 Best intro to 3D math, hands down |
| Review Date: August 31, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Nicholas DiMucci, New York |
The past week I've picked up about three different math books aimed for game programmers, which gloss over important math topics that a game programmer would most likely encounter programming games and graphics. The problem with the majority of these books is that they were too vague and/or just failed at explaining concepts clearly. It seems to be a common problem of trying to cover too much, and the authors quickly lose sight of the path and veer off-road.
3D Math Primer for Graphics and Game Development was my last hope. By reviewing the table of contents, it appeared to be aimed again towards those that were confident in the rudimentary concepts needed to understand and undertake 3D math. Yet, with nothing to lose, I downloaded the Kindle sample and was relieved that this was not the case. While there is only a short Appendix that reviews trig and related prerequisite concepts, the tone and approach the authors use to guide the reader is so incredibly friendly to those who may lack confidence in math. After completing the sample chapter, which covered the basics of the, 2D and 3D Cartesian system, I couldn't believe how easy it was to read and how well I was retaining the information, actually understanding every word that glowed off my iPad. Finally, it looks like I found a winner. The authors alone write with such confidence that just declares how well they understand the topic matter, and that they know, better than anyone, how to teach this material to virtually anyone of any skill level.
It's probably best if you are confident in at least trigonometry and basic algebra before reading. If you need to go over these concepts quickly, go to [...] and view the trigonometry videos. After you have your trig refreshed, dive into this book and you'll be sure to be ready to tackle any game or graphics related programming problem with confidence. |
Great foundation for 3d game programming
|
| Review Date: June 22, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Scott L. Petrovic, St. Louis, MO |
I have been trying to learn game development and programming for almost a year as a hobby and can kind of get by knowing different concepts and properties. I thought this book would really help me understand concepts at a deeper level and allow me to use critical thinking to solve problems using these "basics".
Some parts of the book were really fast-reading, while others slowed me down to a halt with the math and programming. There were two parts in the book that it was getting hard and I had to skip to the next chapter where it wasn't quite as deep. the last chapters on matrices and quaternions were the two that stick out in my mind.
It is great that it gets into more detail with those areas, but a little frustrating if you haven't studied very much linear algebra. I will be re-reading those sections again after a little time has passed.
It covers matrices, vectors, and rotations in more details, while it skims over more advanced concepts such as binary space partition trees and inverse kinematics. It gives some good book references at the end if you are interested in books further.
It was a great foundational book in my opinion.
|
Excellent Book, Rush to Buy
|
| Review Date: April 25, 2010 |
| Reviewer: clivebaker, SFO |
This is a great book. It explains very complex 3d math problems in very simple terms with great illustrations. This is one of the few math books , that I could understand entirely including all the equations in one read. It is very rare.
I highly recommend this book, to any graphic programmer, cs major, ee major, hobby game programmer, iPhone developer. This should be the first book you should read. Anyone can call the functions in OpenGL or DirectX but to know what is actaully happening underneath or why it is happenening is very essential , otherwise you will be "Lost in Space", 3d space!!!! |
Great, great, great
|
| Review Date: February 26, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Estefano Palacios Topic, Utha, USA |
I beg you: do not try to read *any* 3D Game Programming book without checking out this baby first! Really, unless you are a math major already graduating from college, or a very wise industry professional, this book will be useful. For example, I am a second year college student and I already passed ODE, Linear Algebra and Calculus courses, my university is one of the most wildly recognized in Latin America for being very strict on mathematics, physics, and chemistry, so I can say that I feel pretty content with my skills. Still, this book worked wonders for me. Yes, yes, yes, this IS very basic, no doubt, but It's not only about the brute knowledge on mathematics and geometry that's important for graphics programming, but also how to apply those concepts, and why these are important. We all know vectors, we all know linear algebra, but we really don't know how to do AABB vs. plane intersection tests with them do we?
I can't even begin to imagine how useful this text would be to high school students. I mean, to be exposed to this material before going to college can only be awesome. They have some basic knowledge of Linear Algebra before even dreaming to taking such a course? Nothing beats that! Well, maybe grabbing a real, fully fledged Lineal Algebra textbook like Grossman's, but nothing beats the fun of knowing you are reading a video game/3D graphics book!!!
Furthermore, I read Frank D. Luna's brilliant Introduction to 3D Game Programming in DirectX 9.0c: A Shader Approach, and had no problem what so ever. I even skipped the "Mathematical Prerequisites" part. THAT's how good this books is!!!
There's Dover Book for Ordinary Differential Equations, Grossman for Linear Algebra, Larson for Calculus, Sears-Zemansky for Physics, and there is Fletcher Dunn & Ian Parberry's for an introduction to 3D Math...
My only disappointment with this book is that it lacks the answers for one third of the exercises. Oh, and there are a few typo's here and there, buy honestly, what book really doesn't? (Most of the errata is published anyways in the book's site: [...]). I also want to leave this clear one more time: the book is basic in kwoledge, where it excells is in the very clear presentation of that knowledge. |
Below average
|
| Review Date: January 23, 2010 |
| Reviewer: E. Whitcombe, Binghamton, NY |
| Although helpful in visualizing many of the concepts and making much of the linear algebra accessible I would have to say it is in no way worth the $50.00 cover price. It is rife with errors, many of which are not acknowledged in errata on the book web site. I found myself grasping some topics much more clearly by visiting web sites dedicating to tutoring the subject. In one howling error the book states the minor of a matrix is a matrix value. I find multiple sources on the web that contradict this. They say the minor of a matrix is the _determinant_ of a matrix value. It may seem esoteric but it is important and I think it is a function of a rush to press that another reviewer conjectured. If anything pick this up at a deep discount and don't rely on it solely. |
|
No details are available for this product
Kindle News