Learning basic 3D

[horvendile]

I couldn't decide which forum this should belong to, but I'll take a chance on this one.

Suppose that you know next to nothing about computer hardware in general and 3D hardware specifically, but want to learn the basics so you can at least read a video card review and understand what it says. How do you start?

IMO, you certainly can't start by hanging around at the B3D fora, that'd scare you to death within a day.
I guess one way could be to do it the semi-hard way; start reading reviews and try to pick it up as you go along. However, I fear that in this particular case stamina would be an issue.
So, is there any good reading for those who want to reach a reasonable level of understanding but don't have oceans of time to devote to such a project?

Clarification: The person in question has a M.Sc. but is on the computer hardware understanding level where the difference between a hard drive and RAM is quite clear but "memory bandwidth" is deep waters and possibly connected to filters.

 

[Simon F]

Do you want online material or would one of those old-fangled devices called a book do the job? If the latter, there are a few I could suggest.

 

[horvendile]

Do you want online material or would one of those old-fangled devices called a book

I deliberately kept that vague since I hadn't made up my mind...
I think preferrably online (no cost prohibition), but I'd be grateful for book hints too. After all, reading larger amounts of text is much nicer in book form than on a computer screen.

It would be great if the book(s) was modern enough to touch upon shader hardware. Come to think of it, that would probably be good reading for me too.

 

[Typedef Enum]

Book? What the heck is a book?

On that note, I go to Borders bookstore every week and pickup a new computer book. Lately, they've been centered on various aspects of .NET and COM, but this past week, it's been DirectX. I'm impressed with how far that API has come. I recall what a big pain in the ass it used to be just to get things up and running.

 

[3dcgi]

TypeDef. You must spend a lot of money on books. Most computer books aren't cheap.

It's been a while since I read this, but here's a 3d pipeline article from Extremetech.
http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,3973,464440,00.asp

 

[Pete]

ExtremeTech wrote two huge, multi-part articles way back when on the 3D pipeline and 3D hardware. You might begin your 3D journey by searching for those.

 

[Simon F]

Do you want online material or would one of those old-fangled devices called a book

I deliberately kept that vague since I hadn't made up my mind...
I think preferrably online (no cost prohibition), but I'd be grateful for book hints too. After all, reading larger amounts of text is much nicer in book form than on a computer screen.

Online, I don't really know of any really good "getting started" material partly because I've never looked for any .

As for books, there are a couple which spring to mind.

• 3D Computer Graphics
  I haven't actually read this introductory book but another of his, covering more advanced topics, is excellent.
• Computer Graphics: Principles and Practice
  This is the "Graphics Bible" an it frequently materialises on my desk. Perhaps a minor gripe is that the organisation of subject matter could be a bit better (e.g., some topics are spread across different chapters) but it contains a lot of information from the simple to the complex. Foley has also written an "Introduction to Computer Graphics" but that appears to be more expensive!

It would be great if the book(s) was modern enough to touch upon shader hardware. Come to think of it, that would probably be good reading for me too.

Funny you should say that because "programmable" graphics hardware is actually an old concept (eg Iknonas and CHAP systems). It was later that things moved to a fixed (but higher bang-for-the-$) pipeline before swinging back again. Anyway, Renderman and Shader Trees are mentioned in "Principles and Practice" (aka Foley and Van Dam) which is pretty much what the shaders are all about.

Book? What the heck is a book?

On that note, I go to Borders bookstore every week and pickup a new computer book.

Borders in the UK struck me as rather expensive. Anyway, I can't say I buy computer books quite that frequently but I recently bought Knuth's 3 volume "The Art of Computer Programming". It's not exactly a light read but at times it's been enlightening.

 

[Dio]

Computer Graphics: Principles and Practice[/url]
This is the "Graphics Bible" an it frequently materialises on my desk. Perhaps a minor gripe is that the organisation of subject matter could be a bit better (e.g., some topics are spread across different chapters) but it contains a lot of information from the simple to the complex.

Hmmm. Personally I wouldn't recommend Foley & Van Dam to a beginner, as it is likely to cause confusion and/or panic.

Frankly, I still don't understand most of it. But it does look terribly good on the shelf.

