Geometry for Computer Applications

Geometry is a core part of modern technology. Geometry represented in computer systems forms an essential element of the manufactured objects we use every day--every curve drawn on a phone or computer screen, the first font on every printed page, every path followed by a robot, a CNC machine or a 3D printer, every structural or aerodynamic simulation, and every virtual world.

This book is written for:

• Curious Students of engineering, computer science, or applied mathematics needing a clear account of how the shapes of things can be represented in a computer system, and how geometry is actually used in industry.

• Dedicated Instructors who share the belief that this material should be taught.

• Ambitious CAD system users who want to know how the system works (and why they sometimes don’t). More ambitious CAD users often want to enhance their systems by writing add-on tools requiring some knowledge of geometry.

• Practical Software engineers in need of solid reference materials.

The material should be useful to people developing CAD software, games, animation, graphics, simulation, and manufacturing systems (both subtractive and additive).

Most of the book is built on high-school coordinate geometry. The last few chapters discuss topics that will be new to many readers. Geometry can be explained with pictures; this book has hundreds of them to make advanced topics understandable. The reader will need to know some calculus, but not much more.

The author presents keys to a successful career. This book is the result of his long career in industry and a deep understanding of what professionals need to advance their own.