3D Game Engine Design, Second Edition: A Practical Approach to Real-Time Computer Graphics (The Morgan Kaufmann Series in Interactive 3D Technology)

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Aimed at the working Visual C++ game developer, 3D Game Engine Design provides a tour of mathematical techniques for 3-D graphics, and the source code that's used to implement them in state-of-the-art video game engines. If you work in the game industry (or would like to), this book will serve you well, because it delivers excellent best practices for algorithms and programming techniques that'll help your software keep up with the competition.

This text is a virtual encyclopedia of expertise that's based on the author's own work and research in the gaming industry. It provides the mathematical notation, algorithms, and C++ code (on the accompanying CD-ROM) that are needed to build fast and maintainable game engines. Early sections start with the basics, with the math that's used to work with common 3-D objects (like spheres and boxes). Highlights include a high-powered review of quaternion algebra--in many cases, the preferred way to transform 3-D data.

The chapters on graphics pipelines explain the math that's behind representing and rendering a 3-D world in 2-D with intervening effects like lighting and texture mapping. A variety of current algorithms are provided for representing 3-D scenes, efficient picking (which allows a programmer to determine the object in a 3-D world that has been selected), and collision detection (in which objects collide virtually). In the game software of today, curves--and not individual triangles or polygons--often are used to represent 3-D objects. Algorithms that are used to turn curves into rendered surfaces are provided, too.

Later sections look at the current thinking about animation techniques for characters (including key frames, inverse kinematics, and skinning (in which digital skin is fitted over digital bone to create more realistic-looking movement)). How to represent terrain inside virtual worlds also is explained. The book closes with excellent material on such cutting-edge special effects as lens flare and projected shadows, which can add an extra level of realism to a video game. An appendix examines guidelines for designing object-oriented game software in C++.

Filled with mathematical insight and expert code that puts each principle or algorithm to work, 3D Game Engine Design provides an expert view of what goes into building a state-of-the-art game engine. --Richard Dragan

Topics covered:

Mathematical methods and sample source code for 3-D game development
Geometrical transformations
Coordinate systems
Quaternions
Euler angles
Standard 3-D objects: spheres, oriented boxes, capsules, lozenges, cylinders, ellipsoids
Distance methods for a variety of shapes
Introduction to the graphics pipeline
Model and world coordinates
Projecting perspective
Camera models
Culling techniques
Surface and vertex attributes
Rasterizing
Efficiency issues for clipping and lighting
Hierarchical scene representation, using trees and scene graphs
Picking algorithms for a variety of 3-D shapes
Collision detection for static and dynamic graphical objects
Oriented bounding-box (OBB) trees
Basics of curves and special curves (including Bezier curves and various splines)
Curves (generating surfaces from curves by using different techniques)
Character animation, using keyframe animation and inverse kinematics
Skinning
Geometrical level of detail considerations
Techniques for generating game terrain
Spatial sorting and binary space partitioning (BSP)
Special effects: lens flare, bump mapping, volumetric fogging, projected light and shadows, particle systems, morphing techniques
C++ language features for effective object-oriented design
Reference to the numerical methods required for game mathematics

Book Description

A major revision of the international bestseller on game programming!

Graphics hardware has evolved enormously in the last decade. Hardware can now be directly controlled
through techniques such as shader programming, which requires an entirely new thought process of a
programmer. 3D Game Engine Design, Second Edition shows step-by-step how to make a shader-based graphics engine and how to tame the new technology. Much new material has been added, including more than twice the coverage of the essential techniques of scene graph management, as well as new methods for managing memory usage in the new generation of game consoles and portable game players. There are expanded discussions of collision detection, collision avoidance, and physics all challenging subjects for developers.

* Revision of the classic work on game engines the core of any game.
* Includes Wild Magic, a commercial quality game engine in source code that illustrates how to build a
real-time rendering system from the lowest-level details all the way to a working game.
* Fully revised and updated in 4 colors, including major new content on shader programming, physics,
and memory management for the next generation game consoles and portables.

Customer Reviews:

Poor pseudo-code.......2007-05-16

This book is fantastically comprehensive, though I bought it more for the CG algorithms than anything else.

