This textbook is designed to introduce the reader to the exciting topic of computer graphics from a grounds-up practical perspective. Organised around the Vulkan API, the book includes numerous practical examples in the body of the text as well as explaining technical limitations and engineering solutions. It is also one of the purposes of this book to introduce the reader to the development aspect of shader programming and the enormous flexibility and possibilities. This book provides an introductory guide to getting started with computer graphics using the Vulkan API. The book focuses on the practical aspects with details regarding previous and current generation approaches, such as, the shift towards more efficient multithreaded solutions. The book has been formatted and designed with sample program listings and support material, so whether or not you are currently an expert in computer graphics, actively working with an existing API (OpenGL or DirectX), or completely in the dark about this mysterious topic, this book has something for you. If you're an experienced developer, you'll find this book a light refresher to the subject, and if you're deciding whether or not to delve into graphics and the Vulkan API, this book may help you make that significant decision.

Introduction to Computer Graphics with the Vulkan API provides a beginners guide to getting started developing graphical applications. The book focuses on the practical aspects with details regarding technical changes to previous generation approaches, such as, the shift towards more efficient multithreaded solutions. The book has been formatted and designed with sample program listings and support material, so whether or not you are currently an expert in computer graphics, actively working with an existing API (OpenGL or DirectX), or completely in the dark about this mysterious topic, this book has something for you. If you're an experienced developer, you'll find this book a light refresher to the subject, and if you're deciding whether or not to delve into graphics and the Vulkan API, this book may help you make that significant decision.

Discover how to build impressive 3D graphics with the next-generation graphics API—Vulkan About This Book Get started with the Vulkan API and its programming techniques using the easy-to-follow examples to create stunning 3D graphics Understand memory management in Vulkan and implement image and buffer resources Get hands-on with the drawing process and synchronization, and render a 3D graphics scene with the Vulkan graphics pipeline Who This Book Is For This book is ideal for graphic programmers who want to get up and running with Vulkan. It's also great for programmers who have experience with OpenGL and other graphic APIs who want to take advantage of next generation APIs. A good knowledge of C/C++ is expected. What You Will Learn Learn fundamentals of Vulkan programing model to harness the power of modern GPU devices. Implement device, command buffer and queues to get connected with the physical hardware. Explore various validation layers and learn how to use it for debugging Vulkan application. Get a grip on memory management to control host and device memory operations. Understand and implement buffer and image resource types in Vulkan. Define drawing operations in the Render pass and implement graphics pipeline. Manage GLSL shader using SPIR-V and update the shader resources with descriptor sets and push constants. Learn the drawing process, manage resources with synchronization objects and render 3D scene output on screen with Swapchain. Bring realism to your rendered 3D scene with textures, and implement linear and optimal textures In Detail Vulkan, the next generation graphics and compute API, is the latest offering by Khronos. This API is the successor of OpenGL and unlike OpenGL, it offers great flexibility and high performance capabilities to control modern GPU devices. With this book, you'll get great insights into the workings of Vulkan and how you can make stunning graphics run with minimum hardware requirements. We begin with a brief introduction to the Vulkan system and show you its distinct features with the successor to the OpenGL API. First, you will see how to establish a connection with hardware devices to query the available queues, memory types, and capabilities offered. Vulkan is verbose, so before diving deep into programing, you'll get to grips with debugging techniques so even first-timers can overcome error traps using Vulkan's layer and extension features. You'll get a grip on command buffers and acquire the knowledge to record various operation commands into command buffer and submit it to a proper queue for GPU processing. We'll take a detailed look at memory management and demonstrate the use of buffer and image resources to create drawing textures and image views for the presentation engine and vertex buffers to store geometry information. You'll get a brief overview of SPIR-V, the new way to manage shaders, and you'll define the drawing operations as a single unit of work in the Render pass with the help of attachments and subpasses. You'll also create frame buffers and build a solid graphics pipeline, as well as making use of the synchronizing mechanism to manage GPU and CPU hand-shaking. By the end, you'll know everything you need to know to get your hands dirty with the coolest Graphics API on the block. Style and approach This book takes a practical approach to guide you through the Vulkan API, and you will get to build an application throughout the course of the book. Since you are expected to be familiar with C/C++, there is not much hand-holding throughout the course of the book.

The Definitive VulkanTM Developer’s Guide and Reference: Master the Next-Generation Specification for Cross-Platform Graphics The next generation of the OpenGL specification, Vulkan, has been redesigned from the ground up, giving applications direct control over GPU acceleration for unprecedented performance and predictability. VulkanTM Programming Guide is the essential, authoritative reference to this new standard for experienced graphics programmers in all Vulkan environments. Vulkan API lead Graham Sellers (with contributions from language lead John Kessenich) presents example-rich introductions to the portable Vulkan API and the new SPIR-V shading language. The author introduces Vulkan, its goals, and the key concepts framing its API, and presents a complex rendering system that demonstrates both Vulkan’s uniqueness and its exceptional power. You’ll find authoritative coverage of topics ranging from drawing to memory, and threading to compute shaders. The author especially shows how to handle tasks such as synchronization, scheduling, and memory management that are now the developer’s responsibility. VulkanTM Programming Guide introduces powerful 3D development techniques for fields ranging from video games to medical imaging, and state-of-the-art approaches to solving challenging scientific compute problems. Whether you’re upgrading from OpenGL or moving to open-standard graphics APIs for the first time, this guide will help you get the results and performance you’re looking for. Coverage includes Extensively tested code examples to demonstrate Vulkan’s capabilities and show how it differs from OpenGL Expert guidance on getting started and working with Vulkan’s new memory system Thorough discussion of queues, commands, moving data, and presentation Full explanations of the SPIR-V binary shading language and compute/graphics pipelines Detailed discussions of drawing commands, geometry and fragment processing, synchronization primitives, and reading Vulkan data into applications A complete case study application: deferred rendering using complex multi-pass architecture and multiple processing queues Appendixes presenting Vulkan functions and SPIR-V opcodes, as well as a complete Vulkan glossary Example code can be found here: Example code can be found here: https://github.com/vulkanprogrammingguide/examples

Work through recipes to unlock the full potential of the next generation graphics API—Vulkan About This Book This book explores a wide range of modern graphics programming techniques and GPU compute methods to make the best use of the Vulkan API Learn techniques that can be applied to a wide range of platforms desktop, smartphones, and embedded devices Get an idea on the graphics engine with multi-platform support and learn exciting imaging processing and post-processing techniques Who This Book Is For This book is ideal for developers who know C/C++ languages, have some basic familiarity with graphics programming, and now want to take advantage of the new Vulkan API in the process of building next generation computer graphics. Some basic familiarity of Vulkan would be useful to follow the recipes. OpenGL developers who want to take advantage of the Vulkan API will also find this book useful. What You Will Learn Work with Swapchain to present images on screen Create, submit, and synchronize operations processed by the hardware Create buffers and images, manage their memory, and upload data to them from CPU Explore descriptor sets and set up an interface between application and shaders Organize drawing operations into a set of render passes and subpasses Prepare graphics pipelines to draw 3D scenes and compute pipelines to perform mathematical calculations Implement geometry projection and tessellation, texturing, lighting, and post-processing techniques Write shaders in GLSL and convert them into SPIR-V assemblies Find out about and implement a collection of popular, advanced rendering techniques found in games and benchmarks In Detail Vulkan is the next generation graphics API released by the Khronos group. It is expected to be the successor to OpenGL and OpenGL ES, which it shares some similarities with such as its cross-platform capabilities, programmed pipeline stages, or nomenclature. Vulkan is a low-level API that gives developers much more control over the hardware, but also adds new responsibilities such as explicit memory and resources management. With it, though, Vulkan is expected to be much faster. This book is your guide to understanding Vulkan through a series of recipes. We start off by teaching you how to create instances in Vulkan and choose the device on which operations will be performed. You will then explore more complex topics such as command buffers, resources and memory management, pipelines, GLSL shaders, render passes, and more. Gradually, the book moves on to teach you advanced rendering techniques, how to draw 3D scenes, and how to improve the performance of your applications. By the end of the book, you will be familiar with the latest advanced techniques implemented with the Vulkan API, which can be used on a wide range of platforms. Style and approach This recipe-based guide will empower you to implement modern graphic programming techniques and help gain a solid understanding of the new Vulkan API.

