cool

concise but clear and contains all the useful info, developing the photon mapping technique with a practical attitude through the course of the book, viewing related ideas along the way. its probably best if you already have some understanding of how BRDFs, monte-carlo, and raytracing work.

one of the appeals of this branch of graphics is that the core concepts are simple and general - particles of light moving in straight lines and bouncing off things - something that is easy to grasp. but where this is so often clouded with equations when reading research papers, this book doesnt forget that computer graphics is about algorithms, and it explores those basic concepts in that way. mathematics just provides some checkpoints.

at the end its become quite a complex system, but still not perfect. by then though, youll be wondering about your own possible extensions or variations... hmmm...

if youve had an inclination to investigate the ray/path/particle-tracing side of graphics, or if you want to develop a high-quality renderer then this is a must have.

(i think the marble bust is artemis. hail artemis!)

Other Reviews

• good content printed poorly on low quality paper
• This is the best technical book I have ever read
• Finally, a book from the expert
• cool