“GPU Gems 2 isn’t meant to simply adorn your bookshelf—it’s required reading for anyone trying to keep pace with the rapid evolution of programmable graphics. If you’re serious about graphics, this book will take you to the edge of what the GPU can do.”

—Remi Arnaud, Graphics Architect at Sony Computer Entertainment“The topics covered in GPU Gems 2 are critical to the next generation of game engines.”

—Gary McTaggart, Software Engineer at Valve, Creators of Half-Life and Counter-Strike

This sequel to the best-selling, first volume of GPU Gems details the latest programming techniques for today’s graphics processing units (GPUs). As GPUs find their way into mobile phones, handheld gaming devices, and consoles, GPU expertise is even more critical in today’s competitive environment. Real-time graphics programmers will discover the latest algorithms for creating advanced visual effects, strategies for managing complex scenes, and advanced image processing techniques. Readers will also learn new methods for using the substantial processing power of the GPU in other computationally intensive applications, such as scientific computing and finance. Twenty of the book’s forty-eight chapters are devoted to GPGPU programming, from basic concepts to advanced techniques. Written by experts in cutting-edge GPU programming, this book offers readers practical means to harness the enormous capabilities of GPUs.

Major topics covered include:

• Geometric Complexity
• Shading, Lighting, and Shadows
• High-Quality Rendering
• General-Purpose Computation on GPUs: A Primer
• Image-Oriented Computing
• Simulation and Numerical Algorithms

Contributors are from the following corporations and universities:

1C: Maddox Games
2015
Apple Computer
Armstrong State University
Climax Entertainment
Crytek
discreet
ETH Zurich
GRAVIR/IMAG—INRIA
GSC Game World
Lionhead Studios
Lund University
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
mental images
Microsoft Research
NVIDIA Corporation
Piranha Bytes
Siemens Corporate Research
Siemens Medical Solutions
Simutronics Corporation
Sony Pictures Imageworks
Stanford University
Stony Brook University
Technische Universität München
University of California, Davis
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of Potsdam
University of Tokyo
University of Toronto
University of Utah
University of Virginia
University of Waterloo
Vienna University of Technology
VRVis Research Center

Section editors include NVIDIA engineers: Kevin Bjorke, Cem Cebenoyan, Simon Green, Mark Harris, Craig Kolb, and Matthias Wloka

The accompanying CD-ROM includes complementary examples and sample programs.