No comments about Prince Henry the Navigator.

5 comments about Real-Time Shader Programming (The Morgan Kaufmann Series in Computer Graphics).

1. The first half of this book was on basic computer graphics. The second half wasn't much more than a rewrite of Microsofts DirectX documentation. There were only a few pages of shader techniques that I found useful.



2. If you know very little about DirectX 8 or 9 shader programming this book is an excellent introduction. It is low level assembly only, no Cg or HLSL, but in my opinion you need to know the assembly programming to ensure the best performance of your shaders. The introductory material is good, covering basic things you should know, ambient, diffuse, specular, and Fresnel equations. The second section builds working shaders implementing these basic concepts. The third section is a shader assembler reference. IMO this book is well written and an easy read.



3. In "Real-Time Shader Programming", Ron Fosner describes the essential elements necessary for developing shaders in a very approachable full color book that spans just over 400 pages. The book includes a CD with a beta version ATI's RenderMonkey and coded examples of many of the shaders discussed in the text.

   Shaders are a relatively new option in the rendering pipeline. By taking explicit control over how vertices and pixels are processed by the graphics hardware, a virtually unlimited number of special effects are available to the programmer. Generally, custom lighting, coloring, or texture mapping are used to create a unique look for an application.

   Beginning with elementary vector math, the book moves quickly into lighting theory. The lighting chapter highlights the mathematical approximation of physically based lighting using the traditional ambient, specular, diffuse, and emissive colors in a scene. Representations for reflection and refraction are derived from Snell's Law, and Fresnel equations. Finally, non-photo realistic rendering (from cel shading, tonal art maps, and hatching) is covered through pictures and a wealth of external references. The chapter makes for an enjoyable read by providing an understandable background to lighting techniques to non-seasoned graphics programmers.

   Fosner describes how to set up the DirectX pipeline to use shaders. While he touches on some of the nuances you're likely to encounter, the DirectX section seemed a bit sparse compared to the earlier chapters. The DirectX setup calls specific to shaders were well documented, however the chapter didn't dwell on creating the pipeline.

   In the subsequent chapter, Fosner discusses several current shader creation and visualization tools. The chapter is relatively short in length perhaps due in part to the volatility and newness of cutting edge shader tools. While high level shader tools, like Nvidia's Cg or Microsoft's High Level Shader Language were briefly mentioned, the book instead focused on the shader language primitives. As such, it provided a sound fundamental shader approach that is universal to all higher-level shader implementations.

   Having the groundwork firmly in place, Fosner provides a wealth of shader examples. Starting with the minimal vertex shader, additional functionality is layered to build more complex shaders. Sample shaders are developed using the lighting equations presented earlier. While it may take a little time to digest some of the more sophisticated examples, like the cartoon shader, the text provides adequate descriptive detail coupled with helpful color pictures to make it easier.

   The final chapter provides a vertex and pixel command reference. Each command describes the supported shader version, usage, and a short example. The book covers shader implementations for both DirectX 8.x and DirectX 9. Differences between the two versions are noted throughout the sample code and reference section. When appropriate, additional notes on specific DirectX versions are also provided. Fosner does a good job of providing references throughout the book for further information on a subject.

   While having familiarity with the rendering pipeline, I found this book very approachable and easy to understand despite not being a low-level graphics programmer. The writing and companion tools provided challenged me to explore the world of shaders and attempt to write some of my own. The tools were a great aid, since it alleviated me from having to write my own engine, and instead focus on the actual shader code. Writing in pseudo-assembly may not seem like fun, but it was - especially when you could experiment with one of the pre-coded routines Fosner supplied and view the results of a vertex or pixel shader routine through RenderMonkey instantly.

   Shaders will play an increasingly important role in game development as they allow immense visual flexibility with which to create a unique appearance. Fosner's book presents the introductory groundwork necessary for developing custom shaders. For programmers who are new to shaders or want to experiment with different rendering effects, this book is a great place to start.




