Book Teaches Gaming Math

If we knew how much math goes into writing a video game, we might have paid more attention in math class. If you need a refresher, [Fletcher Dunn] and [Ian Parbery] have their book “3D Math Primer for Graphics and Game Development” available free online. The book was originally a paper book from 2011 with a 2002 first edition but those are out of print now. However, math is math, so regardless of the age of the book, it is worth a look. For now, the online version is a bunch of web pages, but we hear a PDF or E-reader version is forthcoming.

There’s quite a bit of discussion about vectors, matrices, linear transformations, and 3D graphics. The last part of the book covers calculus, kinematics, and parametric curves. Some of these topics will be of interest even if you don’t care about graphics but do want to learn some math with practical examples.

The writing in this book is more accessible than in your standard math class. You still probably need a little basic math background to tackle the topic, especially algebra, geometry, and trigonometry. There isn’t much about specific programming here, it is all about the math.

We miss real books. But it is great to be able to just make a few clicks and read about just about any topic. If your math interests are more binary, check this out. If math isn’t your thing, maybe you’d rather read about software defined radio.