A short introduction to digital images and a brief discussion of the basics of image processing open this book. Although the examples and figures are interesting, readers unfamiliar with the subject may find this first chapter difficult to understand. Some conventional images, such as satellite pictures, could have been included to complement the planetary images presented here.

Chapter 2 is essentially concerned with the concepts of imaging numbers, and can be considered as an extension of the first chapter. It focuses on an image as a visual representation of an arbitrary two-dimensional function or floating-point data; this approach differs from the conventional image of an object obtained by an input device.

The third chapter develops the problems of relief representation in terrain images. Techniques such as altimetry methods and stereo vision are presented. The problems encountered are highlighted by the examples of terrain rendering and a wide variety of figures.

Some visualization approaches for two- and three-dimensional scalar functions have been presented in the first three chapters. Chapter 4 studies the visualization of multiparameter systems for adequate scientific visualization. A set of commercially available visualization techniques is presented. These include the conventional techniques, such as point and vector plotting, as well as more recent techniques like those usually used in computer graphics. The important problem of continuous function visualization and some specific examples of visualization in astrophysics and geophysics are presented.

Volume visualization is studied in chapter 5. Well-known techniques such as surface-based methods and direct volume rendering approaches are briefly developed. For historical reasons, many examples of volume visualization in medicine are presented.

Chapter 6 develops the basics of computer graphics. First, scene modeling is studied briefly. Then the principles of rendering and some well-known algorithms are mentioned. Such rendering techniques as particle systems, texture mapping, and bump mapping are briefly discussed. In spite of interesting examples and images, novices will have difficulty understanding the material.

Applications of computer graphics in cinema and television are presented in chapter 7. Examples of rendering, deformation, and image interpolation are given.

Fifteen technical notes are indispensable complementary material for the comprehension of some fundamental chapters, such as chapter 6. These technical notes present important notions and techniques used in computer graphics and image processing. This material includes color and different color models for digital images; illumination and shading models; and some fundamental mathematical notions such as the Fourier transform, sampling theory, and filtering.

This book introduces scientific visualization in a new and interesting way. Most topics are presented well, and the examples and images are generally attractive, although novices would benefit from more detail about some fundamental notations of computer graphics and image processing. The references are well chosen and allow the reader to obtain detailed and up-to-date information about different topics, but more comments about the references could be helpful. Most of the technical notes are interesting and easy to read. These technical notes can be considered as a brief introduction to the most fundamental techniques used in computer graphics and image processing. This book can be helpful to students as well as teachers and researchers interested in scientific visualization.