4. Although some of the content is interesting, if feels like it lacks organization and structure. In addition, half the book is a shader reference which seems to almost be ripped from the Microsoft DirectX documentation



5. This book was designed to fill a gap caused by the paradigm shift of going from the fixed-function pipeline found in Direct3D and OpenGL to programming shaders. This book is not a collection of shaders. Instead it explains exactly how shaders work so you can go about creating your own. The first part of the book goes into detail of the mathematics of shading and lighting in an effort to illustrate how a shader can be written. The book does contain shaders, though these tend to be basic building blocks, not complete, focused shaders.
   For example, the author discusses the diffuse vs. specular vs. ambient vs. emissive lighting equations and shows how you can use variations of these particular equations to mix and match to get different effects. Creating shaders isn't a cut and paste operation - it's a creative artistic endeavor, and this book gives you the tools and the theoretical knowledge to understand how to create your own. It's not chock full of creative tricks, though there are a few useful ones. It's more an examination of the basic building blocks of shader writing.
   The book is focused at both the beginning 3D graphics programmer/artist and the advanced. There's a short section on introductory 3D math such as vertices, points, elementary 3D graphics math, followed by a lengthy chapter on the mathematics of lighting and shading. The book does a good job of explaining the difference between pixel and vertex shading.
   Next is a chapter devoted to setting-up Direct3D to use shaders including vertex streams. There's a short chapter on current shader resources that can be found on-line including a tool that the author wrote for the book that illustrates the different methods of handling color over-saturation.
   The chapter entitled "shader buffet" is a collection of various shader programs all included on the CD that illustrate the basics of shader writing and how to code various variations of a theme - Phong specular lighting vs. Blinn specular for example. The final chapter is the DirectX8/DirectX9 shader reference for low-level shader language. The high level language is not covered in this book. The book is full-color throughout, so when the book talks about an effect, it's followed immediately by an image representation.
   I gave the book three stars because although well-written, I thought that the mathematics was too elementary for someone who was already into computer graphics to the point that they were ready to tackle writing shaders. Also, I thought that the reference section for the low-level shading language took up space that could have been used for further instruction. However, the material on how to write your own shaders was unique information that is hard to find in the cut and paste books on shaders that are currently in print. Thus it is a worthwhile read, even if it is somewhat expensive for what you are ultimately getting.

No comments about Color and Two-Dimensional Design: A Computer-Enhanced Course.

No comments about The New Wider World.

2 comments about Photoshop Elements 3 for Windows & Macintosh (Visual QuickStart Guide).

1. I like the format of the Visual QuickStart Guides. Generally speaking, the pages are divided into two columns. The outside column has a headline explaining what the page is about and text to describe how to do it, and perhaps include a bit of explanation or a Tip. The inside column has a screen shot of what the monitor should look like as you do that particular operation. This is combined with an index that directs you to the page based on what you need to do.
   
   I find that this approach works very well for me. I also happen to like the writing style that Craig Hoeschen has. He seems to pick just the right level of detail that I want to start doing some function.
   
   This particular book is on Photoshop Elements, version 3. Version 3 has some nice extensions to the older versions of Elements, but if you've used Version 2 you probably don't need this book to pick up the differences. If you're new to Photoshop Elements, this is an excellent place to start.



2. The Visual Quickstart series is, in my opinion, the best replacement for a manual, or for those excuses for a manual that appear in software boxes. The Photoshop Elements book fits that need to a T.
   
   The numbered steps take you through each of the operations, and I've yet to find an error or omission in any Quickstart book I've read. The reason that this book doesn't get five stars is that Photoshop Elements is a difficult book to fit in the Quickstart format.
   
   In writing a dual-platform book, author Craig Hoeschen faces the problem that a large part of the program (the Windows Photo Organizer) only shows up in one version. It is possible to work without the Organizer, but most Windows users will adopt it, so then there's the problem of looking for what you consider the basics only to find they're in the last chapter of the book.
   
   Many programs need no explanation of how to use them in terms of what you need to do at the meta level - there aren't books such as How to Write a Novel in Microsoft Word. It's assumed that once the user learns the difference between the program and the traditional way of doing things (like MS Word versus the typewriter) then no more help is necessary.
   
   But Photoshop needs lots of project-based instruction, and although Craig Hoeschen makes a good stab in a chapter called Creative Techniques (and in many instances through the rest of the book), you really need another book to help with this (which is why I bought Jennifer Fulton's "Photoshop Elements 3 in a Snap"). Then I found the book to extend Photoshop Elements called "The Hidden Power of Photoshop Elements 3" (by Richard Lynch) which came with a CD that added many useful features to the program.
   
