Tricks of the 3D Game Programming Gurus
by Andre LaMothe · first published 2003
7mentions
5recommended by
7HN commenters
2016–2025first – last mentioned
71% recommend29% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Teaches building a 3D software rasterizer from first principles, starting with a linear algebra primer and a C-based engine; valued for showing how graphics work without relying on a modern API.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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What you are wanting is this book: "Tricks of the 3D Game Programming Gurus" by Andre LaMothe. The book teaches you how to write a 3D software rasterizer from first principles. The first part of the book is nothing but a well written linear algebra primer. The book then assumes…
on “Scratchapixel: Computer Graphics Programming from Scratch” ↗An absolutely phenomenal book I'd recommend on writing your own computer graphics from scratch is 'Tricks of the 3D Game Programming Gurus' [1] by Andre LaMothe. It was published in 2003, but as it's about how technology works and not using whatever the latest graphics API is - it's timeless. It goes through everything in immense, yet still…
on “Bootstrap yourself to write an OS from scratch” ↗…graphics programming (as opposed to learning an API) then I think the best way to do so is to remove any API from the picture. There is an absolutely phenomenal book that does just this: Andre LaMothe's 'Tricks of the 3D Game Programming Gurus'. It was published in 2003 but when you remove APIs from the picture it's just as relevant today and will remain so for the foreseeable future. The book starts with little more than plotting a pixel…
on “How to Start Learning Computer Graphics Programming” ↗Andre Lamothe's "Tricks of the 3d Game Programming Gurus: Advanced 3d Graphics and Rasterization" is a great book for anyone interested in graphics programming from those days.
on “How Quake.exe got its TCP/IP stack” ↗Tricks of the Windows Game Programming Gurus was great too. And tricks of the 3D Game Programming Gurus contains a full 3D engine in C starting from drawing a pixel (a software rasterizer).
on “Build Your Own Flight SIM in C++” ↗I have Andre LaMothe's "Tricks of the 3D Game Programming Gurus", which in recent years i've been using as a height lift for stuff (like a CRT in this photo[0]) as it is massive :-P The book is nice but LaMothe needed an editor badly, not only there are endless reams…
on “Build Your Own Flight SIM in C++” ↗Not parent, but here's my current collection from that era (always on the lookout for more): - tricks of the game programming gurus - more tricks of the game programming gurus - tricks of the 3D game programming gurus - black art of 3D game programming - tricks of the windows game programming gurus - game programming gems - AI game programming wisdom - designing virtual worlds - gardens of imagination - flights…
on “Black Art of 3D Game Programming (1995)” ↗