This book assumes you are familiar with basic concepts of 3D graphics programming. For example, it assumes you have a reasonable understanding of the following terms: lighting, rendering, vertex, polygon, light source, picking, matrix, OpenGL, pixel, surface normal. If these terms are new to you, consult one or two of the sources listed in “Suggestions for Further Reading,” later in this introduction.

In addition, this book assumes you have some familiarity with concepts related to object-oriented programming. See “Suggestions for Further Reading” as well as Appendices A and B for good background information.