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Fundamentals of computer graphics (4th ed.)
Marschner S., Shirley P., A. K. Peters, Ltd., Natick, MA, 2016. 748 pp. Type: Book (978-1-482229-39-4)
Date Reviewed: Nov 14 2017

Computer graphics is an area of computer science that studies methods to generate and manipulate images using computers. One of the most popular books for teaching and learning computer graphics is this book, also known as the “tiger book,” which is now in its fourth edition.

This edition presents some differences when compared with the previous edition. Perhaps most notable is that the names of the two main authors switched places. This fact, apparently insignificant, implies that the book, which was also known first as the “Shirley book” and then as the “Shirley et al. book,” will now be known as the “Marschner et al. book.” Other important changes are that the chapters on textures and on graphic hardware were rewritten and the figures are now in color. Most chapters, judging by comparing the table of contents of the fourth edition with that of the third edition, don’t seem to have major changes.

After the classic introduction chapter, the authors divide the book into three sections: the “core core” (chapters 2 through 8), the “outer core” (chapters 9 through 14), and the “contributed chapters” (chapters 15 through 26).

The “core core” chapters present the mathematical tools needed to understand the rest of the book (basically linear algebra and geometry), plus an introduction to ray tracing, one of the most popular methods to generate images from 3D scene descriptions. The “outer core” chapters cover additional topics of computer graphics, such as an introduction to signal processing (chapter 9), surface shading (chapter 10), texture mapping (chapter 11), data structures for graphics (chapter 12), advanced ray tracing (chapter 13), and sampling (chapter 14). Together, these two sections cover the material required for an introductory course in computer graphics at an undergraduate level.

The third section presents more advanced topics not covered in the first two sections. Each chapter addresses a particular topic and is written by one or two experts on the subject. The content of these contributed chapters is diverse, but can be grouped into computer animation, graphic hardware, advanced computer graphics concepts, and applications of computer graphics to games and data visualization.

As mentioned above, the first two sections can be used as the basis for an introductory course in computer graphics. In this case, the instructor may include in the course some of the topics covered in the third section or leave these chapters as part of a second course on advanced graphics. The book is also useful for self-study and as a reference. At the end of most chapters, there is a section of frequently asked questions; references, in case the reader wishes to delve further into the topic; and a list of exercises.

One note of interest is that the book is focused on algorithms and these are shown in pseudocode. Except in the chapter on graphic hardware, which presents code segments in OpenGL, the book is neutral of any graphics application programming interface (API). Therefore, it is not a book that can be used to learn to program in OpenGL or DirectX; in addition, if readers want to implement a ray tracer, for example, they should be able to translate pseudocode to some programming language. The great advantage of this approach is that the book will remain valid even if the programming technology changes.

In summary, the book is well written, the chapters are ordered in a logical way, and the algorithms in pseudocode are adequately explained. It is expected that the reader knows the basics of linear algebra, geometry, and some calculus. Finally, as a textbook, the “tiger book” is highly recommended not only for teaching an undergraduate course of computer graphics, but also for self-study and as a professional reference.

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Reviewer:  Hector Antonio Villa-Martinez Review #: CR145655 (1802-0058)
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