Does a person have to be an expert in math in areas like matrices, calculus, euler''s formula, etc in order to program 2D and 3D games?

For a hobbiest or amateur, no. However the more you know, the more different things and more easily you can program.

For a professional, I would imagine yes.

Initially, no.

Get the libraries, use them properly (by looking at examples) and you don''t need to get your brain mathematically grubby.

To understand, to develop beyond the basics, to exploit beyond the norm, then yes, you do need the grounding.

But to be an expert in math? Probably not. (Else I''m, in real trouble!).





Stevie

Don''t follow me, I''m lost.

If you want to understand, YES. If you just want to use the existing code and not really trying to extend beyond it.. Then probably no.. You don''t really need to know all fields of math anyway.. The main focus are Matrice/vector/quaterion, trigonmery, numberical analysis, a general understand of calculus.. etc.. Nothing fancy like Fourier Transform (I HOPE!)

if you can understand what a basic vector/matrix library does, and what linear interpolation is, you''re sorted

Linear interpolation, B-Spline/Nurb, De Casteljau Construction of Bezier Curves (which is also used in spherical linear interpolation) all fall under Numberical Analysis imo

You can get by without most of the math. Even the rather tough collision detection can be understood by someone who doesn''t know calculus if you break it down into simpler parts.