3D Programming for Windows (Pro -
Developer) by Charles Petzold
The Definitive Guide!
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 users 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 readers
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#®.
Personal Review: 3D Programming for Windows (Pro -
Developer) by Charles Petzold
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.
For More 5 Star Customer Reviews and Lowest Price:
3D Programming for Windows (Pro - Developer) by Charles Petzold 5 Star Customer
Reviews and Lowest Price!