Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!samsung!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!mips!apple!fernwood!portal!cup.portal.com!phorgan
From: phorgan@cup.portal.com (Patrick John Horgan)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.tech
Subject: Re: 3D Graphics book
Message-ID: <31187@cup.portal.com>
Date: 27 Jun 90 03:58:03 GMT
References: <3013.26869878@cc.nu.oz.au>
Organization: The Portal System (TM)
Lines: 26

I've got most of the theoretical books on graphics, and most of them
aren't much help with coding if you don't already know how.  For
coding graphics routines one of the best books I know of is:

   "Procedural Elements For Computer Graphics", David F. Rogers

    McGraw-Hill ISBN 0-07-053534-5

It covers most of the standard algorithms for raster graphics with
emphasis (a bit), on scan-line algorithms.  There are sections on
Raster Scan Graphics, Clipping, Hidden Lines and Hidden Surfaces, and
Rendering.  It mostly assumes that objects will be represented by
polygons.  If you want to learn about Bezier patches it's not the
book for you.  If you want to learn about surface mapping, lighting
and shading models and ray-tracing, this will get you started.  After
this book, you'll be ready for the theoretical ones:)
	Of course I'd always reccommend Foley and Van Dam, except...
I'd be hesitant to get someone to spend the money with the new
edition on the horizon.  It's the somewhat dated "bible" of 
computer graphics...the new release though, moves it into the '90s.
People involved in the book posted a table of contents in the 
graphics area of usenet a while back and said that the book was
essentailly written, but the figures et.al. would take awhile.  Anyone
have any current information on this?

Patrick Horgan                        phorgan@cup.portal.com