Jim Blinn's Corner: A Trip Down the Graphics Pipeline


Book Description

The author, a computer graphicist, shares his insight and experience in "Jim Blinn's Corner", an award-winning column in the technical magazine "IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications" in which he unveils his graphics methods and observations. This compendium presents 20 of the column's articles, leading you through the 'graphics pipeline'




Jim Blinn's Corner: Dixty Pixels


Book Description

The original graphics guru, Jim Blinn, returns with a second compilation of the best columns from "Jim Blinn's Corner", his regular column in "IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications". He has developed many widely used graphics techniques, including bump mapping, environment mapping, and blobby modeling. He shares his most useful graphics tips and tricks, many of which have never before been addressed.




Jim Blinn's Corner: Notation, Notation, Notation


Book Description

The third entry in the Jim Blinn's Corner series, this is, like the others, a handy compilation of selected installments of his influential column. But here, for the first time, you get the "Director's Cut" of the articles: revised, expanded, and enhanced versions of the originals. What's changed? Improved mathematical notation, more diagrams, new solutions. What remains the same? All the things you've come to rely on: straight answers, irreverent style, and innovative thinking. This is Jim Blinn at his best - now even better. - Features 21 expanded and updated installments of "Jim Blinn's Corner," dating from 1995 to 2001, and never before published in book form - Includes "deleted scenes"—tangential explorations that didn't make it into the original columns - Details how Blinn represented planets in his famous JPL flyby animations - Explores a wide variety of other topics, from the concrete to the theoretical: assembly language optimization for parallel processors, exotic usage of C++ template instantiation, algebraic geometry, a graphical notation for tensor contraction, and his hopes for a future world




Geometric Tools for Computer Graphics


Book Description

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 - Filled with robust, thoroughly tested solutions that will save you time and help you avoid costly errors. - Covers problems relevant for both 2D and 3D graphics programming. - Presents each problem and solution in stand-alone form allowing you the option of reading only those entries that matter to you. - Provides the math and geometry background you need to understand the solutions and put them to work. - Clearly diagrams each problem and presents solutions in easy-to-understand pseudocode. - Resources associated with the book are available at the companion Web site www.mkp.com/gtcg.* Filled with robust, thoroughly tested solutions that will save you time and help you avoid costly errors.* Covers problems relevant for both 2D and 3D graphics programming.* Presents each problem and solution in stand-alone form allowing you the option of reading only those entries that matter to you.* Provides the math and geometry background you need to understand the solutions and put them to work.* Clearly diagrams each problem and presents solutions in easy-to-understand pseudocode.* Resources associated with the book are available at the companion Web site www.mkp.com/gtcg.




Level of Detail for 3D Graphics


Book Description

Preface -- Foreword -- Part I: Generation -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Mesh Simplification -- 3. Error Metrics -- Part II: Application -- 4. Runtime Frameworks -- 5. Catalog of Useful Algorithms -- 6. Gaming Optimizations -- 7. Terrain Level of Detail -- Part III: Advanced Issues -- 8. Perceptual Issues -- 9. Measuring Visual Fidelity -- 10. Temporal LOD -- Glossary -- BibliographyMesh simplification -- Simplification error metrics -- Run-time frameworks -- A catalog of useful algorithms -- Gaming optimizations -- Terrain level of detail -- Perceptual issues -- Measuring visual fidelity -- Temporal detail.




Pyramid Algorithms


Book Description

Pyramid Algorithms presents a unique approach to understanding, analyzing, and computing the most common polynomial and spline curve and surface schemes used in computer-aided geometric design, employing a dynamic programming method based on recursive pyramids. The recursive pyramid approach offers the distinct advantage of revealing the entire structure of algorithms, as well as relationships between them, at a glance. This book-the only one built around this approach-is certain to change the way you think about CAGD and the way you perform it, and all it requires is a basic background in calculus and linear algebra, and simple programming skills.* Written by one of the world's most eminent CAGD researchers* Designed for use as both a professional reference and a textbook, and addressed to computer scientists, engineers, mathematicians, theoreticians, and students alike* Includes chapters on Bezier curves and surfaces, B-splines, blossoming, and multi-sided Bezier patches* Relies on an easily understood notation, and concludes each section with both practical and theoretical exercises that enhance and elaborate upon the discussion in the text* Foreword by Professor Helmut Pottmann, Vienna University of Technology




