Letter from the Series Editor

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Letter from the Series Editor

Although, "photon mapping" sounds like something from Star Trek Next Generation , it's not! Photon mapping is the process of modeling the true interactions of light and energy within an environment to create truly photo-realistic lighting effects and visuals that make current shading technologies look like they are something from the 8-bit era. Nonetheless, photon mapping is very complex on a theoretical level, and deep understanding of it can only be achieved with advanced knowledge of physics, optics, mathematics, and 3D graphics. However, if you're like me, sometimes you just want the facts; the bottom line on how to do something. That's what Focus On Photon Mapping is all about. The author, Marlon John, is a programmer and graphics enthusiast who has studied photon mapping for years now. Originally we met many, many years ago; he asked me how to perform some matrix operations for a 3D graphics engine he was developing. Since then, Marlon has become fascinated with photon mapping, and has implemented numerous photon mappers.

This book is a quick-and-dirty treatise on the subject to get you started with the technology without needing a Ph.D in mathematics! However, the book does assume general 3D graphics knowledge, and an intermediate level of programming skill. A beginner will be able to get someone out of the book, but I suggest you brush up on your C++ before attempting this.

In conclusion, when I first started studying the subject myself I was frustrated that no one with a practical sense of programming had written anything about the subject. Learning photon mapping was like learning quantum mechanics[md]slow tedious , boring. However, Focus On Photon Mapping takes a more down-to-Earth approach, and leaves the heavy theory out. By the end of this book, you'll have a working photon mapper, not more questions about how to integrate some triple integral that is meaningless.

Sincerely,

Andre' LaMothe

Series Editor of Premier Press's Game Development Series

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