I’m pretty new to 3D programming. I know there are books out there that cover the Java APIs that handle 3D operations, but I’m interested in any recommendations for good books that helped you to understand the math behind or in front of the code.
For lack of book suggestions, what areas of mathematics should I study to get a good grasp of the math behind 3D concepts?
Brush up on your geometry, trigonometry, vector math, and linear algebra for starters.
Don’t forget matrix math.
Essential math gives a good introduction / refresher on these topics:
http://www.essentialmath.com/
This book also handles the subject very thoroughly, building a 3d engine from scratch (but is more bloathed with offtopic blahblah and includes lots of source listings, making the book have twice as many pages as needed):
http://www.amazon.com/Tricks-Programming-Gurus-Advanced-Graphics-Rasterization/dp/0672318350
IMO the former is more straight to the point and does a better job at the mathematics part… But if you can efford both they make a nice complement
Edit: You might want to check this one out for a refresher on lineair algebra (matrix math): http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/Mathematics/18-06Spring-2005/VideoLectures/index.htm
I second this recommendation. These are terrific lectures that were also recommended by our professor.
The classic computer graphics text is the “principles and practice” book:
And when you want to move onto something advanced, Realtime Rendering covers all sorts of fancier techniques with an eye towards games/realtime methods: