Modern Graphics Programming Primer: Improve Your Graphics Programming Skills by Understanding the Theory and Hardware

Unlock the Secrets of Graphics Programming Mastery with the "Modern Graphics Programming Primer!"

It seems like there are only options for learning graphics programming: tutorials that only scratch the surface, and huge "teach you everything" graphics programming books that are completely overwhelming. Following tutorials alone will only get you so far, while the huge books bog you down with details so much, that mastering anything feels impossible.

Kickstart your path to graphics programming mastery with this deliberately short yet to-the-point and focused book. Learn how Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) work, and the theory they’re built on. Then you’ll be able to think creatively instead of blindly following tutorials.

What’s Inside

The book doesn’t try to cover everything in full detail. Instead, it covers the core fundamentals you need to get started:

• Explore the inner workings of the graphics pipeline, demystifying shaders, data buffers, etc.
• Learn 3D camera and object positioning using matrix algebra
• Grasp the fundamentals of simulating lighting in 3D (via the Phong lighting model)
• Performance tips and tricks to optimize your graphics engine's performance
• A cheat-sheet for common tasks using OpenGL ES 3, SDL2, and GLM
• A curated list of useful resources to deepen your knowledge and expand your expertise beyond what's covered in the book

What's NOT inside
You'll be grateful that there are:

• No obtuse math equations that'll confuse you before you get so much as a triangle on screen
• No heavy jargon loaded prose written for academics. Concepts are written in layman's terms so you won't need a computer science degree to just understand it
• No super advanced lighting techniques that look awesome, but are far out of reach to beginners. This book is laser focused on what you need to get started. You can learn advanced techniques later, after you've mastered the fundamentals
• Vulkan, Mantle or any other modern but insanely complex graphics APIs. Yes, these advanced APIs can achieve awesome results, but that power comes with great (mind-bending) complexity. They're NOT beginner friendly. The concepts in this book are fundamental, and can be used with any API

Be Sure to Get The Companion Tutorials

This book is intended to be read with the companion “Getting Started with OpenGL ES 3+ Programming” tutorial series. These hands-on tutorials cover the practical “how-to” side; taking you from zero to rendering a basic 3D scene with lighting. Be sure to get the tutorials too; they're part of your journey to graphics programming mastery.

About the Author

Hans de Ruiter is a software engineer with a background in computer vision and graphics. As a child/teenager he taught himself programming, constructed electronic circuits from kitsets, and also had a keen interest both science and in building things himself. He persued these interests further at university, going all the way through to a Ph.D. (at the University of Toronto).

He’s written both graphics software and graphics drivers, giving him a broad understanding of how modern graphics cards work.

There are plenty of tutorials out there that teach how to program graphics cards to generate imagery. However, simply following tutorials alone will only get you so far.

Understanding how a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) works and the theory they’re built on will make you a more effective graphics programmer. Think about it for a moment, if you understood how a machine works, what it can do and why, would you be better at using that machine? Absolutely!

This e-book will give you this extra knowledge. Once you understand how the GPU works you’ll be able to think creatively instead of blindly following tutorials. You’ll think of better ways to achieve the results you want, and possibly even come up with new techniques.

What’s Inside

The ebook doesn’t try to cover everything in full detail. Instead, it covers the core fundamentals you need to get started:

• How the overall graphics pipeline works
• What shaders are, and how they’re used
• The various types of data buffers (vertices, textures, etc.)
• How 3D objects and cameras are positioned in 3D space using matrix algebra
• Basic 3D lighting – the Phong lighting model
• Performance tips
• A cheat-sheet for common tasks using OpenGL ES 3, SDL2, and GLM
• A list of useful resources

Be Sure to Get The Companion Tutorials

This e-book is intended to be read with the companion “Getting Started with OpenGL ES 3+ Programming” tutorial series. The tutorials cover the practical “how-to” side; taking you from zero to rendering a basic 3D scene with lighting. Be sure to get the tutorials too.

About the Author

Hans de Ruiter is a software engineer with a background in computer vision and graphics. As a child/teenager he taught himself programming, constructed electronic circuits from kitsets, and also had a keen interest both science and in building things himself. He persued these interests further at university, going all the way through to a Ph.D. (at the University of Toronto).

He’s written both graphics software and graphics drivers, giving him a broad understanding of how modern graphics cards work.