Mathematics plays an important role in computer graphics. Knowing the mathematics behind the scene helps us to understand and use all kinds of technologies in the field of computer graphics. It is great to have a book that covers most of the key parts that are used frequently in this field.
The book’s 16 chapters cover a broad range of relevant mathematical topics. Chapter 1 gives the whole idea of what this book is about. The next four chapters introduce number sets, algebra, trigonometry, and coordinate systems. Following this, chapters 6 to 11 focus on vectors, transforms, interpolation, curves and patches, analytic geometry, and barycentric coordinates. Next, in chapters 12 through 14, the author explores such topics as geometric algebra and differential and integral calculus. Worked examples and a conclusion are provided in chapters 15 and 16.
The logics in the book are presented very clearly, and readers from all levels with an understanding of arithmetic, algebra, trigonometry, and geometry will find this book easy to follow. The worked examples are very helpful in practical projects as well.
While I like this book, I have some suggestions to improve it. First, Cramer’s rule should be introduced with the determinants in Section 7.11. Second, it would be helpful if this book covered some other math topics in computer graphics, such as tessellation, collision detection using the AABB tree, and so on. In the chapter of worked examples, it should be noted that readers need the EPSILON when doing the floating-point programming on the computer.
Finally, there are some typographical errors I should point out: on page 63, which shows the area equation, the line “which is the formula disclosed in Chap. 2” should be “which is the formula disclosed in Chap. 5.” Also, on pages 144 and 145, the matrix form should be “matrix t multiplies another matrix” instead of “matrix t equals another matrix.”
Overall, this is a very useful book and I highly recommend it as a reference for those who are studying or working in computer graphics-related fields.
