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3D Game Engine Design : A Practical Approach to Real-Time Computer Graphics
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Author: David H. Eberly
List Price: $73.95
Our Price: Click to see the latest and low price
ISBN: 1558605932
Publisher: Morgan Kaufmann (22 September, 2000)
Edition: Hardcover
Sales Rank: 54,388
Average Customer Rating: 3.73 out of 5
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Customer ReviewsRating: 5 out of 5
Very thorough
This book is actually written at two different levels. It has an extremely detailed analysis of the mathematics involved and appears that it would be a good reference for somebody who wants to write a software renderer (or at least understand how a renderer does what it does). It's organized in such a way that it is easy to skip the math parts (which I did!) and get a good understanding of the higher level engine concepts. It's easy to understand, for instance, how culling works conceptually (or via a library call) without going through the math. I found the chapters on the scene graph and collision detection to be especially valuable. I wish he would have included a bit about AI though. I find myself wondering 'where in my architecture do I put the AI?'. It seems like it should fit in this discussion somewhere...
Rating: 5 out of 5
Excellent reference
Yes, this book is an invaluable reference. All the mathematical knowledge necessary to building a 3D engine is contained within its pages. Each topic is covered separately, with algorithm examples to support each mathematical discussion. A basic 3D engine is also included to help the reader put the concepts together.You must, however, adapt well to formal mathematical notation to understand this book -- there is no handholding; it assumes the reader is familiar with vector and matrix algebra, linear algebra, multivariate calculus, and data structures. Following the mathematics can become quite tedious if you are lacking in any of these areas. One thing I think Eberly might have improved is "dumbing down" the mathematical notation to appeal to a broader audience, or at least have written the book in a more personal, explanatory manner (Its funny how the smarter a person is, the harder it is for him/her to express ideas in a way understanding to the rest of us). For you college kids, I'd say you need up to Calc 3 and Linear Algebra. It'll help if you've taken a couple graphics courses, covering things like BSP/Oct/Quad trees, rendering pipeline analysis, and intersection testing. I myself AM a college kid, so trust me on this... it'll help if you have a little background. Also note that this book is non-API specific; you must know a 3D API well in order to implement the author's ideas. He uses OpenGL for his CD-ROM examples. What else... Don't buy this book if you just want to implement special effects... check out the 3D Graphics Gems series for that. Concepts such as Lens Flare, Bump/Enviroment Mapping, Shadows, and Particle Systems are discussed, but only slightly within 4 pages of the last chapter -- which is understandable, considering the focus of this book is on the core 3D engine, not the flare surrounding it. That's about it. Buy it if you've got patience, persistence, and are serious about 3D game programming -- and that's the bottom line.
Rating: 4 out of 5
A nice book, but it could do with some improvements
This is a book on 3D Game Engines that is a must have for game developers. David Eberly does not shirk from presenting the user with rigorous mathematics (even a proof or two). Some of the coverage is really useful like LOD techniques,Scene Graph Management,Skinning and Curved Surfaces. This book is definitely not for beginners, and it would be best for intermediate level game programmers. If you don't like math stay away from this one (and computer graphics and game programming as well.) The author never fails to keep track of performance issues and discusses the costs involved in using various techniques. The best thing about this book: It was the first one to discuss such a wide array of topics about game programming at a time when most other references talked only graphics and ignored special considerations that arise in real-time 3D (notable exception, "Real Time Rendering / Moller & Haines").However, the author could have done more justice to important topics like BSP trees(disposed off summarily in a single chapter). A discussion about speeding up math calculations using SIMD extensions in today's processors would have been a relevant addition to the book. The source code provided is incomplete (ex. the software renderer). Also, there is an OOP overkill in the sample code. All in all, a most useful book to possess.
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