This book is a comprehensive treatment of current 3D games technology. It concentrates on:

- real-time rendering, or the necessary enhancements of 3D graphics to enable rendering at interactive rates
- topics from other areas such as AI, physics and collision detection, that are used in games
- the software technology of games - engine architecture and multi-player technology.

The text is written around the engine Fly3D (included with a full SDK on the CD) that implements most of the described techniques. Readers can try out their own ideas by writing source code and experiment with existing demonstrations by writing plug-ins and altering existing ones. You can even develop your own game.

Features of the game engine include:
- BSP/PVS render management
- Light Maps for static geometry (pre-computed lighting with soft shadows)
- Normal maps (dot product texture blending) for dynamic objects
- Diffuse and specular vertex lighting for dynamic objects
- Volumetric fog with fog maps
- Detail Textures
- Multi-texture support
- Collision detection
- Dynamic coloured lights with distance attenuation
- Dynamic shadows - lightmap or stencil shadow volumes
- Physically based simulations
- Animated meshes (vertex morph)
- Tri-strips and fans
- Subdivision Surfaces
- Dynamic LODs using bi-quadric Bezier meshes
- Cartoon like rendering with dynamic cartoon lighting
- Multiplayer support (TCP/IP) with client/server architecture (using DirectPlay)
- 3D sound support (using DirectSound)
- Mouse and Keyboard input (using DirectInput)
- Intel(R) Pentium III(R) vector and matrix maths optimisation
- Complete plug-in directed
- 3D Max plug-ins for export/import fly bsp levels and creating landscapes and animated meshes
- Editor with real-time preview of game (set up game and object parameters while playing)

Sections of the book have been designed to be self-contained. The areas covered are:
- Modelling and Foundation Maths
- Classical 3D Graphics
- Real-time rendering
- Control of Objects - dynamics - AI
- 2D Technology
- Software technology

CD includes:
- Full Fly3D SDK including source code for Fly3D.dll, front-ends, plug-ins and utilities
- 5 demo levels: car, walk (2 levels), ship (2 levels)
- Engine Reference Manual and tutorials in HTML
- Book images

B> With this book, authors Watt and Policarpo introduce the theory behind the design of computer games and detail advanced techniques used in the industry, such as: physically based animation; advanced scene management; pre-calculation techniques/image-based rendering; advanced motion capture; and artificial intelligence. Readers will be able to develop their own games within the games "skeletons" accompanying the book, and will learn how to program complex games. The book is divided into six parts: Foundations (which covers the foundations of 3D computer graphics), Classical 3D Graphics, Real-Time Rendering, Control of Objects, 2D Technology, and Software Technology. An appendix on Fly3D SDK Tutorials is also included, and the accompanying CD contains the Fly3D SDK games engine. This books is appropriate for programmers who want to be able to develop their own computer games.

This ones nothing to brag about...

... I agree with some of the previous negative reviews. I find the flow of the text unpleasant and the book lacked an introduction - where’s the pedagogy? It seems as if someone with competence in the field but without alot of forethought just sat down and wrote it, and Addison Wesley didn’t bother to have an editor help out in any way. Anyway, this book is in line with the rest of Addison-Wesley’s books. Half of the courses that I take require textbooks from Addison Wesley. The courses are always difficult thanks to these second rate books. I recommend Wiley above all publishers but stay away from Addison Wesley if you can. They just dont seem to give a smack about the quality.

This ones nothing to brag about...

... I agree with some of the previous negative reviews. I find the flow of the text unpleasant and the book lacked an introduction - where’s the pedagogy? It seems as if someone with competence in the field but without alot of forethought just sat down and wrote it, and Addison Wesley didn’t bother to have an editor help out in any way. Anyway, this book is in line with the rest of Addison-Wesley’s books. Half of the courses that I take require textbooks from Addison Wesley. The courses are always difficult thanks to these second rate books. I recommend Wiley above all publishers but stay away from Addison Wesley if you can. They just dont seem to give a smack about the quality.

excellent book

I almost did not buy this book because of some of the earlier reviews, but since it was the only book I could find that provided a comprehensive theoretical, as well as practical, introdution to 3D games I went ahead and bought it anyway. I found that the book is, indeed, an excellent introduction to computer games. I would like to clear up issues addressed by earlier reviews.

