xanthian@saturn.ADS.COM (Metafont Consultant Account) (01/17/90)
In article <0ARD=|@rpi.edu> wrf@mab.ecse.rpi.edu (Wm Randolph Franklin) writes: >[...]There are also >several other new graphics books out from AW, such as [...] >and > >Alan Watt >Fundamentals of 3D Computer Graphics I picked up Watt's book a couple of days ago locally (Computer Literacy, Sunnyvale, CA): Alan Watt, _Fundamentals of Three-Dimensional Computer Graphics_, Addison Wesley, ISBN 0 201 154420, $38.75. After a brief gloss over the book (I looked at the contents, figures, listings, appendicies, read the intro), this is the perfect transition for me from moving clipped 3D wireframe graphics, which I've done, to rendering. Watt takes the reader step by step through: the basics (a simple 3D model, transformations, deformations, viewing systems, the viewing pipeline); reflection models (Phong, Cook & Torrance); shading (Gouraud & Phong); rendering (rasterization, hidden surface, composite models); parametric representations (curves, surfaces, scan conversion); ray-tracing (recursion, intersections, reflections & refraction, illumination, shadows, distributed processing, anti-aliasing, adaptive depth control, fancy bounding volumes, first hit speed up (?!?), spatial coherence, octrees, BSP trees); diffuse illumination and radiosity; shadows, texture, and environment mapping; functionally based modelling (particle systems, fractal systems, 3D texture functions); anti-aliasing (artifacts and Fourier theory, supersampling or postfiltering, prefiltering or area sampling, stochastic sampling); animation (key frame, parametric, programmed with scripting, model driven/simulated, and temporal anti-aliasing); color science (application, monitors, NTSC, models, colorimetry, the CIE standard, realistic rendering and reflection models); and appendices covering viewing transformations, wireframes, implementation of a renderer, the Utah Teapot data set, a bit of theory, and highlight detection. [There, I didn't _quite_ type in the whole table of contents! ;-) ] Algorithms are in Pascal. Coding tricks for speed are mentioned occasionally, but the main emphasis is on clarity and correspondance to the theory, a deliberate choice by the author. Graphics standards (PHIGS, PHIGS+, GKS-3D) are mentioned here and there in passing, but the model used throughout the book uses just two implementation dependent calls: paint pixel xy in color rgb, and inquire color rgb of pixel xy; much too simple a graphics system to require a "standard". I am too much of a newbie here to "recommend" a book I've barely opened, but I'm sure going to enjoy this one, it covers exactly what I wanted to know and seems to have the right level of detail, too. -- Again, my opinions, not the account furnishers'. xanthian@well.sf.ca.us xanthian@ads.com (Kent Paul Dolan) Kent, the (bionic) man from xanth, now available as a build-a-xanthian kit at better toy stores near you. Warning - some parts proven fragile. -> METAFONT, TeX, graphics programming done on spec -- (415) 964-4486 <-