This is the revised and expanded 1998 edition of a popular introduction to the design and implementation of geometry algorithms arising in areas such as computer graphics, robotics, and engineering design. The basic techniques used in computational geometry are all covered: polygon triangulations, convex hulls, Voronoi diagrams, arrangements, geometric searching, and motion planning. The self-contained treatment presumes only an elementary knowledge of mathematics, but reaches topics on the frontier of current research, making it a useful reference for practitioners at all levels. The second edition contains material on several new topics, such as randomized algorithms for polygon triangulation, planar point location, 3D convex hull construction, intersection algorithms for ray-segment and ray-triangle, and point-in-polyhedron. The code in this edition is significantly improved from the first edition (more efficient and more robust), and four new routines are included. Java versions for this new edition are also available. All code is accessible from the book's Web site (http://cs.smith.edu/~orourke/) or by anonymous ftp.

‘… the author does an excellent job of explaining difficult concepts in an accessible, even entertaining, manner … If this is your field, this is your book!’

Source: Developers Review

‘The balanced combination of careful descriptions, examples, algorithms and exercises makes it a pleasure to read …’.

Source: Zentralblatt

‘Anyone who wants to know what this field is all about should read this book! The book is a pleasure to read, as questions that arise naturally in the reader’s mind are answered, in almost all cases, in the following paragraph. The style strikes an ideal balance between rigor and informality. Mr O’Rourke must be a wonderful teacher and I envy his students.’

Miriam L. Lucian Source: Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics