If you want to learn about 3D math in order to program games or graphics, then this book is for
you. There are many books out there that promise to teach you how to make a game or put cool
pictures up on the screen, so why should you read this particular book? This book offers several
unique advantages over other books about games or graphics programming:
A unique topic. This book fills a gap that has been left by other books on graphics, linear
algebra, simulation, and programming. It is an introductory book, meaning we have focused
our efforts on providing thorough coverage on fundamental 3D concepts — topics that are
normally glossed over in a few quick pages or relegated to an appendix in other publications
(because, after all, you already know all this stuff). Our book is definitely the book you should
read first, before buying that “Write a 3DVideoGame in 21Days” book. This book is not only
an introductory book, it is also a reference book — a “toolbox” of equations and techniques
that you can browse through on a first reading and then revisit when the need for a specific
tool arises.
1 A unique approach. We take a three-pronged approach to the subject matter: math, geome-
try, and code. The math part is the equations and numbers. This is where most books stop. Of
course, the math is important, but to make it powerful, you have to have good intuition about
how the math connects with the geometry.We will show you not just one but multiple ways to
relate the numbers with the geometry on a variety of subjects, such as orientation in 3D,
matrix multiplication, and quaternions. After the intuition comes the implementation; the
code part is the practical part.We show real usable code that makes programming 3D math as
easy as possible.
Unique authors. Our combined experience brings together academic authority with
in-the-trenches practical advice. Fletcher Dunn has six years of professional game program-
ming experience and several titles under his belt on a var
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