3D Math Primer for Graphics and Game Development covers fundamental 3D math concepts that are especially useful for computer game developers and programmers. The authors discuss the mathematical theory in detail and then provide the geometric interpretation necessary to make 3D math intuitive. Working C++ classes illustrate how to put the techniques into practice, and exercises at the end of each chapter help reinforce the concepts. This book explains basic concepts such as vectors, coordinate spaces, matrices, transformations, Euler angles, homogenous coordinates, geometric primitives, intersection tests, and triangle meshes; discusses orientation in 3D, including thorough coverage of quaternions and a comparison of the advantages and disadvantages of different representation techniques; describes working C++ classes for mathematical and geometric entities and several different matrix classes, each tailored to specific geometric tasks; includes complete derivations for all the primitive transformation matrices.
This book is about 3D math, the study of the mathematics behind the geometry of a 3D world. 3D math is related to computational geometry, which deals with solving geometric problems algorithmically. 3D math and computational geometry have applications in a wide variety of fields that use computers to model or reason about the world in 3D, such as graphics, games, simulation, robotics, virtual reality, and cinematography.
This book covers theory and practice in C++. The "theory" part is an explanation of the rela-
tionship between math and geometry in 3D. It also serves as a handy reference for techniques and equations. The "practice" part illustrates how these concepts can be applied in code. The programming language used is C++, but in principle, the theoretical techniques from this book can be applied in any programming language.
This book is not just about computer graphics, simulation, or even computational geometry.
However, if you plan to study those subjects, you will definitely need the information in this book.