Computer Graphics from Scratch demystifies the algorithms used in modern graphics software and guides beginners through building photorealistic 3D renders. Computer graphics programming books are often math-heavy and intimidating for newcomers. Not this one. Computer Graphics from Scratch takes a simpler approach by keeping the math to a minimum and focusing on only one aspect of computer graphics, 3D rendering. You’ll build two complete, fully functional renderers: a raytracer, which simulates rays of light as they bounce off objects, and a rasterizer, which converts 3D models into 2D pixels. As you progress you’ll learn how to create realistic reflections and shadows, and how to render a scene from any point of view. Pseudocode examples throughout make it easy to write your renderers in any language, and links to live JavaScript demos of each algorithm invite you to explore further on your own. Learn how to: Use perspective projection to draw 3D objects on a 2D plane Simulate the way rays of light interact with surfaces Add mirror-like reflections and cast shadows to objects Render a scene from any camera position using clipping planes Use flat, Gouraud, and Phong shading to mimic real surface lighting Paint texture details onto basic shapes to create realistic-looking objects Whether you’re an aspiring graphics engineer or a novice programmer curious about how graphics algorithms work, Gabriel Gambetta’s simple, clear explanations will quickly put computer graphics concepts and rendering techniques within your reach. All you need is basic coding knowledge and high school math. Computer Graphics from Scratch will cover the rest.

This updated edition describes both the mathematical theory behind a modern photorealistic rendering system as well as its practical implementation. Through the ideas and software in this book, designers will learn to design and employ a full-featured rendering system for creating stunning imagery. Includes a companion site complete with source code for the rendering system described in the book, with support for Windows, OS X, and Linux.

This new edition provides step-by-step instruction on modern 3D graphics shader programming in OpenGL with C++, along with its theoretical foundations. It is appropriate both for computer science graphics courses and for professionals interested in mastering 3D graphics skills. It has been designed in a 4-color, “teach-yourself” format with numerous examples that the reader can run just as presented. Every shader stage is explored, from the basics of modeling, textures, lighting, shadows, etc., through advanced techniques such as tessellation, normal mapping, noise maps, as well as new chapters on simulating water, stereoscopy, and ray tracing. FEATURES: Covers modern OpenGL 4.0+ shader programming in C++, with instructions for both PC/Windows and Macintosh Adds new chapters on simulating water, stereoscopy, and ray tracing Includes companion files with code, object models, figures, and more (also available for downloading by writing to the publisher) Illustrates every technique with running code examples. Everything needed to install the libraries, and complete source code for each example Includes step-by-step instruction for using each GLSL programmable pipeline stage (vertex, tessellation, geometry, and fragment) Explores practical examples for modeling, lighting, and shadows (including soft shadows), terrain, water, and 3D materials such as wood and marble Explains how to optimize code for tools such as Nvidia’s Nsight debugger. The companion files and instructor resources are available online by emailing the publisher with proof of purchase at [email protected].

This book is a must-have for anyone serious about rendering in real time. With the announcement of new ray tracing APIs and hardware to support them, developers can easily create real-time applications with ray tracing as a core component. As ray tracing on the GPU becomes faster, it will play a more central role in real-time rendering. Ray Tracing Gems provides key building blocks for developers of games, architectural applications, visualizations, and more. Experts in rendering share their knowledge by explaining everything from nitty-gritty techniques that will improve any ray tracer to mastery of the new capabilities of current and future hardware. What you'll learn: The latest ray tracing techniques for developing real-time applications in multiple domains Guidance, advice, and best practices for rendering applications with Microsoft DirectX Raytracing (DXR) How to implement high-performance graphics for interactive visualizations, games, simulations, and more Who this book is for:Developers who are looking to leverage the latest APIs and GPU technology for real-time rendering and ray tracing Students looking to learn about best practices in these areas Enthusiasts who want to understand and experiment with their new GPUs

An introduction to the basic concepts of 3D computer graphics that offers a careful mathematical exposition within a modern computer graphics application programming interface. Computer graphics technology is an amazing success story. Today, all of our PCs are capable of producing high-quality computer-generated images, mostly in the form of video games and virtual-life environments; every summer blockbuster movie includes jaw-dropping computer generated special effects. This book explains the fundamental concepts of 3D computer graphics. It introduces the basic algorithmic technology needed to produce 3D computer graphics, and covers such topics as understanding and manipulating 3D geometric transformations, camera transformations, the image-rendering process, and materials and texture mapping. It also touches on advanced topics including color representations, light simulation, dealing with geometric representations, and producing animated computer graphics. The book takes special care to develop an original exposition that is accessible and concise but also offers a clear explanation of the more difficult and subtle mathematical issues. The topics are organized around a modern shader-based version of OpenGL, a widely used computer graphics application programming interface that provides a real-time “rasterization-based” rendering environment. Each chapter concludes with exercises. The book is suitable for a rigorous one-semester introductory course in computer graphics for upper-level undergraduates or as a professional reference. Readers should be moderately competent programmers and have had some experience with linear algebra. After mastering the material presented, they will be on the path to expertise in an exciting and challenging field.