Geometric Tools for Computer Graphics

by Philip J. Schneider, David H. Eberly

Do you spend too much time creating the building blocks of your graphics applications or finding and correcting errors? Geometric Tools for Computer Graphics is an extensive, conveniently organized collection of proven solutions to fundamental problems that you'd rather not solve over and over again, including building primitives, distance calculation, approximation, containment, decomposition, intersection determination, separation, and more. If you have a mathematics degree, this book will save you time and trouble. If you don't, it will help you achieve things you may feel are out of your reach. Inside, each problem is clearly stated and diagrammed, and the fully detailed solutions are presented in easy-to-understand pseudocode. You also get the mathematics and geometry background needed to make optimal use of the solutions, as well as an abundance of reference material contained in a series of appendices. Features

Genres: Programming, Reference

1056 pages, Hardcover

First published September 26, 2002

Reviews

[Marius · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a non-math person who nonetheless insists on dabbling in computational geometry, I've looked at many books dealing with the mathematics behind geometry. Overwhelmingly, I find myself alienated by pages of equations and/or dense explanations intended for those already mathematically enlightened.

This book manages to provide a comprehensive grab-bag of essential comp. geometry techniques in an accessible form. It doesn't shy away from math but lowers the threshold of comprehension through clear and concise writing supplemented by pseudo-code. Even better, the book cleverly groups related problems by typology (2D, 3D, intersections, distances etc.), making it a perfect reference index as well as a tool for incremental learning.