My biggest gripe is with the pseudo-code. My C++ is not great, but I can get by - I found the code in general under-commented for a textbook. If you were writing software, it might be fine, but the purpose of the code is to explain the algorithms, and to work in concert with the text, which it does not. Furthermore, I found the text did not fill in the holes - I was left to try to figure out what Eberley was doing by going through the code. Possibly if I had read the whole thing through from cover to cover things would be clearer.

If you're just looking for an algorithm reference, you could do better.

VERY VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!.......2007-01-14

Are you a professional or student working in game development? If you are, then this book is for you. Author David H. Eberly has done an outstanding job of writing a second edition of a book which focuses on the design of the scene graph management system and its associated rendering layer.

Eberly, begins this book by discussing the details of a rendering system, including transformations, camera models, culling and clipping, rastering, and issues regarding software versus hardware rendering and about specific graphics application programmer interfaces in use these days. In addition, the author discusses rendering from the perspective of actually writing all of the subsystems for a software renderer. He also takes a look at the essentials of organizing your data as a scene graph. Then, he focuses on specifically designed nodes and subsystems of the scene graph management system. The author then looks at some general concepts you see in attempting to have physical realism in a three-dimensional application. Next, he discusses a lot of mathematical detail for much of the source code you will find in Wild Magic. Then, he takes a brief look at the basic principles of object-oriented design and programming. The author continues by discussing memory management. Finally, he takes a look at a handful of sample shaders and the applications that use them.

This most excellent book is very much enhanced, describing the foundations for shader programming and how an engine can support it. Perhaps more importantly, the book is the most comprehensive reference available for the development of shader-based 3D graphics engines!

This book is not about "Game Engine Design".......2006-09-26

This book is not about "Game Engine Design" -- it's about algorithms that you may come across when writing a 3D game engine. There's very little treatment of "engine design" in this book.

Even though the title is misleading, it's still a great book if you're looking for a reference on 3D game engine algorithms.

Good, but not what you might expect.......2005-04-16

I read this a few years ago, and have referred back to it many times, but I only recently realized that I neglected to write a review of it.

This book is well-written and contains a lot of useful information. The author is one of the few people qualified to write a book of this nature, and he has done an admirable job. That said, the title is pretty misleading, since the book has very little to say about the design of a game engine. Instead, it focuses on implementation details and the math involved with them. Topics covered include geometrical methods, the graphics pipeline, tree-based scene graphics, intersections, collision detection, curves and surfaces, animation, terrain, spatial sorting (quad/octrees, portals, BSPs), special effects, object-oriented infrastructure, and numerical methods. The author doesn't gloss over anything, providing detailed mathematical derivations of how things work.

Unfortunately, the math is so heavy that unless you're already pretty familiar with the subject matter, you'll probably have a hard time with the book. Therefore, I think that the target audience is much smaller that the group that would be attracted by the title.

If you're involved in game engine development or just want to deepen your knowledge, I think you'll appreciate the fact that the author doesn't pull any punches. Otherwise, you'll probably be more interested in the author's new book 3D Game Engine Architecture, which was recently released.

Book Review.......2005-02-08

I have spent the past four years studying game development and have read many books on the subject. The technologies utilized in game development are extensive but most can be grouped into a small list, which is rendering, animation, modeling, collision detection, collision response, artificial intelligence, audio processing, input management and network communication. This book only contains technologies related to rendering, animation, and collision detection.

Eberly gives an in-depth look to game development and provides adequate solutions to every problem introduced. He does not cover every possible way each problem could be solved nor does he spend a lot of time introducing and defining each problem. Instead he assumes the reader has a general understanding of the problem and gives a quick review followed by one or two detailed solutions using the most common techniques. Eberly's writing style makes it easy to follow the accumulation of segments to the final solution. His math notation on the other hand was confusing at times. A few places he supplemented words with mathematical notation and allowed the math to do the explaining, which made it seem like he was unable to put it into words.

I have found this book to be very useful and have added it to my reference library of game development, but I would not recommend this book to someone just starting to study game development. For a reader to glean anything of use out of this book he would have to be experienced in object oriented programming, have a basic understanding of 3D rendering technologies and have a working knowledge of calculus and linear algebra.

