Название: Introduction to Computer Graphics: Using OpenGL and Java, 3rd Edition
Автор: Karsten Lehn, Merijam Gotzes, Frank Klawonn
Издательство: Springer
Серия: Undergraduate Topics in Computer Science
Год: 2023
Страниц: 476
Язык: английский
Формат: pdf (true)
Размер: 12.6 MB

A basic understanding of the key techniques in computer graphics can open the door to this exciting field and its many applications, including for video games and for augmented and virtual reality.

This easy-to-follow textbook and reference introduces the fundamental concepts of computer graphics, integrating both technical background and theory with practical examples and applications throughout. Thoroughly revised and updated, this new edition continues to present a user-friendly approach to creating images and animations, complementing the expanded coverage of topics with usage of example programs and exercises.

Until the third edition, this book contained examples of the Java 2D and Java 3D graphics systems. Although it is still possible to learn many principles of computer graphics using Java 2D and Java 3D, it seems timely, given the above background, to also introduce the basics of shader programming. Since Java 2D and Java 3D do not allow this, this edition contains only examples for the graphics programming interface Open Graphics Library (OpenGL).

The OpenGL is a graphics programming interface that has become very widespread over the last decades due to its open concept and platform independence. It is now supported by the drivers of all major graphics processors and graphics cards for the major operating systems. The web variant WebGL (Web Graphics Library) is now supported by all major web browsers, enabling shader-based graphics programming for web applications. Despite the very widespread use of the OpenGL, it serves in this book only as an example of the concepts of modern graphics programming that can also be found in other programming interfaces, such as Direct3D, Metal or Vulkan.

Java is one of the most popular and well-liked object-oriented high-level programming languages today. It is very widespread in teaching at colleges and universities, as its features make the introduction to programming very easy. Furthermore, it is easy to switch to other programming languages. This is confirmed again and again by feedback from students after a practical semester or from young professionals. Although the OpenGL specification is independent of a programming language, many implementations and development tools exist for the programming languages C and C++. For this reason, many solutions to graphics programming problems, especially in web forums, can be found for these programming languages.

The aim of this edition of this book is to combine the advantages of the easy-to-learn Java programming language with modern graphics programming using the OpenGL for a simple introduction to graphics programming. The aim is to make it possible to enter this field even with minimal knowledge of Java. Thus, this book can be used for the teaching of computer graphics already early in the studies. For this purpose, the Java binding Java OpenGL (JOGL) was chosen, which is very close in its use to OpenGL bindings to the programming language C. This makes it easy to port solutions implemented in C to Java. The limitation to a single Java binding (JOGL) was deliberate in order to support the learner in concentrating on the core concepts of graphics programming. All in all, the combination of Java and JOGL appears to be an ideal basis for beginners in graphics programming, with the potential to transfer the acquired knowledge to other software development environments or to other graphics programming interfaces with a reasonable amount of effort.

With the Java Platform Standard Edition (Java SE), the two-dimensional programming interface Java 2D is still available, which was used for examples in this book until the third edition. Since the concepts of OpenGL differ fundamentally from the Java 2D concepts, all examples in this book are OpenGL examples with the Java binding JOGL. This simplifies learning for the reader and eliminates the need for rethinking between Java 2D, Java 3D or OpenGL.

Topics and features:

Contains pedagogical tools, including easy-to-understand example programs and end-of-chapter exercises
Presents a practical guide to basic computer graphics programming using the Open Graphics Library (OpenGL) and the widely used Java programming language
Includes new and expanded content on the OpenGL graphics pipelines, shader programming, drawing basic objects using the OpenGL, three-dimensional modelling, quaternions, rasterisation, antialiasing and more
Supplies complete Java project examples as supplementary material

This reader-friendly textbook is an essential tool for second-year undergraduate students and above, providing clear and concise explanations of the basic concepts of computer graphics. It will enable readers to immediately implement these concepts using the OpenGL and Java (with only elementary knowledge of the programming language).