Texturing & Modeling


Book Description

The third edition of this classic tutorial and reference on procedural texturing and modeling is thoroughly updated to meet the needs of today's 3D graphics professionals and students. New for this edition are chapters devoted to real-time issues, cellular texturing, geometric instancing, hardware acceleration, futuristic environments, and virtual universes. In addition, the familiar authoritative chapters on which readers have come to rely contain all-new material covering L-systems, particle systems, scene graphs, spot geometry, bump mapping, cloud modeling, and noise improvements. There are many new spectacular color images to enjoy, especially in this edition's full-color format. As in the previous editions, the authors, who are the creators of the methods they discuss, provide extensive, practical explanations of widely accepted techniques as well as insights into designing new ones. New to the third edition are chapters by two well-known contributors: Bill Mark of NVIDIA and John Hart of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign on state-of-the-art topics not covered in former editions. An accompanying Web site (www.texturingandmodeling.com) contains all of the book's sample code in C code segments (all updated to the ANSI C Standard) or in RenderMan shading language, plus files of many magnificent full-color illustrations. No other book on the market contains the breadth of theoretical and practical information necessary for applying procedural methods. More than ever, Texturing & Modeling remains the chosen resource for professionals and advanced students in computer graphics and animation. *New chapters on: procedural real-time shading by Bill Mark, procedural geometric instancing and real-time solid texturing by John Hart, hardware acceleration strategies by David Ebert, cellular texturing by Steven Worley, and procedural planets and virtual universes by Ken Musgrave. *New material on Perlin Noise by Ken Perlin. *Printed in full color throughout. *Companion Web site contains revised sample code and dozens of images.




Advanced Graphics Programming Using OpenGL


Book Description

Today truly useful and interactive graphics are available on affordable computers. While hardware progress has been impressive, widespread gains in software expertise have come more slowly. Information about advanced techniques—beyond those learned in introductory computer graphics texts—is not as easy to come by as inexpensive hardware. This book brings the graphics programmer beyond the basics and introduces them to advanced knowledge that is hard to obtain outside of an intensive CG work environment. The book is about graphics techniques—those that don't require esoteric hardware or custom graphics libraries—that are written in a comprehensive style and do useful things. It covers graphics that are not covered well in your old graphics textbook. But it also goes further, teaching you how to apply those techniques in real world applications, filling real world needs. - Emphasizes the algorithmic side of computer graphics, with a practical application focus, and provides usable techniques for real world problems. - Serves as an introduction to the techniques that are hard to obtain outside of an intensive computer graphics work environment. - Sophisticated and novel programming techniques are implemented in C using the OpenGL library, including coverage of color and lighting; texture mapping; blending and compositing; antialiasing; image processing; special effects; natural phenomena; artistic and non-photorealistic techniques, and many others.




Point-Based Graphics


Book Description

The polygon-mesh approach to 3D modeling was a huge advance, but today its limitations are clear. Longer render times for increasingly complex images effectively cap image complexity, or else stretch budgets and schedules to the breaking point. Comprised of contributions from leaders in the development and application of this technology, Point-Based Graphics examines it from all angles, beginning with the way in which the latest photographic and scanning devices have enabled modeling based on true geometry, rather than appearance. From there, it's on to the methods themselves. Even though point-based graphics is in its infancy, practitioners have already established many effective, economical techniques for achieving all the major effects associated with traditional 3D Modeling and rendering. You'll learn to apply these techniques, and you'll also learn how to create your own. The final chapter demonstrates how to do this using Pointshop3D, an open-source tool for developing new point-based algorithms. - The first book on a major development in computer graphics by the pioneers in the field - Shows how 3D images can be manipulated as easily as 2D images are with Photoshop




Mathematical Optimization in Computer Graphics and Vision


Book Description

Mathematical optimization is used in nearly all computer graphics applications, from computer vision to animation. This book teaches readers the core set of techniques that every computer graphics professional should understand in order to envision and expand the boundaries of what is possible in their work. Study of this authoritative reference will help readers develop a very powerful tool- the ability to create and decipher mathematical models that can better realize solutions to even the toughest problems confronting computer graphics community today. - Distills down a vast and complex world of information on optimization into one short, self-contained volume especially for computer graphics - Helps CG professionals identify the best technique for solving particular problems quickly, by categorizing the most effective algorithms by application - Keeps readers current by supplementing the focus on key, classic methods with special end-of-chapter sections on cutting-edge developments