 

[PiNkY]

I have both of them. Introduction to computer graphics is basically an abbreviated version of Principles & Practice and a good starting point (600 vs 1000+ pages just to give you an idea). If you can find both at your university library (or whereever...) i'd recommend the former one, as its definitly easier to read through. If you wanna buy one or a looking for a reference guide, obviously go for the latter, as the former skip parts and entire chapters (without failing to deliver the important concepts). Hope this helps.

 

[Rodéric]

mmh over there @www.flipcode.com there's a geometry primer corner, and others, you could start by that, it's rather simple and will teach you the basics.

There are many other online ressources and books (But they cost huge money, at least here, in france).

 

[horvendile]

Thanks everybody, you have been very helpful.

I'll probably start with the Extremetech series; it's presumably something of that size she's looking for, at least to begin with. In fact, I'll read it myself too, there's bound to be things in there that I have missed or misunderstood.
If that falls out well (Can you say so in English or is it a poor word-by-word translation from Swedish?), I might continue with an actual book. Or I'll just pop by the local university library, as suggested - I have a tendency to forget the existence of those.

I have both of them. Introduction to computer graphics is basically an abbreviated version of Principles & Practice

Would "Introduction to computer graphics" be the first of the books Simon F suggested?

 

[Simon F]

I have both of them. Introduction to computer graphics is basically an abbreviated version of Principles & Practice

Would "Introduction to computer graphics" be the first of the books Simon F suggested?

The first book I suggested is by Alan Watt. The book Pinky is describing is the "little brother" of the 2nd book.

 

[darkblu]

I have both of them. Introduction to computer graphics is basically an abbreviated version of Principles & Practice

Would "Introduction to computer graphics" be the first of the books Simon F suggested?

The first book I suggested is by Alan Watt. The book Pinky is describing is the "little brother" of the 2nd book.

to dispel a possible misunderstanding here: "Intro to CG" by Allan Watt* is the abbreviated version of Adcanced Animation and Rendering Techniques: Theory & Practice by Allan and Mark Watt, which book is different than the 'Principles & Practice' by Foley et al

[ed] * doh! speaking about misunderstandings.. i meant "3d computer graphics" by Allan Watt.. "intro to CG" is exactly what Pinky said.

 

[Xmas]

Damn, this topic sent me on a buying spree... 190 EUR, I hope it will pay off

edit: I hate Unicode-unaware forum software

 

[Nutter]

to dispel a possible misunderstanding here: "Intro to CG" by Allan Watt* is the abbreviated version of Adcanced Animation and Rendering Techniques: Theory & Practice by Allan and Mark Watt, which book is different than the 'Principles & Practice' by Foley et al

[ed] * doh! speaking about misunderstandings.. i meant "3d computer graphics" by Allan Watt.. "intro to CG" is exactly what Pinky said.

An abbreviated version of AART? I'm not saying that you're wrong, as I don't have 3D CG, but the full AART is only 426 pages - I find it hard to believe that there'd be an even shorter book on the same subjects by the same author.

 

[3dcgi]

The book I'd recommend is "Real-Time Rendering." For me it was much better than "Computer Graphics: Principles and Practice" and "Advanced Animation and Rendering Techniques."

 

[CorwinB]

The book I'd recommend is "Real-Time Rendering." For me it was much better than "Computer Graphics: Principles and Practice" and "Advanced Animation and Rendering Techniques."

Real-Time Rendering is an incredible book.

For DirectX, ShaderX is a nice read, full of tips.

 

[Humus]

And don't forget ShaderX II when it comes around. Not sure if it's available anywhere yet, but it's been printed at least.

 

[Simon F]

The book I'd recommend is "Real-Time Rendering." For me it was much better than "Computer Graphics: Principles and Practice" and "Advanced Animation and Rendering Techniques."

Real-Time Rendering is an incredible book.

True. The second edition has some marvellous people mentioned in the acknowledgements

 

[epicstruggle]

I think this deserves its own thread. But why doesnt b3d partner with amazon (and other online bookstore), I buy many books and would love to think im supporting this site. I cant stand the (current) banners, so ive had to disable them. I hope people give some serious consideration about partnering b3d with amazon (et all).

later,
epic