Book Description

This engaging book presents the essential mathematics needed to describe, simulate, and render a 3D world. Reflecting both academic and in-the-trenches practical experience, the authors teach you how to describe objects and their positions, orientations, and trajectories in 3D using mathematics. The text provides an introduction to mathematics for game designers, including the fundamentals of coordinate spaces, vectors, and matrices. It also covers orientation in three dimensions, calculus and dynamics, graphics, and parametric curves.

• Contains numerous C++ and HLSL examples that illustrate how to put the techniques into practice
• Provides hundreds of worked problems that reinforce the basic concepts and explore interesting side quests
• Includes expanded, graceful introductions to the mathematics fundamental to game development
• Covers two important application areas—graphics and physics—in introductory ove

Review
“With solid theory and references, along with practical advice borne from decades of experience, all presented in an informal and demystifying style, Dunn & Parberry provide an accessible and useful approach to the key mathematical operations needed in 3D computer graphics.”
—Eric Haines, author of Real-Time Rendering

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Book Description

Physics for Flash Games, Animation, and Simulations teaches ActionScript programmers how to incorporate real physics into their Flash animations, games, user interfaces, and simulations.

• Introduces Flash physics in an accurate, but approachable way, covering what is required to produce physically realistic simulations (as opposed to animations that look roughly right)
• Packed full of practical examples of how physics can be applied to your own games and applications
• Addresses the diverse needs of game developers, animators, artists, and e-learning developers

The book assumes a basic knowledge of ActionScript and Flash. However, no previous knowledge of physics is required—only some very basic math skills. The authors present everything from basic principles to advanced concepts, so you’ll be able to follow the logic and easily adapt the principles to your own applications. The book builds on your physics knowledge, enabling you to create not only visual effects, but also more complex models and simulations.

What you’ll learn

• Basic math and physics you’ll need to incorporate realism into your games, animations and simulations
• How to incorporate a wide range of forces, including environmental forces such as gravity and friction, and forces due to fluids, such as drag and upthrust
• How to build a number of realistic simulations, like submarines and flight simulators Download Now »

Book Description

Beginning Android 4 Games Development offers everything you need to join the ranks of successful Android game developers. You’ll start with game design fundamentals and programming basics, and then progress toward creating your own basic game engine and playable game that works on Android 4.0 and earlier devices. This will give you everything you need to branch out and write your own Android games.

The potential user base and the wide array of available high-performance devices makes Android an attractive target for aspiring game developers. Do you have an awesome idea for the next break-through mobile gaming title? Beginning Android 4 Games Development will help you kick-start your project.

The book will guide you through the process of making several example games for the Android platform, and involves a wide range of topics:

• The fundamentals of Android game development targeting Android 1.5-4.0+ devices
• The Android platform basics to apply those fundamentals in the context of making a game
• The design of 2D and 3D games and their successful implementation on the Android platform

What you’ll learn

• How to set up and use the development tools for developing your first Android 4 or earlier version game app
• The fundamentals of game programming in the context of the Android platform Download Now »

Book Description

Starling is an ActionScript 3 2D framework developed on top of the Stage3D APIs (available on desktop in Flash Player 11 and Adobe AIR 3). Starling is mainly designed for game development, but could be used for many other use cases. Starling makes it possible to write fast GPU accelerated applications without having to touch the low-level Stage3D APIs.

Most Flash developers want to be able to leverage GPU acceleration (through Stage3D) without the need to write such higher-level frameworks and dig into the low-level Stage3D APIs. Starling is completely designed after the Flash Player APIs and abstracts the complexity of Stage3D (Molehill) and allows easy and intuitive programming for everyone.

Obviously Starling is for ActionScript 3 developers, especially those involved in 2D game development; of course you will need to have a basic understanding of ActionScript 3. By its design (lightweight, flexible and simple), Starling can be used also be used for other use cases like UI programming. That said, everything is designed to be as intuitive as possible, so any Java™ or .Net™ developer will get the hang of it quickly as well.

About the Author
Thibault Imbert is a Flash Player product manager focused on graphics and rendering. After a few years working for different French agencies as a Flash developer, Thibault became an Adobe Certified Instructor in Paris where he taught ActionScript at an Adobe training center. Download Now »

Book Description

In Pro OpenGL ES for iOS, you’ll find out how to harness the full power of OpenGL ES, and design your own 3D applications by building a fully-functional 3D solar system model using Open GL ES!

OpenGL has set the standard for 3D computer graphics, and is an essential aspect of iPhone, iPad, and iOS development. This book offers everything you need to know, from basic mathematical concepts to advanced coding techniques. You’ll learn by building this fascinating 3D solar system simulator!

After introducing OpenGL ES, Pro OpenGL ES for iOS explains the basics of 3D math and then orients you to the iOS-native 3D libraries you’ll be using in your own 3D games and the solar system project you’ll build using this book. Through the solar system example project, you’ll learn how to incorporate a variety of graphic and animation techniques into your applications. You will also discover how the full spectrum of 3D development that awaits, with topics such as lighting, texture-mapping, modeling, shaders, blending modes, and several more advanced concepts.

By the time you finish Pro OpenGL ES for iOS, you’ll have learned all the skills you’ll need to build your own incredible 3D applications, based on one of the most powerful 3D libraries available.

What you’ll learn

• The basics of 3D mathematics, and how they are applied in the OpenGL library
• How to design and build your 3D worlds Download Now »

Book Description

The Windows Phone 7 platform, now recently updated, provides a remarkable opportunity for Windows developers to create state-of-the-art mobile applications using their existing skills and a familiar toolset. Pro Windows Phone 7 Development, Second Edition helps you unlock the potential of this platform and create dazzling, visually rich, and highly functional applications for the Windows Phone Marketplace—including using new features like copy-and-paste and API improvements in the NoDo and Mango update waves.

For developers new to the Windows Phone platform—whether .NET, iPhone, or Android developers—this book starts by introducing the features and specifications of the Windows Phone series, and then leads you through the complete application development process. You’ll learn how to use Microsoft technologies like Silverlight, .NET, the XNA Framework, Visual Studio, and Expression Blend effectively, how to take advantage of the device’s sensors with the location service, accelerometer, and touch, how to make your apps location-aware using GPS data, how to utilize the rich media capabilities of the Windows Phone series, and much more. Finally, you’ll receive a full tutorial on how to publish and sell your application through the Windows Phone Marketplace. And in this second edition, learn quickly and easily how to take advantage of new API capabilities and HTML5 support right in your browser.

What you’ll learn

• The specifications and capabilities of the Windows Phone series and how to harness that power in your applications Download Now »