This textbook represents my attempt to develop a modern first course in computer graphics, which would typically be taken by a computer science student in the third or fourth year of college. A reader should have substantial experience with at least one programming language, including some knowledge of object-oriented programming and data structures. Everyone taking the course at my college will have had at least two semesters of programming, and most will have additional experience beyond that. Students here have studied the Java programming language, but the book should also be accessible to people with background in other languages. Examples in the book use Java, C, and JavaScript. The essential features of those languages are covered in an appendix.

Many of the sample programs for this book are actually Web pages meant to be viewed in a Web browser. The Web version of this book includes interactive demo programs that are integrated into the Web pages that make up the book.

The sample programs and demos use HTML canvas graphics (in Chapter 2) or WebGL (in later chapters). Canvas graphics should work well in almost any modern browser. WebGL is a newer technology and is more problematic. It is implemented in modern desktop browsers, including Internet Explorer 11, Chrome, Firefox, and Safari. It also runs in many browsers on newer mobile devices. However, each of those browsers have had some problems with some of my programs on some machines. Firefox and Chrome seem to work most consistently. I wish I could be more definite than that, but the reality of WebGL at this point is that you might have to look for a combination of computer and browser that will work for you.