WHAT YOU LL LEARN FROM THIS BOOK

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN FROM THIS BOOK

This book is intended for someone familiar with 3D graphics who wants a better understanding about just how some math can turn a bunch of data into a photorealistic scene. This book not only covers the basics of setting up and using vertex and pixel shaders, it also discusses in depth the very equations (and simplifications) that were used in the default graphics pipeline. You'll learn what the basic equations are for lighting and shading, what the standards are, and most important, how to toss them out and program your own.

The emphasis is on giving you the knowledge to understand the equations that are used in lighting and shading, what the alternatives are, and how you can write your own. The equations are discussed in detail, and a shader editing tool from ATI called RenderMonkey is included. RenderMonkey is a powerful tool with an easy to use interface with which you can dynamically edit vertex and pixel shaders and their parameters in real time and see the changes upon a variety of objects. Not only will you understand the differences between the standard Blinn-Phong lighting equations and others like Torrance-Sparrow and Oren-Nayar, but you'll learn how to make real-time shaders that implement these models. Anisotropic lighting, cartoon shading, Fresnel effects; it's all covered in this book.