4 comments about An Introduction to NURBS: With Historical Perspective (The Morgan Kaufmann Series in Computer Graphics).

1. I'm not complete reading this book yet - but from what I read so far - I found this to be a very informative book. It has a nice thorough introduction to most of the basic concepts dealing with curves and curved surfaces. The mathematical examples are easy to understand - it's a very good book for anyone who is starting to work with curved surfaces or needs a quick refresher. Oh yeah - is it me or does the author look kind of like Sean Connery?



2. You don't have to be a graphics guru to appreciate this book. A good high school math student could grasp the exposition in this book. I highly recommend this to teenage prodigies, not only for the exposition, but to read about the accomplishments of the prodigies who made this science. This book really emphasizes understanding and generalization - it will serve you well when you head out on your own. It is not language or platform specific and will remain relevant to the future for this reason. This book will serve as the foundations of a CAD, animation, or gaming background. It won't make you an expert in any of the fields, but your feet will be well grounded. The book progresses from Bernstein Polynomials, parametric Curves through Bezier Curves and on into the more recent developments in Knots and NonUniform Rational B-Splines.

   The author is more than qualified to write an historical perspective: He's been a leading authority on the subject of computer graphics and CAD programming for more than a quarter of a century. He's been a personal acquaintance of many of the principal characters in the unfolding of this exciting and still young branch of mathematics. Characters such as Pierre Bezier, Steven Coons, and Carl de Boor. I should emphasize that the historic perspective doesn't interfere with the flow and development of the text from a purely mathematical point of view. You could read the text and skip the history, but that'd be a shame because the historical accounts and biographies are what set this text apart. In some sense you feel like you're experiencing the thrill of discovery in the same way that the theory developed - only in fast forward.

   For these reasons, this book will also be of interest to anyone who enjoyed James Gleick's Chaos. But unlike Gleick's Chaos, you'll really get to understand the mathematics behind the story - the story of the development of NURBS. It reads like a novel with twists, coincidences and subplots. The men behind NURBS have had a profound influence on the last part of the 20th century and their methods will literally shape the future as the graphic tools of tomorrow's designers. I wish all textbooks could be written in this style. That would also mean all textbooks would have to be written by the founders of their respective fields and that wouldn't be a bad thing.

   If you're a blue-collar Microsoft junkie looking for some sort of certification to let you pretend to be a programmer, perhaps your appetite will be better served by more specific texts. But for anyone who appreciates the art of programming, this book is for you - even if you don't ever touch graphics, it's just a fun book.




3. This is the pooest book I have ever read. You don't know what the author is triing to clarify. All the equatios seem to have jumped out without any derivation. The author lacks stern mathematic fundamentals.



4. For one week after receiving this book I agreed with an earlier very critical review. I changed my mind. The subject is not easy but written by someone who knows his business. Having got used to his notation I find this book more and more useful and refer back to it whenever a problem arises and usually find the answer or some pointer to the answer.

No comments about Microsoft XNA Game Studio Creator's Guide, Second Edition.

1 comments about Computer Graphics Handbook.

1. This book is a treasure trove of key math concepts, formulas and so forth all having to do with graphics.

   It is only for graphics! No long winded drill downs into Linear Algebra Theory or Anayltic Geometry or Vector Spaces.

   Dare I say, it is like a collection of Zen koans for math literate programmers who need a refresher in 3D (oh yeah and 2D) Dharma.

   However, the publisher could be better about some typos in formulas that drove me nuts. Only a couple, but when you rely on reference materials, that is enough.

   Buy this book and keep it near you.

No comments about Master VISUALLY Dreamweaver CS4 and Flash CS4 Professional (Master VISUALLY).

3 comments about Production for Graphic Designers (4th Edition).

1. I have used this as a text for a graphic art production class and have found it to be excellent in terms of its explanations. The diagrams are clear, the text concise, the content easily comprehended by my students. I really like the 'Design Trailblazers'...it maintains the heart of good design throughout the often clinical aspects of production. A nice representative selection as well...the students could relate. I await the next edition.



2. This is the SECOND year I will be ordering this title for my Graphic Art Production students. I hope Mr. Pipes plans to keep this publication up to date with another edition. What I like about this book is manifold: the author's clear, intelligent and succinct language tops my list. My students and I both found his prose not just informative, but interesting. The information covers all the basic concerns of a designer involved in production for print and the internet (it gives a well fleshed-out overview of all our areas of study at least). The section on Typography is also quite thorough and far less ponderous than other commonly used Type texts. All the chapters lay down a perfect bridge to a full lecture. Students come to class comprehending the basics, thus adding to their ability to build on that knowledge. The bios throughout the book are of great interest and focus on contemorary designers of note. The attractive layout supports the notion of Grahic Design, not too common these days. I have viewed many texts in the related areas of Graphic Design and find this book to be a perfect example of what a text should be. Bravo Mr Pipes, and thank-you! I will be watching to see what you publish next.



