Foundations of 3D Graphics Programming: Using JOGL and Java3D
By admin • Dec 26th, 2008 • Category: Uncategorized
Foundations of 3D Graphics Programming: Using JOGL and Java3D
by Jim X. Chen, Chunyang Chen
Foundations of 3D Graphics Programming: Using JOGL and Java3D
By Jim X. Chen, Chunyang Chen
Publisher: Springer
Number Of Pages: 400
Publication Date: 2008-08-25
ISBN-10 / ASIN: 1848002831
ISBN-13 / EAN: 9781848002838
Binding: Hardcover
“A good, concise computer graphics textbook covering 3D concepts, essential fundamentals theory, and easy-to-follow OpenGL practical programming in Java.”
Dr. Jack Bresenham, Retired IBM Senior Technical Staff Member
Increasingly in the realms of science and industry, computer graphics is an area of critical importance and utility. And within the graphics community, the demand for producing exceptional 3D graphics in particular is almost a given.
This thoroughly updated and enhanced second edition of Foundations of 3D Graphics Programming is an innovative shortcut to graphics theory and programming using JOGL, a new vehicle of 3D graphics programming in Java. This revised edition of the successful, reader-friendly text covers all graphics basics and several advanced topics, as well as some basic concepts in Java programming for those who currently are C/C programmers. Specifically, it provides all the core aspects of OpenGL programming in Java using JOGL, along with concisely presented computer graphics theories. In addition, it uses a top-down approach to lead the reader into programming and applications up-front. The content about theory provides a high-level understanding of all basic graphics, and of using JOGL instead of implementing a graphics system. Explanations are integrated with the sample programs, which are specifically designed for learning and accompanying this book.
Topics and Features:
• Presents 2 new chapters covering vertex shading, pixel shading and parallel processing, and Cg programming [NEW]
• Introduces a shortcut to 3D graphics theory, and serves as a concise guide to both theory and programming
• Contains additional new material, such as a look at advanced effects in Cg programming [NEW]
• Covers JOGL, a new vehicle of 3D graphics programming in Java, with extensive and complete examples
• Incorporates numerous practical examples and exercises
• Provides a new appendix for Basic Mathematics for 3D Graphics [NEW]
• Introduces and describes Java3D, a shortcut to high-level 3D graphics APIs in Java, with detailed example programs
• Provides readers with comprehensive samples in JOGL and Java3D
• Offers a supplementary website with updates, sample programs, figures, and useful weblinks and instructions for setting up the OpenGL programming environment
Written by a leader in 3D graphics, virtual experience, and statistical data visualization, this text/reference is a comprehensive, yet concise volume intended for scientists and engineers who understand Java programming. Moreover, it is a good reference for C/C graphics programmers interested in learning Java and JOGL. Accessible for an interdisciplinary readership, this book requires only basic knowledge of vector analysis and programming, and as such is highly suitable for classroom use.
Key Topics
• Geometric Transformation
• Lighting and Shading
• Blending and Texture Mapping
• Curved Models
• Programming in Java 3D
• Animation and Simulation
• Vertex Shading and Parallel Processing
• Cg Programming
Summary: Not quite what I had expected
Rating: 2
I had expected more focus on the word “Foundations”, but the brief introduction to output primitives was sorely lacking. For instance, they cover, in detail, the Bresenham line-drawing algorithm, but they completely ignore the midpoint-circle drawing algorithm; it would have been nice to see a Java implementation of this.
I was also disappointed that all of the code in the book is subclassed off of any previous code. This is OK in the first couple of examples, but, when one goes further through the text, it becomes difficult to determine just what methods they are calling in their code, and where they come from.
So, in short, the book should not be used as one’s sole introduction to the fundamentals of graphics programming, but it might serve as a good counterpart to learn some Java-specific implementations.
Summary: Worthless – DO NOT BUY
Rating: 1
This book is of no avail to a student of computer graphics. Not only are the explanations in this book sorely incomplete, they are so poorly written that they require hours of careful examination to determine that they are incomplete. All throughout the book the author leads you on by making you think that you are about to be told something useful. You never are. Additionally, the code given in the book will often not compile or fail to execute properly. You will be very disappointed if you buy this book.
Summary: Horrible book. Confusing and incomplete examples. Poor English.
Rating: 1
This book was theoretically written to be a introduction to OpenGL using the cross platform JOGL bindings. It fails to accomplish this task by providing incomplete instructions to get JOGL working, and extremely confusing convoluted example code. I am a professional computer programmer, and rarely have I come across such bad code. Furthermore, the algorithms discussed in this book are explained by confusing code rather than in words. To top it off, the author(s) must not be fluent in English. I had to read many sentences over several times in order to understand the poor English.
Summary: Java3D is pretty simple, as shown here
Rating: 4
OpenGL is one of the most popular graphics languages around. And Java has some graphics capability, in 2d and 3d. But recently, JOGL has emerged. It is essentially a Java wrapper around the OpenGL routines, which are far richer than what comes with native Java.
The book attempts two things. One is a teaching of 3d graphics. Involving the extensive maths, which is mostly matrix algebra. The other is how to accomplish this in Java, using Java3D and JOGL. The first is done fairly well. A good introduction to the most common graphics ideas, like hidden surface removal and transparency. It is unclear, though, how well the second task is done. Java3D seems simple enough. The coverage of JOGL does at least give you an understanding of common OpenGL routines that you’ll probably need.
Summary: Not what I was expecting
Rating: 2
I was on the waiting list to buy this book before it was released. I was expecting some good intermediate information on JOGL that was along the lines of implementation and Graphics architecture concepts. Boy was I dissapointed. This is a survey of OPENGL not particularly JOGL. This is the kind of book a professor would assign a freshmen programmer to read. They went to far into the details of the matrix mathematics behind the graphics library instead of practical implementation. Dont get me wrong knowing how things work is a must but dont sell yourself as anything more than a survey of graphics programming.
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