to the book - It teaches most fundamental elements of 3D and how it's done in WPF. Meshes, models, camera, lights, textures, transforms and some basic 3D math are all there. There's also a chapter about quaternions.
Most of the material is well written, and good examples are given throughout the book, just where needed, and all well explained. The examples compile without any problem in Visual Studio 2005/2008 (the Express editions are enough btw).
All the examples are in C#.

Most of the material tends to be pretty practical and useful for real-world application. And that's particularly true to the last chapter, which try to inspire you with real world usage of WPD 3D and examples.

Just note that most of the material isn't very advanced. You'll have to learn more by yourself to write really useful 3D applications. But the book is just what it should be - gives you a very good jump start and leaves the rest for you to explore.

I highly recommend this book for anyone with knowledge of WPF who'd like to jump to the WPF 3D wagon.
Many WPF books dedicate a chapter or 2 about 3D. Even if you read one - this book have much more material and practical info about WPF 3D than those, so I highly recommend in this case as well.
Also, people with knowledge of other more advanced 3D platforms (DirecX/OpenGL) who'd like to know WPF 3D will also find this book useful.