Product Description

This book provides students with a knowledge of complex and emerging topics in the field of Computer Graphics, including advances in rendering and new material on animation. It will enable the reader to master the fundamentals of 3D computer graphics as well as acting as a complete resource for anyone interested in 3D modelling. It provides detailed coverage of both realistic and non-realistic images.

This is the third edition of a book which deals with the processes involved in converting a mathematical or geometric description of an object into a visualisation that simulates the appearance of a real object. Traditionally computer graphics has created pictures by starting with a very detailed geometric description, subjecting this to a series of transformations that orient a viewer and objects in 3D space, then imitating reality by making the objects look solid and real - a process known as rendering. Nowadays this is proving insufficient for the new demands of moving computer imagery and virtual reality. Much research is being carried out into how to model complex objects, where the nature and shape of the objects changes dynamically and into capturing the richness of the world without having to model every detail explicitly. This text explores and relates thee resulting in diverse synthesis and modelling methods.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #335374 in Books
• Published on: 1999-11-04
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 592 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
The third edition of Alan Watt's 3D Computer Graphics, a bible of computer graphics, includes a CD-ROM full of examples and updated information on graphics and rendering algorithms. The book discusses many of the techniques that have evolved in the last seven years since the previous edition was published.

3D Computer Graphics is a textbook, and it is designed for serious programmers creating graphics applications (not the end users). Over the course of 16 sections, Watt introduces the concepts and implementation of computer imaging, from "Mathematical Fundamentals of Computer Graphics" to "Representation and Rendering" and ending with "Image-based Rendering and Photo-modeling". The last section, devoted to computer animation, includes methods for linked structures, collision detection and particle animation (to name a few).

Although the topics are sometimes hard to grasp, Mr Watt writes clearly and concisely, making generous use of diagrams to help convey the principles described in the text.

The accompanying CD-ROM includes over a dozen studies of computer graphics techniques and rendering algorithms. Presented in HTML, the exhaustive studies, each with a matrix of thumbnails, demonstrates the varied achievable results. One minor complaint here: although the thumbnails can be clicked to view a much larger image, the larger version come in ".tif" format, which few (if any) web browsers can view. Users will need another application view them. Having the large image in ".jpg" format would have enabled the reader to view it in the already-open web browser.

3D Computer Graphics is ideally suited for graphics programmers and researchers working to create new medical imaging devices, a geological research system, a virtual structural testing system for aircraft, cars and spacecraft, or effects and photorealistic Hollywood animation. --Mike Caputo, amazon.com

Customer Reviews

The best computer graphics book currently avalible
I am a Research Fellow at the Centre for Virtual Environments (UNivrsity of Salford)

This book is the best referece text on computer grahics currently avalible. Unlike many other texts it does not concentrate on programming language or toolkits. Instead it introduces the mathematics of graphics, covering everything from view transforamations through to ray-tracing and radosity.

This is an esential text for all 3D graphics programmers (and is much better than Foley & van Dam)

Deeper into the world of 3D Computer Graphics
I am a professional programmer. The main reason I bought this book was to assist me in my mission to build an industry standard 3D graphics engine in Java.

The book has taken me a lot furthur towards my aim than all the other books I have bought to date but I now find I am having to go in search of something a little more specific to my own needs.

It is well written and comprehensive. It covers all applications of computer graphics from basic polygon meshes through ray tracing to 3D animation. It reads like a friendly textbook.

Although the book is comprehensive, the broad spectrum of topics it covers means that it tends to sweep through topics quite rapidly. Outside knowledge/research into some of the concepts talked about is sometimes neccessary to completely understand them.

I have gained the following insights from reading this book:

1) Fundamental mathematical concepts for 3D computing.

2) Concepts used in rendering 3D scenes such as algoritms and mathematical techniques for transformations, clipping, shading, interpolation, mapping and various other things.

3) The concept of the graphics pipeline.

4) Overview of the different ways of representing 3D data, rendering techniques, and a whole shedload more.

It has taken me months to exhaust the immediate usefulness of this book to me. I have covered about one quarter of the total material in the book. Although I found the rest of the book extremely interesting it was not directly relevant to my area of interest.

I know I will find myself referring back to this book again and again. I am very glad that I bought it and I highly recommend it as a serious introduction to all of the concepts of 3D Computer Graphics. It is not flashy and is not for the beginner.

WARNING 1: There is a lot of maths in this book. WARNING 2: This book will not teach you how to create a realtime 3D graphics engine.

An excellent book
If you want to get into graphics (or modern game graphics) programming then buy this book. I've had it for three years, using it first as an introduction, then a reference. In recent months I've revisited the book looking for answers to more advanced graphics technology. To my delight, the answers were there - all along! This book got my video games into the top ten. BUY IT!