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Planned Giving: Management, Marketing, and Law, 2002 Cumulative Supplement (Nonprofit Law, Finance & Management)
Ronald R. Jordan , and Katelyn L. Quynn
Manufacturer: John Wiley & Sons Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | Finance | Accounting & Finance | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0471250007

Book Description

The 2002 Cumulative Supplement (ISBN 0471-250007) includes:

New chapters on such topics as: Creating a Chair, The Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001, The Non-Economic Benefits of Philanthropy, and Family Philanthropy
Updated and reorganized CD-ROM that contains 200 customizable forms, documents, checklists, and marketing pieces that may serve as models for suggested approaches or as document templates used in planned giving and development.

The supplement updates the core volume, Jordan/Planned Giving: Management, Marketing, and Law, Second Edition (ISBN 0471-351024).

Book Description

The real killer for most cops may not be Teflon-tipped bullets but rather muzzle flash - from the cops' own handguns! This fascinating study illuminates the problem, evaluates cartridges and tells how to get rid of flash. The info in this book could save your life!

Book Description

Chromosome Painting is the most modern and novel technique for directly identifying several gene sequences simultaneously in the chromosome, with the aid of specific probes in molecular hybridization. Its resolution ranges from single copy to entire genome sequences. It is now applied in plant, animal, and human systems, in gene mapping, identification of genetic disorders, evolutionary studies, and gene transfer experiments. This treatise is the first of its kind to cover the technique with all its modifications and applications. It is designed for regular use by postgraduate students and research workers in cell and molecular genetics, plant and animal sciences, agriculture, medicine, and phylogenetic studies.

Book Description

The precise determination of the figure of the earth and its exterior gravitational field requires the solution of the geodetic boundary value problem (GBVP). Recently, a whole series of new measurement techniques has became available, in particular air- and spaceborne methods. They will make its solution much more complete and accurate and will contribute to a better understanding of ocean circulation and of the earth's interior. The book consists of contributions from leading scientists presented at an international summer school. It covers all aspects of the solution of the GBVP, from a mathematical basis via geodetic modeling to its relationship with advanced measurements. It provides three foundations to determine the geoid at a 1-cm precision level.

Book Description

Fusion research started over half a century ago. Although the task remains unfinished, the end of the road could be in sight if society makes the right decisions. Nuclear Fusion: Half a Century of Magnetic Confinement Fusion Research is a careful, scholarly account of the course of fusion energy research over the past fifty years. The authors outline the different paths followed by fusion research from initial ignorance to present understanding. They explore why a particular scheme would not work and why it was more profitable to concentrate on the mainstream tokamak development. The book features descriptive sections, in-depth explanations of certain physical and technical issues, scientific terms, and an extensive glossary that explains relevant abbreviations and acronyms.

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a Welsh twist to an old story

Fun, sweet novel

One of the Most Fun, Clever, and Romantic Updates of P&P

PLEEZE LET ME RAG ON YOUR "REVIEWERS"

Vexed by the vanity of the author

Vanity and Vexation: A Novel of Pride and Prejudice
Kate Fenton
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Griffin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Comic | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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Pride, Prejudice and Jasmin Field : A Novel

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Persuading Annie

ASIN: 0312328028
Release Date: 2005-06-16

Book Description

A clever and cunning modern-day retelling of the beloved Jane Austen novel When the BBC invades York to film the latest version of Pride and Prejudice, impoverished novelist Llew Bevan bemusedly watches as the glamorous invaders combine the filming of Jane Austen's romantic classic with the much less decorous pursuit of real-life romances with the locals.

Customer Reviews:

a Welsh twist to an old story.......2007-04-10

Ms. Fenton's modern adaptation of P&P takes more than a few chapters to get into it, but once you do, the fun comes quickly. The lilt of the language took more concentrating than I anticipated for a novel I was reading in bed before retiring. The switch back and forth of the names (Mary Dance vs. Mary Hamilton and Nick Bevan vs. Llewellyn Bevan) threw me off for a couple of chapters. I must learn to read more closely even if it is late at night!!! Yet, the switch of Mary Dance being the tall, dark hero rather than "Mr. Darcy" was ingenuous. The fact that the film crew over which Mary is in charge is filming Pride and Prejudice gives this a nice twist. Having Sarah be equivalent to "Mr. Bennet" was not achieved until the final chapters, but, generally, you will enjoy the book. I could do without the "F" word in the love scenes, but that is a personal preference. I would not turn down reading the book purely on that note.

Fun, sweet novel.......2006-07-14

What a fun, sweet story with a modern and gender-bending twist. I loved the characters and was sad to see the book end. Very enjoyable-but don't expect P&P!