3. this came so quickly, i had it in time for my next class. the book is beautiful and there is so much helpful information. this was really a great experience!!

1 comments about Beginning Pre-Calculus for Game Developers.

1. DON'T LET THE BOOK'S TITLE MISLEAD YOU!
   
   I checked this book out at my school's library to read over the summer. I have just taken my school's Algebra and Trigonometry course, where we dug deep into trig. This book covers LESS than what we learned in class, it doesn't even go near calculus. All of that I could ignore if it wasn't aimed at game developers.
   
   From the back of the book: "You will conquer the basics of these essential math topics and will then learn how to specifically apply each skill to the field of game programming." The book doesn't do ANY of this. I read about 3 sentences that mentioned game developers. They never apply these math skills to developing a game, not even when they cover matrices. Not to mention it's not even written like a math book - which could be a good thing if you have trouble dissecting math books. There's really no reason at all to read this book. The included CD has a nifty graphing program (Visual Formula), but I'm almost positive you can download this for free online.
   
   Like I said, stay away from this book. It's incredibly misleading and almost totally useless.

No comments about Visualizing Software.

5 comments about Macromedia Flash MX Designer's ActionScript Reference.

1. 5 stars if you know Flash well.
   1 star if you haven't had any experience with it at all.

   I was a beginner once, who couldn't figure out Flash at all. I'd like to help you build a bridge between where you may be now, as a beginner, to where you may find yourself aspiring to go.

   If your only experience with Flash is to have seen the many wonderful and breathtaking Flash movies on the Internet and just had a look at the authoring tool, I strongly recommend that you leave this book until much later. It has its place in the learning curve but it isn't, in my opinion, the first book to see.

   There are understandings to possess that this book doesn't cover sufficiently well enough for those whose minds work in particular ways. This is a programming book, for using the phenomenon of programming to create great design and animations. Whilst the focus is on design, you aren't using the design tools on the interface. With this book, you are using the Actionscript language and you have to have a logical mind for this activity (as well as keeping your strong creative one).

   I began my steep learning curve with Flash by watching others and watching video tutorials, especially those by George Pierson. In this way, I can ask questions that are tailored for me and I get tailored responses. Books aren't always able to do so well here.

   What is great about this book is the MX Actionscript reference in it and the seemingly well designed theory tutorials. I can't find a fault with the reference. The theory is quite good. In the reference, all Flash MX commands are covered. There are examples of how to use them, but the coverage may not be enough for some. Brill. Just BRILL. I can be excited but because I can follow Actionscript.

   Approach this book when you are successfully making Flash movies on your own. Yes, on your own. For me, this book is an aid for when I am going to where I haven't gone to before. It helps me make judgements on ideas I get.




2. I am a former programming teacher and I have a style to teach my students the most UNDERSTANDABLE way to do something not just how to do it. This text/reference achieves that purpose. If you have an understanding of Flash (which you should have before getting into scripting see Weinman books) then this book will serve you well. There are other books on scripting - great books - such as Moock's books but they are more so for the programmer. This book is for the novelist programmer that desires to learn about action scripting.



3. One of the few comprehensive actionsctipt titles on the market. The first half of the book boasts a large variety of tutorials and examples that skillfully lead the reader through both the syntax and use of actionscript. Personally I found the text clear and practical. The chapters on OOP were of particular value as they went beyond actionscript basics into application, bordering on philosophical.
   
   The second half is an invaluable reference of the entire actionscript dictionary with a comprehensive CD full of .fla example files and bonus chapters on the XML Object. As a qualified teacher I found it hard to fault the methodology employed by the various authors.
   
   Well worth the purchase.



4. This book is a great resource for when you're looking for that specific line of code. Its terrible to read from front to back, but its an excellent way to find exactly what you're looking for. Its so much code, it'll make your eyes bleed.



5. I have actually used this reference for years as needed for ActionScript. I still had a good use for this text in ensuring compatibility with Flash MX until the lack of features became too overwhelming. This is in the face of newer versions of Flash such as CS3 (9.0) that use ActionScript 2.0/3.0. All in all, this book was wonderful until the release of Flash 8.
   
   Because of the new Filters that have come out with Flash 8.0 and the features of ActionScript 2.0 to support these and other enhancements, I would instead recommend Flash 8 ActionScript Bible if one is concerned with cross-compatibility in their ActionScript code and wishes to still be able to use AS with newer features such as Filters (but not as new as Transitions or other CS3 exclusive features - for that, I'd recommend ActionScript 3.0 Bible or something similar).
   
   As far as who I could possibly recommend this book for: It's good for somebody who is still working with Flash MX 2004 and below to Flash 5 (much of the text is compatible with Flash 5), however, I don't know that there are many of those sorts of individuals.

No comments about Dynamic Bitmap Graphics with PHP and gd, Second Edition.

No comments about Australia in Pictures (Visual Geography. Second Series).