Book Image

Mathematics for Game Programming and Computer Graphics

By : Penny de Byl
5 (1)
Book Image

Mathematics for Game Programming and Computer Graphics

5 (1)
By: Penny de Byl

Overview of this book

Mathematics is an essential skill when it comes to graphics and game development, particularly if you want to understand the generation of real-time computer graphics and the manipulation of objects and environments in a detailed way. Python, together with Pygame and PyOpenGL, provides you with the opportunity to explore these features under the hood, revealing how computers generate and manipulate 3D environments. Mathematics for Game Programming and Computer Graphics is an exhaustive guide to getting “back to the basics” of mathematics, using a series of problem-based, practical exercises to explore ideas around drawing graphic lines and shapes, applying vectors and vertices, constructing and rendering meshes, and working with vertex shaders. By leveraging Python, Pygame, and PyOpenGL, you’ll be able to create your own mathematics-based engine and API that will be used throughout to build applications. By the end of this graphics focussed book, you’ll have gained a thorough understanding of how essential mathematics is for creating, rendering, and manipulating 3D virtual environments and know the secrets behind today’s top graphics and game engines.
Table of Contents (26 chapters)
1
Part 1 – Essential Tools
9
Part 2 – Essential Trigonometry
14
Part 3 – Essential Transformations
20
Part 4 – Essential Rendering Techniques

Culling Polygons According to the Normals

The removal of a polygon from rendering is called culling. Culling can occur on an entire polygon or just one side. The side that is removed during the culling process is called the backface and it is the opposite side of the polygon to that from which the normal is projected.

In the next practical exercise, we will explore how normals are used to display these types of images.

Let’s do it…

So far, the polygons we have been rendering have had textures on both sides, unbeknownst to you. Now it’s time to take a look at what’s going on both sides:

  1. From GitHub, download a copy of plane2.obj from the Chapter 11/models folder and place it in your project’s model folder.
  2. Make the following changes to ExploreNormals.py:
    from Cube import *
    ..
    objects_3d = []
    objects_2d = []
    cube = Object("Cube")
    cube.add_component(Transform((0, 0, -3)))
    cube.add_component(Cube(GL_POLYGON,
       &...