Computer Graphics: Principles and Practice, 3rd Edition

Computer Graphics: Principles and Practice, 3rd Edition, remains the most authoritative introduction to the field. The first edition, the original “Foley and van Dam,” helped to define computer graphics and how it could be taught. The second edition became an even more comprehensive resource for practitioners and students alike. This third edition has been completely rewritten to provide detailed and up-to-date coverage of key concepts, algorithms, technologies, and applications.

The authors explain the principles, as well as the mathematics, underlying computer graphics–knowledge that is essential for successful work both now and in the future. Early chapters show how to create 2D and 3D pictures right away, supporting experimentation. Later chapters, covering a broad range of topics, demonstrate more sophisticated approaches. Sections on current computer graphics practice show how to apply given principles in common situations, such as how to approximate an ideal solution on available hardware, or how to represent a data structure more efficiently. Topics are reinforced by exercises, program­ming problems, and hands-on projects.

This revised edition features

• New coverage of the rendering equation, GPU architecture considerations, and importance- sampling in physically based rendering
• An emphasis on modern approaches, as in a new chapter on probability theory for use in Monte-Carlo rendering
• Implementations of GPU shaders, software rendering, and graphics-intensive 3D interfaces
• 3D real-time graphics platforms–their design goals and trade-offs–including new mobile and browser platforms
• Programming and debugging approaches unique to graphics development

The text and hundreds of figures are presented in full color throughout the book. Programs are written in C++, C#, WPF, or pseudocode–whichever language is most effective for a given example. Source code and figures from the book, testbed programs, and additional content will be available from the authors’ website (cgpp.net) or the publisher’s website  (informit.com/title/9780321399526). Instructor resources will be available from the publisher. The wealth of information in this book makes it the essential resource for anyone working in or studying any aspect of computer graphics.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1. Introduction
Chapter 2. Introduction to 2D Graphics Using WPF
Chapter 3. An Ancient Renderer Made Modern
Chapter 4. A 2D Graphics Test Bed
Chapter 5. An Introduction to Human Visual Perception
Chapter 6. Introduction to Fixed-Function 3D Graphics and Hierarchical Modeling
Chapter 7. Essential Mathematics and the Geometry of 2-Space and 3-Space
Chapter 8. A Simple Way to Describe Shape in 2D and 3D
Chapter 9. Functions on Meshes
Chapter 10. Transformations in Two Dimensions
Chapter 11. Transformations in Three Dimensions
Chapter 12. A 2D and 3D Transformation Library for Graphics
Chapter 13. Camera Specifications and Transformations
Chapter 14. Standard Approximations and Representations
Chapter 15. Ray Casting and Rasterization
Chapter 16. Survey of Real-Time 3D Graphics Platforms
Chapter 17. Image Representation and Manipulation
Chapter 18. Images and Signal Processing
Chapter 19. Enlarging and Shrinking Images
Chapter 20. Textures and Texture Mapping
Chapter 21. Interaction Techniques
Chapter 22. Splines and Subdivision Curves
Chapter 23. Splines and Subdivision Surfaces
Chapter 24. Implicit Representations of Shape
Chapter 25. Meshes
Chapter 26. Light
Chapter 27. Materials and Scattering
Chapter 28. Color
Chapter 29. Light Transport
Chapter 30. Probability and Monte Carlo Integration
Chapter 31. Computing Solutions to the Rendering Equation: Theoretical Approaches
Chapter 32. Rendering in Practice
Chapter 33. Shaders
Chapter 34. Expressive Rendering
Chapter 35. Motion
Chapter 36. Visibility Determination
Chapter 37. Spatial Data Structures
Chapter 38. Modern Graphics Hardware