All the tools you need to create the full range of Visual Basic(r) color graphics applications
Expert Rod Stephens provides you with everything you need to add advanced graphics to your applications in this in-depth introduction to graphic programming with Microsoft Visual Basic. From images using as few as 16 colors to "true-color" applications that use more than 16 million, he shows you how to create the full range of color graphics applications. You'll learn how to use Visual Basic controls to create impressive graphic effects without having to buy expensive add-on products.
This book/CD-ROM package also explains how to integrate imaging, animation, and two- and three-dimensional graphics into an application. And you'll find the tools to manipulate color images, overlay one image on another, build scrolled windows, and much more.
The Second Edition covers:
* New API functions
* Bitmap image morphing
* New algorithms for hidden surface removal
* Print preview with multiple pages and scales
* Image processing, including high color and true color
* Examples of controlling animation using simulation
* New examples that demonstrate shape-distorting transformations
* New examples of fractals and tilings
* Gouraud shading, Phong shading, and texturing
* Ray tracing speed improvements
* Ray tracing for new kinds of objects
The CD-ROM includes:
* More than 400 complete, ready-to-run example programs
* Pictures to use with the example programs
* Images generated by the programs
* Color images of many of the figures from the book
* Source code for all example programs from the First Edition
Table of Contents:
Introduction xiii
Part One: Working with Windows 1
Chapter 1 Visual Basics 3
Visual Basic Coordinate Systems 3
Graphic Container Controls 13
Scrolled Windows 27
When to Draw 30
Controlling Controls 34
Graphical Controls 47
Color 49
Summary 54
Chapter 2 Using the API 55
The Genie 55
Using the API 56
Useful API Functions 65
Summary 80
Chapter 3 Advanced Color 81
Color Models 81
Bitmaps 84
Color Palettes 91
Summary 111
Chapter 4 Advanced Text 113
Multiple Colors and Fonts 114
Text Metrics 117
CreateFont Function 119
Editable Text 134
Summary 139
Chapter 5 Printing 141
Printer Objects 141
Selecting a Printer 142
Printer Properties 144
Printer Control Methods 146
The PrintForm Method 146
High-Resolution Printing 147
Printing Text 148
Print Preview 150
Multipage Print Preview 152
Printer Scale Properties 156
Scaling Objects to Fit 158
High Resolution PrintForm 160
Summary 162
Part Two: Image Processing 163
Chapter 6 Point Processes 165
Obtaining Images 165
Programming Tools 166
Point Processes 171
Multiple Image Processing 185
Summary 190
Chapter 7 Area Processes 191
Spatial Filtering 191
Rank Filters 203
Geometric Transformations 204
Summary 222
Part Three: Animation 223
Chapter 8 Bitmap Animation 225
Animation Basics 225
Drawing Animation 236
Summary 244
Chapter 9 Advanced Animation 245
Controlling Animation 245
Tweening and Morphing 253
Specialized Animation 262
Summary 277
Part Four: Two-Dimensional Graphics 279
Chapter 10 Fractals and Tilings 281
Fractals 281
Tilings 318
Summary 321
Chapter 11 Drawing Curves 323
Lines and Circles 323
Parametric Curves 324
Curve Fitting 330
Polynomial Curve Fitting 331
Parametric Curve Fitting 344
Summary 361
Chapter 12 Two-Dimensional Transformations 363
Modeling Two-Dimensional Objects 363
Windows and Viewports 369
Two-Dimensional Transformations 384
Display Data Structure 408
Summary 416
Part Five: Three-Dimensional Graphics 417
Chapter 13 Three-Dimensional Transformations 419
Simple Transformations 419
Inverse Transformations 429
Projections 429
Perspective Viewing 442
Composing Transformations 446
Three-Dimensional Objects 461
Summary 464
Chapter 14 Surfaces 465
Simple Surfaces 465
Parametric Surfaces 498
Surfaces of Transformation 514
Summary 530
Chapter 15 Hidden Surface Removal 531
Backface Removal 531
Depth-Sort 539
Summary 559
Chapter 16 Shading Models 561
The Physics of Lighting 561
Diffuse Reflection 562
Ambient Light 566
Distance 567
Specular Reflection 570
Smooth Shading 576
Summary 583
Chapter 17 Ray Tracing 585
A Brief Warning 587
Ray-Tracing Basics 587
Ray Tracing in Visual Basic 589
Bounding Volumes 598
Scanline Culling 599
Other Objects 601
Recursive Ray Tracing 622
Adaptive Depth Control 636
Texture Mapping 637
Summary 641
Part Six Beyond Three Dimensions 643
Chapter 18 Higher-Dimensional Transformations 645
Temporal Projection 645
Spatial Projection 647
Four-Dimensional Transformations 647
Summary 661
Chapter 19 Mathematical Tools 663
Vectors and Matrices 663
Transformation Matrices 670
Distances 675
Platonic Solids 678
Summary 692
Index 693