   So the Quickstart Guide can't deal with all your Photoshop queries. It will satisfy your needs for an easy-to-get-to guide for many program operations, but you'll need other books to get the most out of the program. All these books are good, but be warned that no single Photoshop Elements book will show all you need to know.

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

No comments about Adobe Flash Advanced CS3 Step by Step Training.

No comments about Object-Oriented Design for Temporal GIS (Research Monographs in Geographical Information Systems).

5 comments about DirectX 9 Graphics: The Definitive Guide to Direct 3D (Wordware Applications Library).

1. This book starts out with 3D math reviews and goes on to Direct3D fundamentals.
   
   Pro:
   - It has pretty good chapters on the X file, camera system, and skeletal animation
   - I love the DirectX Q&A on the back of appendix which gives a thorough some of the questions you mgiht have ran into but can't find the answers
   
   Con:
   - the chapter on materials and lightning could have been expanded more such as giving more samples
   - the samples you can downloaded although there are no error in the code but you have to put a little of work to add those files into a new project and compile
   
   Overall, it's a great start for those who wish to learn DirectX 9. I strongly suggest you to download the DirectX9 SDK and read it along with this book. You should have a solid basic foundation of direct3d at the end of this book.



2. I got this title because it had the most references and positive
   reviews. But this is a seriously flawed book. Important topics
   like depth, culling, block bit transfers, and any discussion of
   shadows and reflections are completely missing.
   The book style is quirky, it starts like a users guide, with
   installation instructions for directX, then launches into a
   feature by feature discussion with virtually no overview material
   about what 3d drawing means, and what we are trying to accomplish.
   
   Further, the author starts with an example of how to write a
   message loop that POLLS for messages instead of releases control
   to get them "because we need all the time we can get for the
   game". This is an amateur hour stunt that is the reason some
   apps bog down the system in Windows. Its totally unecessary,
   you can use timers to make sure you get program time from the
   system WHEN APPROPRIATE, not continuously WASTING CPU time.
   DON'T use this technique !
   
   I'm sorry to say that I have not found a professional, readable
   high level book on Direct3d yet. This is in contrast to the
   excellent books available for OpenGL. Sad.



3. Well despite an appealing title, it remains an overview. The
   author is only giving a small extract of the programming code
   which would be hard for someone to pick up without being more
   familiar with DirectX structure. Not very useful unless you
   know some DirectX but then, does not give a lot more info ....
   especially for $49 ! Don't waste your money.



4. This book is not even close to being the definitive guide to Direct3D. At best it's an introduction, and covers even less material than other introductions (eg Frank Luna's book or Wolfgang Engel's book).
   
   The first 20 pages are given over to installing DirectX SDK. Complete waste of time for anyone who can read the SDK install doc. The chapter on video playback is pure filler - that is not part of Direct3D and shouldn't be in the book. You would learn just as much D3D by following the free SDK tutorials or some of the excellent (free) Internet tutorials.
   
   To make matters worse, he defines his own linked list class, instead of using the STL std::list. That's always a bad sign in my book.
   
   All in all very poor. Stick with the SDK docs and Internet tutorials.



5. This book is a decent introduction to Direct3D graphics, but it's by no means a definitive guide, nor is it a guide to Direct3D9 graphics. A discussion of the real meat and potatoes of Direct3D9, the facet that makes the API so exciting for developers, pixel and vertex shaders, is completely omitted. So it's essentially a Direct3D7 level text.
   
   The discussion of 3D mathematics was abysmal, a lot of the actual math isn't really shown, but how to use the D3DX helper functions are. Worst of all, Thorn didn't show us how to multiply matrices -- LUDICROUS! If anyone wants to be a professional graphics programmer, implementing and developing new algorithms, they're going to need to get to grips with the, sometimes grueling, mathematics.
   
   The discussion of 3D concepts is okay, but it's all extremely basic. I was able to get a very simple, fixed-function game engine running using this book as a reference for some of the API functions, but if you want to make more cutting edge graphics programs, you need pixel shaders to do that.
   
   If you can get this book used and dirt cheap, then it'll be a decent intro to Direct3D, but I suggest you pick up either Wolfgang Engel's Beginning Direct3D Game Programming and/or Frank Luna's book -- both of which introduce pixel/vertex shaders.
   
   After you read the forementioned, "Programming Vertex And Pixel Shaders" by Wolfgang Engel will be most useful, as well as the ShaderX series (also edited by Engel).

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