Realistically animated 3D computer graphics rendered in real time is a goal of the computer animation industry. Tomas Mller and Eric Haines provide a text that covers the development of real-time rendering for use in computer games, computer-animated movies, advertising, and other applications. The authors have written the book that they wish they had when they started out. Focusing on the entire graphics pipeline, this book covers optimization, visual appearance, speed-up techniques, and collision detection. The authors present new techniques and time-tested algorithms. Entire sections are devoted to special effects, polygon tessellation, and model simplification. A large section on hardware ends the book. Copious references, mathematical appendices, reading recommendations, and a dedicated web site for additional resources make this book an indispensable guide to this rapidly evolving field.The Graphics Rendering Pipeline; Transforms; Visual Appearance; Texturing; Special Effects; Speed-Up Techniques; Pipeline Optimization; Polygonal Techniques; Intersection Test Methods; Collision Detection; Graphics Hardware; The Future; Some Linear Algebra; Trigonometry

Second Edition now available.