1 comments about MathLink: Network Programming with Mathematica.

1. For those who know Mathematica well, and who also want
   to call Mathematica programs either remotely or from
   programs not written in Mathematica, this book is the
   canonical reference; in fact the only one that I am
   aware of other than the documentation that comes with
   Mathematica. The material in tbe book goes far beyond
   what can be found in the documentation however. As the
   authors observe, writing programs from scratch using
   the TCP/IP protocol can be formidable, and so MathLink
   was invented to ease the process for those who do not
   want to become expert in TCP/IP. Readers will also
   have to have a working knowledge of the C programming
   language.

   The book covers the Windows. Macintosh, and
   Unix platforms, with LINUX emphasized for the latter.
   Since all three of these operating systems are covered
   in the book, this makes navigation in it a little
   annoying at times. It does expand on the actual
   evaluation process when executing a Mathlink program,

   and how Mathlink does type conversion. Latency issues
   in the network will of course have to be dealt with in
   using Mathlink. The authors devote a chapter of the
   book in dealing with data transfer times across a
   network. They are also wise enough to know that the
   data transfer is best done with functions written in C
   for situations that are time-intensive. Readers just
   need to remember to call the Install function after
   each change they make to the .c and .tm files, as this

   fact is not emphasized by the authors.
   A chapter is devoted to the debugging of
   programs written in MathLink. The ability to debug
   these programs is really because of the underlying C
   code rather than Mathematica, for the latter does not
   of course have a debugger. The authors also illustrate
   real-time graphics with TurtleGraphics, which is based
   on the graphics primitives of Logo. Although somewhat
   antiquated, it was put in to allow simulations of
   cellular automata that are done in the next chapter.
   Transfer times in the performing of real-time graphics
   are reduced by employing color tables. For those
   working on MAC OS or Windows machines, a discussion of
   the digitizing of movies is given using the QuickTime
   movie player. These discussions of real-time graphics
   are generalized to interactive graphics in the next
   chapter. This discussion is particularly enlightening,
   since it deals with how to implement object-oriented
   programming in Mathematica. Interestingly, objects are
   thought of as function names when sending messages to
   them. This is an illustration of the classic "message-
   passing" paradigm in object-oriented programming, with
   the messages being send to objects as their function
   arguments. The authors discuss the class method and
   instance method; the latter being the collection of
   definitions that make up the class. Single and
   multiple inheritance, a very important feature of
   object-oriented programming, are discussed, and the
   authors show how to create an event-driven mechanism
   using Mathlink. Most interestingly, they show how to
   create a window object, and this leads to a detailed
   discussion on how to write a real-time interactive
   graphics system. The latter is not supported by the
   Mathematica front-end, and so for readers interested
   in creating these for purposes such as curve-fitting
   to data, their discussion is very helpful.

   In addition, for those involved in large-scale

   team efforts in writing Mathematica applications, or
   programs calling Mathematica, the authors show how to
   use Mathlink to communicate between different
   Mathematica sessions. They discuss briefly the use of
   J/Link to enable users to write Java programs to call
   Mathematica programs, thus exploiting Java's
   portability capabilities.

1 comments about How Computer Graphics Work.

1. It is a very good educational book, I use it in various classes at different levels. I suggest it for all who wants to begin to understand computer graphics not only from the user point of view.

No comments about Discrete Dynamical Systems and Difference Equations with Mathematica.

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.

1 comments about Mathematica(R) for Physics (2nd Edition).

1. This rather compact book has given me hours of delight. There are many helpful examples; examples that reflect real problems. A drawback for many Mathematica books is that they revolve around easy examples, and that their utility is limited in the interest of clarity.
   
   Zimmerman and Olnes display two areas of expertise: Mathematica and physics. It is clear that they are seasoned practitioners and they are sharing the results of the experience.
   
   The graduated problems were quite helpful. The problems span the spectrum from easy to challenging and are an excellent adjunct to the text.
   
   Mathematica is a sophisticated package and this volume was very helpful during the transition from pedagogic tutorials to attacking problems in grad school and the laboratory.

No comments about Creating a Web Site with Flash CS4: Visual QuickProject Guide.

No comments about Directing the Story: Professional Storytelling and Storyboarding Techniques for Live Action and Animation.

1 comments about User Interface Design: Bridging the Gap from User Requirements to Design.

1. This is a compendium of papers delivered at an HCI design conference held in 1998. The papers are essentially descriptions of how the speakers addressed the issue of bridging from requirements to an HCI designl.As a review of what people are doing to try to address this issue, this is an important and useful book. As a critial comparative analysis of what are the best methods and why, it is not.

5 comments about C4D 9.5: Real-World 3D Animation Production (Graphics Series).

1. This book has provided me with a hands on guid that I have search for many years. I am new to animation, and I think Mr. Mitchell did a fantastic job of explaining and making his real world application easy to follow. This book has taught me more about professional animation than any other books in my library. To me the CD is an added bonus. I would highly recommend this book to any beginner who is trying Learn 3D animation production. The only negative thing I have to say is, why it took you so long to publish a book that gave someone like me the confidence in learning 3D animation. I was able to create my first animated characters by using this book, by adding this book to your library, you will be gaining a wealth of knowledge. By the way, when is your next book coming out? Simply, this book is GREAT.



2. After working with Maya for about 3yrs now I would say this book has opened up another way for me to look at animation. It should be about the creative side to get fantastic results not about computer programming (MEL). C4D helps you get great results in no time and my man Larry has demonstrated that very nicely. Maya is so completed and confusing that you really have to be way experience to get a good enough results. I would highly recommend this book to any beginner who is wants to Learn 3D animation (so those people like me out there get, grab this book and make your first big step into the animation world). Larry Mitchell awesome book, no doubt about it, experience users of Cinema 4D you just have to wait for next book perhaps!!



3. This was book was extremely helpful and easy to follow. It was used in class to help my students and they found the animation and dynamics information invaluable. I'm always impressed when someone can successfully communicate difficult technical information.



4. The book really should be called "how to cheat with animating C4d by buying lots of expensive addons". The tutorials are interesting, but what is missing is basic animating in C4D with the tools already available. For example, there is no section on animating facial expressions. That is so much used in games and movies that it's omission is curious. Many of the human animations are done with using the BodyStudio plugin to import animations done in Poser. Poser's animation tools are moderately good for things like walking, but lack the sophistication of tools available in C4D. If you like premade animations, his technique is good. There is no mention of the InterPoser plugin which is a stronger way of importing Poser objects in C4D.
   
   Also missing is any section of web based animation: rotating 3D objects in response to user input. But there is a section on modeling with IModeller 3D that really doesn't have anything to do with animation.
   
   This book would be useful to someone who already knows how to animate in C4D but wishes to understand various addins that are useful in importing Poser animations, making games, adding keyed video (like the section on Ultra), etc. So it really a book on how to cheat in C4D and save time by buying other programs.



5. Don't get this hoping to learn high quality character animation, but if you want to learn quick animation where time & budget is first concern then this good book. Contrary to what some have said its not all about 3rd party apps. He does cover modeling, Expresso scripting & dynamics - I believe Expresso comes with the basic CD4 and dynamics comes with the complete CD4. Even though the book is far from complete he does cover subjects no one else has the nerve to touch.

No comments about Computer Graphics for Engineers.