At over 900 pages, this voluminous book focuses on the implementation aspects and algorithms related to computer graphics and geometric modeling. A companion book by the same author [1] focuses on the mathematical aspects of the subject. Although the two books may be read independently, the reader will obtain the maximum advantage by reading them together.

The audience for these books includes those interested in learning the mathematics behind computer graphics and geometric modeling, and also the implementation issues and algorithms encountered in the field. Those interested in computer-aided design or computer-aided geometric design may also benefit from reading these books, as will mathematicians who wish to use computers to explore geometry and topology.

A prerequisite for understanding the subject matter of the book is a familiarity with advanced topics in areas such as data structures, calculus, and linear and modern algebra. The book comes with a companion CD that includes two programs, GM and SPACE. GM implements several algorithms mentioned in the book. It is meant to be used for experimentation and application development. SPACE uses advanced geometric modeling concepts to explain the geometry of two- and three-dimensional manifolds. The programs have been developed using the Microsoft VC++ compiler, and work on the Windows platform (version 98 and above). The author has included the source code and the documentation on the CD.

This book is well suited for teaching courses on subjects such as computer graphics, algorithms in computer graphics, and geometric modeling. In order to facilitate its use for classroom teaching, the author has included adequate exercises and programming projects in most of the chapters.

The book is comprised of three sections: basic computer graphics, geometric modeling, and special computer graphics. The first section is on basic computer graphics. It starts with an introduction to the subject, and includes chapters on raster algorithms, clipping, transformation and the graphics pipeline, approaches to geometric modeling, basic geometric modeling tools, visible surface algorithms, color, illumination and shading, and rendering techniques. The second section is on geometric modeling. It includes chapters on curves, surfaces, intersection algorithms, global geometric modeling, local geometric modeling, and intrinsic geometric modeling. The third section is on special computer graphics. It includes chapters on computational geometry, interval analysis, the finite element method, quaternions, digital image processing, and chaos and fractals. The book includes appendices, indices, and comprehensive bibliographies organized by topic. Although the author has included numerous references in a well-organized manner, he states that space constraints prevented the inclusion of additional references.

The coverage of topics in this book is impressive. The algorithms have been presented with a Pascal-like syntax. The author attaches maximum importance to geometric concepts. Many of the chapters go deep into the mathematical underpinnings of the subject. Although the chapters are well written, the important chapter on chaos and fractals runs just 18 pages. Since fractals are very useful in modern computer graphics, a discerning reader will expect a deeper coverage of this topic. In this book and its companion, computer graphics and geometric modeling are studied thoroughly from a mathematical perspective. The two books constitute valuable reference works in the field, and may be used as textbooks for advanced undergraduate and graduate students.