Recently, there has been a resurgent interest in ray tracing due to the capability of the GPU. Reflecting recent trends, this second edition uses Java as the language for writing the ray tracer. The authors explain all concepts and processes with the aid of hundreds of diagrams, ray-traced images, and sample code. A supporting website provides Java code and a Java version of the skeleton ray tracers. The text is suitable for computer graphics students as well as individual programmers who would like to learn ray tracing.

With the increase in computing speed and due to the high quality of the optical effects it achieves, ray tracing is becoming a popular choice for interactive and animated rendering. This book takes readers through the whole process of building a modern ray tracer from scratch in C++. All concepts and processes are explained in detail with the aid o

With the increase in computing speed and due to the high quality of the optical effects it achieves, ray tracing is becoming a popular choice for interactive and animated rendering. This book takes readers through the whole process of building a modern ray tracer from scratch in C++. All concepts and processes are explained in detail with the aid o

Concentrating on the "nuts and bolts" of writing ray tracing programs, this new and revised edition emphasizes practical and implementation issues and takes the reader through all the details needed to write a modern rendering system. Most importantly, the book adds many C++ code segments, and adds new details to provide the reader with a better intuitive understanding of ray tracing algorithms.

The German Aerospace Center (DLR) is developing a new, holistic optical navigation system for all stages of spacecraft planetary approach and landing procedures. The central feature of this new navigation system is its landmark-based navigation. Commonly, craters are used as landmarks, as they exhibit very characteristic shapes and they are stable over the long term with respect to shape, structure and positioning. However, the flawless perception of these surface features by computers is a non-trivial task. A possibility of generating realistic surface images of celestial bodies with a significant number of craters and with well-known local illumination conditions is essential for the development of new navigation algorithms, as well as a technique for estimating the local illumination direction on these images. To date, no software exists to generate artificial renderings of realistically illuminated planetary surfaces while determining the local solar illumination direction. Having said this, a surface illumination simulation software for solid planetary surfaces with a significant number of craters has been developed within a master's thesis at the Merseburg University of Applied Sciences and the German Aerospace Center (DLR), whereas all work has been done in the context of the Moon. This software, the Moon Surface Illumination Simulation Framework (MSISF), is the first software known to produce realistic renderings of the entire Moon's surface from virtually every viewpoint, while simultaneously generating machine-readable information regarding the exactly known parameters for the environmental conditions, such as the local solar illumination angle for every pixel of a rendering showing a point on the Moon's surface. To produce its renderings, the MSISF maintains a global digital elevation model of the Moon, using the latest data sets from the ongoing NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter mission. The MSISF has also demonstrated its ability to not only produce single renderings, but also whole series of renderings corresponding to a virtual flight trajectory or landing on the Moon. The MSISF can also be modified for the rendering of other celestial bodies. This book shows how these renderings will be produced and how they will be suitable for the development and testing of new optical navigation algorithms; it is based upon the examination version of the original master's thesis.

Concentrating on the "nuts and bolts" of writing ray tracing programs, this new and revised edition emphasizes practical and implementation issues and takes the reader through all the details needed to write a modern rendering system. Most importantly, the book adds many C++ code segments, and adds new details to provide the reader with a better intuitive understanding of ray tracing algorithms.

Learn Java From the Ground-Up—With Animated Illustrations that You Manipulate This is the first effective Java book for true beginners. Sure, books before now focused on basic concepts and key techniques, and some even provided working examples on CD. Still, they lacked the power to transform someone with no programming experience into someone who sees, who really "gets it." Working with Ground-Up Java, you will definitely get it. This is due to the clarity of Phil Heller's explanations, and the smoothly flowing organization of his instruction. He's one of the best Java trainers around. But what's really revolutionary are his more than 30 animated illustrations, which you'll find on the enclosed CD. Each of these small programs, visual and interactive in nature, vividly demonstrates how its source code works. You can modify it in different ways, distinctly altering the behavior of the program. As you experiment with these tools—and you can play with them for hours—you'll gain both the skills and the fundamental understanding needed to complete each chapter's exercises, which steadily increase in sophistication. No other beginning Java book can take you so far, so quickly, and none will be half as much fun. Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.