Ebook: Geometry for Programmers (MEAP v11)

I believe that knowing the math behind your tools, makes you a better engineer. This is true for mechanical engineering, this is true for electrical engineering, and this should be true for software engineering as well. If you work with game engines or CAD frameworks, geometry is your math. Knowing the geometry behind your framework makes you a better programmer.

Master the geometry behind CAD, game engines, GIS, and more! This hands-on book teaches you the math behind the tools and libraries you use to create simulations, 3D prints, and other models of the physical world. Geometry for Programmers reveals important geometry concepts you need to write more efficient code. It’s full of practical guidance that’s relevant to your daily work as a developer. There are no unnecessary theory or formal proofs. Instead, you’ll learn how geometry can help you optimize your code for boosts to performance, and real reductions in your cloud services bill.

Geometry is the branch of mathematics that stands behind game engines, computer-aided design applications, 3D printing frameworks, image processing libraries, and geographic information systems. As soon as there are curves, surfaces, or spaces, there is geometry involved. Normally, you don’t have to be a geometry expert to use an application with curves and surfaces. Don’t worry, this book will not convert you into one. However, just as knowing the mechanics behind your car allows you to make the most of driving it, knowing the mathematics behind your tools will allow you to use them in the most efficient way possible.

Programming is hard. Building large robust software systems is probably the most complex activity on earth. But more often than not, the core math behind these systems is surprisingly simple. And it’s contagious. When you know your math, you write simple basic utilities. Then you write simple algorithms on top of that. Then you do libraries and frameworks. And as soon as all of the engineers speak the same language, the simplicity spreads through the system. This book explains matrices, transformations, and Bezier splines. And a lot more. It wouldn’t make you a geometer, but it would make you a better programmer.

You don’t have to be good at math to enjoy it. We will delegate all the non-trivial math to SymPy – a Python library that does your math for you. You don’t have to have a good memory either, the book is supposed to help you build the proper intuition, not just pack your head with terms and definitions. There are no theorems or proofs, but there are Python snippets with formulas in them. The book addresses geometry but it speaks in the programmer’s language.