One of the Most Fun, Clever, and Romantic Updates of P&P.......2006-04-10

The writing is very crisp, funny, and often surprisingly romantic, making this a very worthwhile update of P&P. The characters are expertly fleshed out and the book never felt gimmicky to me, either. There's also a great deal of wit and intelligence in the writing, making this a book you'll want to savor rather than devour in one sitting. I loved Nick, warmed to Mary (as I was supposed to) and also enjoyed all the supporting characters. This is a light read, but it also has depth, so I didn't feel dissatisfied at the end.

PLEEZE LET ME RAG ON YOUR "REVIEWERS".......2006-03-03

THE POMPOUS HOLIER THAN THOU DRIBBLE OF SOME "CRITICAL" SUBMISSIONS IS MORE THAN I (I REPEAT, I) CAN BEAR IN SILENCE. THESE REVIEWERS COULD LEARN FROM MY PREVIOUS SENTENCE. IT IS NOT, DUCKY, ALWAYS ABOUT _YOU_. IF YOU DON'T LIKE "LIGHT AND FLUFFY" WHY DID YOU SELECT TO READ LIGHT AND FLUFFY -- JUST SO YOU COULD DUMP ON IT?!

"NONE OF THE NUANCE ONE FINDS IN JANE AUSTIN [SIC] WAS PRESENT IN THIS BOOK." DUH! DID YOU NOTICE IT'S NOT AUSTEN?! AND CERTAINLY DOES NOT PRETENT TO BE AUSTEN.

I BELIEVE A BOOK OR FILM _REVIEW_ SHOULD REPORT WHAT THE THING _IS_ AND NOT WHAT THE "REVIEWER" WANTS IT TO BE. IF THE THING IS NOT WHAT YOU EXPECTED, THEN YOU MISJUDGED YOUR CHOICE. THAT DOES NOT MAKE THE AUTHOR/CREATOR BAD OR WRONG.

I AM TIRED OF WHINEY WANNABE CRITICS-AT-LARGE AND I QUESTION NOT ONLY THEIR JUDGMENT BUT EVEN THEIR ABILITY TO R-E-A-D FORGAWDSAKE.

I PLACE A 5-STAR RATING BECAUSE I DON'T WANT THE BOOK TO SUFFER BECAUSE SOME OF THE "REVIEWERS" DESERVE NOT MORE THAN ONE STAR.

joyesb@pacbell.net

Vexed by the vanity of the author.......2005-10-05

Pride and Prejudice is my favorite book, and has been through many re-readings since I first experienced it in 1977. I've read many books based on the story, some good, and some bad. This author just doesn't pull it off. I didn't care about the characters. I wanted to like them, but couldn't. When I found out almost half way through that I was reading a novel within the novel, it was a blow to the way I viewed the characters. It was a twist I didn't need. Character and story development would have been a far better tactic in writing this novel. I mention story development, because none of the nuance one finds in Jane Austen was present in this book. The author did invert the genders of the characters, and that could have been interesting if she could have pulled it off. Vanity and Vexation is light, fluffy, and not good enough to recommend.

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Do racial minorities in the United States assimilate to American values and institutions, or do they retain ethnic ties and cultures? In exploring the Japanese American experience, Lon Kurashige recasts this tangled debate by examining what assimilation and ethnic retention have meant to a particular community over a long period of time. This is an inner history, in which the group identity of one of America's most noteworthy racial minorities takes shape. From the 1930s, when Japanese immigrants controlled sizable ethnic enclaves, to the tragic wartime internment and postwar decades punctuated by dramatic class mobility, racial protest, and the influx of economic investment from Japan, the story is fraught with conflict.
The narrative centers on Nisei Week in Los Angeles, the largest annual Japanese celebration in the United States. The celebration is a critical site of political conflict, and the ways it has changed over the years reflect the ongoing competition over what it has meant to be Japanese American. Kurashige reveals, subtly and with attention to gender issues, the tensions that emerged at different moments, not only between those who emphasized Japanese ethnicity and those who stressed American orientation, but also between generations and classes in this complex community.

Japanese American Celebration and Conflict: a History of Ethnic Identity and Festival in Los Angeles, 1934-1990.(Book Review): An article from: California History

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Japanese American Celebration and Conflict: a History of Ethnic Identity and Festival in Los Angeles, 1934-1990.(Book Review): An article from: California History
Roger Daniels
Manufacturer: California Historical Society
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Japan | Asia | History | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B00096TRKO
Release Date: 2006-07-14

Book Description

This digital document is an article from California History, published by California Historical Society on September 22, 2004. The length of the article is 609 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Japanese American Celebration and Conflict: a History of Ethnic Identity and Festival in Los Angeles, 1934-1990.(Book Review)
Author: Roger Daniels
Publication: California History (Refereed)
Date: September 22, 2004
Publisher: California Historical Society
Volume: 82 Issue: 3 Page: 85(2)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Book Description

The updated Sixth Edition of this popular text will remain the first choice for those who need current, clinically relevant information on how radiation affects the human body. Written by practicing, active radiobiologists, the book brings together basic laboratory research and practical, clinical applications. The easy-to-read text and informative illustrations ensure comprehension, and summaries at the end of each chapter facilitate quick review. The first section covers topics applicable to diagnostic radiology, nuclear medicine, and radiation oncology; the second section offers material specifically for radiation oncologists. This edition includes new material about doses and risks in interventional radiology and cardiology.

Customer Reviews:

Very comprehensible.......2007-07-28

I am a nuclear pharmacist who gets to work with a lot of introductory students. This book has greatly increased my knowledge of this subject and it is very clearly written even for the non-specialist in radiobiology. I would buy this again.

Excellent book for the radiology and radiation oncology resident!.......2006-08-26

This book has an excellent concise layout. The chapters are well written with almost every concept covered on the basis of primary literature findings; however, this is burdensome in certain locations where a simple sentence would have been better fit instead of an experiment based explanation of a more remote concept. Additionally, there are some areas, such as the molecular biology sections, that pack in details that take the concept of the mark. Despite this, the textbook is definitely an easy read. The Key points sections at the end is very helpful. There are abundant figures, tables, and graphs for ease of integration of material.

good but not perfect.......2003-09-23

Yes, this book covers the important topics, and overall it is pretty readable, but I wish the editors had not felt compelled to convert every single mention of Grays into rads. For example, here is a passage from the book:

"In 1964, a 38-year-old man, working in a uranium-235 recovery plant, was involved in an accidental nuclear excursion. He received a total-body dose estimated to be about 88 Gy (8,800 rads) made up of 22 Gy (2,200 rads) of neutrons and 66 Gy (6,600 rads) of gamma-rays."

The whole book is like that. The mental intrusion of such frequent parenthetical remarks would be irritating enough in any text, but in this case the conversion from Grays and rads is by a multiple of ten and so the conversion is comically unnecessary. Presumably radiation oncologists, radiologists, and radiobiologists are bright enough to be able to multiply a number by 100 in their heads. It would suffice to state in the front of the book or in an appendix the relationship between Grays and rads, and to make no further mention of rads.

Essential for Radiobiology/Radiation Oncology.......2003-05-19

Not only is this book the gold standard, but it is eminently readable. It "sticks". Having seen Dr. Hall lecture I can appreciate how his text reads very much like his class lectures. Makes a topic that a radiation oncologist might find odious rather enjoyable, without sacrificing high standards and scholarly quality.

A great book, by a great physic........2000-04-24

A must read book for radiation oncology and physics residents. All topics on radiobiology are explained in a comprehensible way. This book, plus "The Physics of Radiation Therapy", by Faiz Khan, are the basics of the knowledge for the people who are begining in the understanding of radiation physics. Great book, written for one of the best physics in the world.

Radiobiology for the Radiologist - Secpcmd Edition

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Radiobiology for the Radiologist - Secpcmd Edition
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Manufacturer: Medical Dept., Harper & Row
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OF8NM8

Book Description

This report brings together researchers from five of Europe's leading policy research institutes to examine the dilemmas facing European climate change policy; it argues that a fresh approach, incorporating a system of tradeable emissions permits, can enable the EU to break out of its current impasse, and start moving in the right direction.

This is a second edition of the report first issued in 1994 and updates the scientific and political backgrounds, summarizes EU member states' current positions, and develops arguments for tradeable permits schemes following a major RIIA conference in December 1996.

Implementing the European Co2 Commitment: A Joint Policy Proposal

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Implementing the European Co2 Commitment: A Joint Policy Proposal
Helge Ole Bergesen , and Michael Grubb
Manufacturer: Royal Institute of International Affairs
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