3D Programming for Windows (Pro - Developer)

Get the practical introduction to programming 3D graphics using the Windows Presentation Foundation--straight from programming legend Charles Petzold. The Windows Presentation Foundation is a key component of .NET Framework 3.0, which is a part of Windows Vista(tm) and available for Windows XP. With the Windows Presentation Foundation, 3D images can be displayed regardless of the video-display hardware on the user's machine. This practical guide is the ideal supplement to Applications = Code + Markup: A Guide to the Microsoft Windows Presentation Foundation. Focusing on developing user interface objects or simple animations, this book builds on a reader's knowledge of Windows Presentation Foundation essentials to demonstrate how to effectively create 3D graphics for Windows. You get the fundamental information for using the Windows Presentation Foundation 3D application programming interface (API), as well as in-depth coverage of mesh geometries--the key technology that enables 3D graphics. Includes code samples in XAML, with additional code samples in Microsoft Visual C#®.

User review
Really good, but so light on animation
I really want to give this book a 4 or 5 star rating. Petzold goes into amazing detail about almost all aspects of creating 3D images. You really cant go wrong with this book if all you are doing is building static images.

But the books coverage of animation is sadly light. Even though there is a whole chapter on animations, its really light coverage and leaves me wanting for so much more.

And the real problem with this book is, who creates static 3D images? You most likely do 3D AND animation together.

So if you need the guts details on 3D WPF rendering than this book is for you. I you need guts on animation, not so much. And if you need 3D rendering and animation, than you might as well get this book, but know that you'll need to look elsewhere for animation details.

User review
An excellent and practical introduction to WPF 3D
First, maybe it's worth mentioning that unlike most other books on 3D out there, it concentrates solely on WPF 3D, right from the beginning, and it assumes you have enough knowledge of C# .net/WPF. It doesn't `waste` half of the book trying to teach you C#/Visual Studio/XAML etc,,. it's a very good attitude. If you need to learn WPF/C#, read another book first. Charles Petzold has a great book on WPF, for example.

And to the book - It teaches most fundamental elements of 3D and how it's done in WPF. Meshes, models, camera, lights, textures, transforms and some basic 3D math are all there. There's also a chapter about quaternions.
Most of the material is well written, and good examples are given throughout the book, just where needed, and all well explained. The examples compile without any problem in Visual Studio 2005/2008 (the Express editions are enough btw).
All the examples are in C#.

Most of the material tends to be pretty practical and useful for real-world application. And that's particularly true to the last chapter, which try to inspire you with real world usage of WPD 3D and examples.

Just note that most of the material isn't very advanced. You'll have to learn more by yourself to write really useful 3D applications. But the book is just what it should be - gives you a very good jump start and leaves the rest for you to explore.

I highly recommend this book for anyone with knowledge of WPF who'd like to jump to the WPF 3D wagon.
Many WPF books dedicate a chapter or 2 about 3D. Even if you read one - this book have much more material and practical info about WPF 3D than those, so I highly recommend in this case as well.
Also, people with knowledge of other more advanced 3D platforms (DirecX/OpenGL) who'd like to know WPF 3D will also find this book useful.


User review
Great intro to 3D Programming
This book is a fantastic intro into the world of 3D Programming. It explains the concepts in an easy to understand format and gradually eases you into the more complex aspects of 3D. Also, because it is for WPF it makes it a cinch to get up and running quickly. I've also found that this book is a great way to get acquainted with 3D and these concepts are easily transferrable into the more complex 3D languages (ie: Direct3D and OpenGL). I highly recommend this book for anyone looking to learn 3D or to expand their WPF repetoire!

User review
Strong fundamentals and fun stuff too
This book is an excellent overview of WPF 3D.

Petzold blends his development experience with his math background to explain everything quite thoroughly, from the details of the API to the hows and whys of the math underneath.

* He explains why WPF 3D shades triangles differently depending on whether they share their vertices or not.

* His explanation of quaternions is probably the best I have read.

* He talks about why Viewport3DVisual is better than Viewport3D for printing.

* He explains the math behind lighting calculations.

The book contains lots of pictures, lots of sample code and a library of useful classes for WPF 3D programming.

If you're doing anything with WPF 3D, you simply must have this book.

User review
The Definitive Guide!
In his informative writing style of writing, the author of this book gives you both a good understanding of 3D graphics concepts and digs deep into the specifics WPF and XAML 3D APIs. If you're doing and 3D WPF, this title is a must have sitting next to his previous WPF title, Applications = Code + Markup.

This is the definitive guide to WPF 3D.