First, this book does contain a lot of theory as well as practical information. It does assume a basic knowledge of calculus, linear algebra, and discrete mathematics--math that any graphics programmer (or any programmer for that matter) should have at least a basic understanding of. It also assumes a basic knowledge of computer graphics. Thus, if you are looking for a cut and paste guide to creating computer games and are not looking to actually understand how interactive 3D applications work, you should not buy this book. If you intend to learn the fundamentals necessary to become a professional game programmer, or serious hobbyist, you definitely should.

Second, although there are a few typos, I am sure that the "spelling errors" that have been cited are actually due to the fact that the book is written in European, not American, english. This means that, while probably 99% of the words are the same, subtle differences in spellings exist (such as colour instead of color and visualisation instead of visualization). This does not, however, detract from the readability of the book.

This an excellent book and, despite some of the negative reviews, it lived up to all of my expectations as a sound theoretical, as well as practical, introduction to 3D game programming.

excellent book

I almost did not buy this book because of some of the earlier reviews, but since it was the only book I could find that provided a comprehensive theoretical, as well as practical, introdution to 3D games I went ahead and bought it anyway. I found that the book is, indeed, an excellent introduction to computer games. I would like to clear up issues addressed by earlier reviews.

First, this book does contain a lot of theory as well as practical information. It does assume a basic knowledge of calculus, linear algebra, and discrete mathematics--math that any graphics programmer (or any programmer for that matter) should have at least a basic understanding of. It also assumes a basic knowledge of computer graphics. Thus, if you are looking for a cut and paste guide to creating computer games and are not looking to actually understand how interactive 3D applications work, you should not buy this book. If you intend to learn the fundamentals necessary to become a professional game programmer, or serious hobbyist, you definitely should.

Second, although there are a few typos, I am sure that the "spelling errors" that have been cited are actually due to the fact that the book is written in European, not American, english. This means that, while probably 99% of the words are the same, subtle differences in spellings exist (such as colour instead of color and visualisation instead of visualization). This does not, however, detract from the readability of the book.

This an excellent book and, despite some of the negative reviews, it lived up to all of my expectations as a sound theoretical, as well as practical, introduction to 3D game programming.

This is an excelent book

I’ve been reading game development books for more than 10 years and this is certain one of the best books i’ve ever read. Policarpo and Watt have created a very good 3D engine that comes in a CD with the book and they explain everything about programming 3D games with this engine and general game programming. It’s really Worth Buying!

This is an excelent book

I’ve been reading game development books for more than 10 years and this is certain one of the best books i’ve ever read. Policarpo and Watt have created a very good 3D engine that comes in a CD with the book and they explain everything about programming 3D games with this engine and general game programming. It’s really Worth Buying!

Nice Source Bad book

The source for this book is for an entry level 3D engine, which is just what I wanted. But a lot of the theory (coll det etc) in the source is not explained in the book. Rather than explaining fundamental aspects they seem to throw in loads of detail about the topics that they dont seem to have covered and taken for lots of articles that you can find on the web (gamasutra for one).

Saying that the source is nice and taught me a lot, bsp trees + a bit about collisions. Im glad I have the source but the book seems thrown together and shabby. I just think they could have done a better job making it readable starting 3D engine book rather than a shabby reference book.

Nice Source Bad book

The source for this book is for an entry level 3D engine, which is just what I wanted. But a lot of the theory (coll det etc) in the source is not explained in the book. Rather than explaining fundamental aspects they seem to throw in loads of detail about the topics that they dont seem to have covered and taken for lots of articles that you can find on the web (gamasutra for one).

Saying that the source is nice and taught me a lot, bsp trees + a bit about collisions. Im glad I have the source but the book seems thrown together and shabby. I just think they could have done a better job making it readable starting 3D engine book rather than a shabby reference book.

...to those who write reviews and those who read them

I’ve read reviews on this book by others. If you can’t find a better book, why say that it’s not worth buying? Instead of bringing up complaints, why not recommend books you think are more useful? Discouraging buying the book, you believe we should wait for improvements?

...to those who write reviews and those who read them

I’ve read reviews on this book by others. If you can’t find a better book, why say that it’s not worth buying? Instead of bringing up complaints, why not recommend books you think are more useful? Discouraging buying the book, you believe we should wait for improvements?