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

Working with mouse interactions

The position of the mouse on the screen is recorded as a pixel location based on the screen coordinate system. As you discovered in earlier chapters, the screen coordinate system by default has its origin in the upper-left corner of the graphics window.

The actions that can be taken with a mouse include the following:

  • Pressing down any of the mouse buttons with a finger, including the left, right, and middle buttons
  • Releasing a finger press on any of the mouse buttons
  • Moving the mouse without pressing any buttons
  • Dragging, which is moving the mouse while a button is being held
  • Scrolling, in which the user’s finger turns the mouse wheel, or on a touchpad or touch mouse, gliding the finger over the surface either vertically or horizontally

The mouse can be used for selecting objects, moving objects, clicking on buttons or input fields, moving the camera, and drawing on the screen. Many of these functions will be...