This Wrox Blox shows you how to add graphics to Visual Basic 2008 applications by explaining fundamental graphics techniques such as: drawing shapes with different colors and line styles; filling areas with colors, gradients, and patterns; drawing text that is properly aligned, sized, and clipped exactly where you want it; manipulating images and saving results in bitmap, JPEG, and other types of files. Also covered are instructions for how to greatly increase your graphics capabilities using transformations, which allow you to move, stretch, or rotate graphics. They also let you work in coordinate systems that make sense for your application. The author also describes techniques for using the above in printouts, describing the sequence of events that produce a printout and show how to generate and preview printouts, with examples which show how to wrap long chunks of text across multiple pages, if necessary. In addition, you will learn about two powerful new graphic tools that were introduced with .NET Framework 3.0: WPF graphics and FlowDocuments. XAML graphic commands allow a WPF application to draw and fill the same kinds of shapes that a program can draw by using graphics objects. Finally, a discussion on the FlowDocument object shows you how to define items that should be flowed across multiple pages as space permits. This lets you display text, graphics, controls, and other items that automatically flow across page breaks. FlowDocument viewers make displaying these documents easy for you, and simplifies the user's reading of the documents. This Wrox Blox also contains 35 example programs written in Visual Basic 2008, although most of the code works in previous versions of Visual Basic .NET as well. The most notable exceptions are WPF graphics and FlowDocuments, both of which require WPF provided in .NET Framework 3.0 and later.

All the tools you need to create the full range of Visual Basic(r) color graphics applications Expert Rod Stephens provides you with everything you need to add advanced graphics to your applications in this in-depth introduction to graphic programming with Microsoft Visual Basic. From images using as few as 16 colors to "true-color" applications that use more than 16 million, he shows you how to create the full range of color graphics applications. You'll learn how to use Visual Basic controls to create impressive graphic effects without having to buy expensive add-on products. This book/CD-ROM package also explains how to integrate imaging, animation, and two- and three-dimensional graphics into an application. And you'll find the tools to manipulate color images, overlay one image on another, build scrolled windows, and much more. The Second Edition covers: * New API functions * Bitmap image morphing * New algorithms for hidden surface removal * Print preview with multiple pages and scales * Image processing, including high color and true color * Examples of controlling animation using simulation * New examples that demonstrate shape-distorting transformations * New examples of fractals and tilings * Gouraud shading, Phong shading, and texturing * Ray tracing speed improvements * Ray tracing for new kinds of objects The CD-ROM includes: * More than 400 complete, ready-to-run example programs * Pictures to use with the example programs * Images generated by the programs * Color images of many of the figures from the book * Source code for all example programs from the First Edition

This volume shows how to couple the powers of Microsoft Visual Basic and DirectX to design and program simulation games. It covers game programming code in Visual Basic while giving hints and ideas for the use of Visual Basic.NET.

*Adheres closely to original style/approach that made this book a best-seller in its previous incarnation *Functions as a practical guide for a business audience *Case-study contains the fully working source code to a real commercial product

This book provides an accessible approach to the study of Windows programming with Visual C++. It is intended to be an introduction to Visual C++ for technical people including practicing engineers, engineering students, and others who would like to understand Windows programming and use its inherent graphic capabilities. While the book is aimed at a technical audience, the mathematical content is modest and it should be readable by most people interested in C++ programming. It introduces readers to Windows programming in a natural way, making use of the object-oriented environment, the Microsoft Foundation Classes (MFC), and the document/view organization.Over fifty example projects are included on a companion CD. These example projects are used in the book's tutorial format initially by introducing Visual C++ programming and important C++ concepts. Then coverage of Windows programming begins with fundamental graphics operations including interactive drawing with mouse inputs. This is followed by program interaction through Windows tools for creating drop down menus, toolbar buttons, dialog windows, file input/output, output to printers, etc. Basic animation concepts are presented, using classes to develop, manipulate and display geometric shapes. Graphs are plotted as objects and the process of creating color contour plots is discussed.After using this book and following its collection of example programs, readers should be well prepared to write interactive programs which integrate Windows functionality and graphics with their own C++ programming. The step-by-step structure of each example in the book is described thoroughly and only standard Microsoft resources for graphics are required. Exercises at the end of each chapter provide opportunities to revisit and extend the tutorial examples. The project folders on the CD include complete program code for all examples. Files are also provided that contain classes and functions for handling geometric objects and graphs and which may be easily adapted for a wide variety of application programs.

Currently, there aren't any good books on Windows graphics programming. Programmers looking for help are left to muddle their way through online documentation and API books that don't focus on this topic. This book paves new ground, covering actual graphics implementation, hidden restrictions, and performance issues programmers need to know about.

Computer Graphics from Scratch demystifies the algorithms used in modern graphics software and guides beginners through building photorealistic 3D renders. Computer graphics programming books are often math-heavy and intimidating for newcomers. Not this one. Computer Graphics from Scratch takes a simpler approach by keeping the math to a minimum and focusing on only one aspect of computer graphics, 3D rendering. You’ll build two complete, fully functional renderers: a raytracer, which simulates rays of light as they bounce off objects, and a rasterizer, which converts 3D models into 2D pixels. As you progress you’ll learn how to create realistic reflections and shadows, and how to render a scene from any point of view. Pseudocode examples throughout make it easy to write your renderers in any language, and links to live JavaScript demos of each algorithm invite you to explore further on your own. Learn how to: Use perspective projection to draw 3D objects on a 2D plane Simulate the way rays of light interact with surfaces Add mirror-like reflections and cast shadows to objects Render a scene from any camera position using clipping planes Use flat, Gouraud, and Phong shading to mimic real surface lighting Paint texture details onto basic shapes to create realistic-looking objects Whether you’re an aspiring graphics engineer or a novice programmer curious about how graphics algorithms work, Gabriel Gambetta’s simple, clear explanations will quickly put computer graphics concepts and rendering techniques within your reach. All you need is basic coding knowledge and high school math. Computer Graphics from Scratch will cover the rest.