3D Computer Graphics

This book provides students with a knowledge of complex and emerging topics in the field of Computer Graphics, including advances in rendering and new material on animation. It will enable the reader to master the fundamentals of 3D computer graphics as well as acting as a complete resource for anyone interested in 3D modelling. It provides detailed coverage of both realistic and non-realistic images.

This is the third edition of a book which deals with the processes involved in converting a mathematical or geometric description of an object into a visualisation that simulates the appearance of a real object. Traditionally computer graphics has created pictures by starting with a very detailed geometric description, subjecting this to a series of transformations that orient a viewer and objects in 3D space, then imitating reality by making the objects look solid and real - a process known as rendering. Nowadays this is proving insufficient for the new demands of moving computer imagery and virtual reality. Much research is being carried out into how to model complex objects, where the nature and shape of the objects changes dynamically and into capturing the richness of the world without having to model every detail explicitly. This text explores and relates thee resulting in diverse synthesis and modelling methods.

Alan Watt is a lecturer in Computer Science at the University of Sheffield.