Great Companion Book for Intro Graphics APIs
I am reading this book alongside Introduction to 3D Game Programming with DirectX 9.0c: A Shader Approach by Frank D. Luna, and so far 3D Math Primer has really helped. It took me from a basic trigonometry/geometry/algebra to understanding the basics of the math described in Intro to DX9, I can't wait to get to the more complicated parts that explain the graphics pipeline. The things that Intro to DX9 took a page or so to explain 3D Math Primer is able to go into detail and explain well.
Great read
Good, with a few problems...
I needed a book to recommend to a friend whose offspring is trying his hand at game programming and needed some introductory maths to get going.
I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of this book. The content, writing and layout are excellent and the level at which it deals with the various topics is just right. I also like much of their code and the implementation details which go with it. I can wholeheartedly recommend it for beginner developers.
The reason I didn't rate the book 100% is because there are a fair number of questionable opinions expressed by the writers. These are mostly based on their collective experience in game development and while I respect their expertise, I disagree with them on these points. A quick example. Their advice in Chapter 6, "Don't use information hiding" almost made me choke on my tea. The reasons they give for exposing their vector class data are simply bizarre. Encapsulation is one of the three pillars of object oriented development. This is not the place to discuss the dangers developers face by subverting this powerful idea, but I strongly urge beginner programmers to ignore the authors' advice on this point.
Despite these reservations, the book is a must-have for novice and intermediate programmers.
PS: I have now looked at the associated website gamemath.com. It contains solutions to exercises for Chapter 1 to 11 and a note "Other chapters coming soon...". The book was published in 2002. Not impressed at all!!!
GREAT BOOK!
I picked up this book and within a week I was working on my own 3d engine. The explanations are very clear. This book is great for ANYONE. This is the book you are looking for!
Best Math book....period
The greatest problem for a lot of us that want to be great programmers is that we're terrible mathematicians. And the greatest benefit of this book is that it explains it in a way anyone can understand it! I absolutely love this book. Before you even start to think about DirectX, OpenGL, whatever - you should read this book COVER TO COVER.
Gets you up to speed very quickly.
This is a must read for anyone wanting to jump into 3D graphics programming, the book is full of content, full of useful source code, and very accessible to the average reader.
The only gripe I would have is that there is a steep learning curve a few chapters in, once you finish writing the vector class the content in the next chapter is much harder. It's not impossible to pick up, but there is a definite difference in difficulty.
(41 reviews)
