Graphics programming can be a daunting task when starting out. The rendering pipeline involves a large number of steps, each dealing with a variety of math operations. It has stages that run actual programs to compute results for the next. Mastering this pipeline, being able to use it as a tool to achieve a visual effect, is the essence of being a graphics programmer.
This section of the book will introduce the basic math necessary for 3D graphics. It will introduce the rendering pipeline as defined by OpenGL. And it will demonstrate how data flows through the graphics pipeline.