Introduction to Visual Effects: A Computational Approach

Introduction to Visual Effects: A Computational Approach is the first single introduction to the computational and mathematical aspects of Visual Effects, incorporating both computer vision and graphics. The book also provides the reader with the source code to a library, enabling them to follow the chapters directly and build up a complete Visual Effects platform. The book covers the basic approaches to Camera Pose Estimation, Global Illumination, and Image Based Lighting, and includes chapters on the Virtual Camera, Optimization and Computer Vision, Path Tracing and many more.

Key features include:

• Introduction to Projective Geometry, Image Based Lighting (IBL), Global Illumination solved by the Monte Carlo Method (Pathtracing), an explanation of a set of Optimization Methods, and the techniques used for Calibrating One, Two, and Many cameras, including how to use the RANSAC algorithm in order to make the process robust, and providing code to be implemented using the Gnu Scientific Library.
• C/C++ code using the OpenCV library, to be used in the process of tracking points on a movie (an important step for the matchmove process), and in the construction of Modeling Tools for Visual Effects.
• A simple model of the Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF) of surfaces and the Differential Rendering Method, allowing the reader to generate consistent shadows, supported by a code that can be used in combination with a software like Luminance HDR.

《視覺效果導論：計算方法》是第一本介紹視覺效果計算和數學方面的單一入門書籍，結合了計算機視覺和圖形學。該書還提供了一個代碼庫的源代碼，讓讀者可以直接跟隨章節並建立完整的視覺效果平台。該書涵蓋了相機姿態估計、全局照明和基於圖像的照明的基本方法，並包括有關虛擬相機、優化和計算機視覺、路徑追蹤等章節。

主要特點包括：
- 介紹專案幾何、基於圖像的照明（IBL）、使用蒙特卡羅方法解決的全局照明（路徑追蹤）以及一組優化方法的解釋，以及用於校準一個、兩個和多個相機的技術，包括如何使用RANSAC算法使過程更加穩健，並提供使用GNU科學庫實現的代碼。
- 使用OpenCV庫的C/C++代碼，用於在電影中跟踪點（匹配過程的重要步驟）以及構建視覺效果建模工具。
- 表面的雙向反射分佈函數（BRDF）的簡單模型和差分渲染方法，讓讀者能夠生成一致的陰影，並提供與Luminance HDR等軟件結合使用的代碼。

Bruno Madeira is a computer engineer from the Military Institute of Engineering (IME). He received his master's and DSc degrees in mathematics with emphasis on computer graphics and vision at IMPA. He has more than 15 years of experience teaching computer graphics at IME and is a member of the Simulators Group at CTEx, Brazil.

Luiz Velho is a senior researcher, professor, and a VISGRAF Laboratory leading scientist at the National Institute for Pure and Applied Mathematics (IMPA), Brazil. His academic background includes a BE in industrial design from ESDI-UERJ, an MS in computer graphics from MIT Media Lab, and a PhD in computer science from the University of Toronto. His experience in computational media spans the fields of modeling, rendering, imaging, and animation.

Bruno Madeira是來自巴西軍事工程學院（IME）的電腦工程師。他在IMPA獲得了數學碩士和博士學位，專攻於計算機圖形學和視覺領域。他在IME教授計算機圖形學已有15年以上的經驗，並且是巴西CTEx模擬器小組的成員。

Luiz Velho是巴西純粹與應用數學國家研究所（IMPA）的高級研究員、教授和VISGRAF實驗室的領導科學家。他的學術背景包括來自ESDI-UERJ的工業設計學士學位、MIT Media Lab的計算機圖形學碩士學位以及多倫多大學的計算機科學博士學位。他在計算媒體領域的經驗涵蓋了建模、渲染、影像和動畫等領域。