In this new and improved fourth edition of the highly popular Game Engine Architecture, Jason Gregory draws on his two decades of experience at Midway, Electronic Arts and Naughty Dog to present both the theory and practice of game engine software development. In this book, the broad range of technologies and techniques used by AAA game studios are each explained in detail, and their roles within a real industrial-strength game engine are illustrated.

This fourth edition offers the same comprehensive coverage of game engine architecture provided by previous editions, along with new material that includes:

• Two brand new chapters covering 3D rendering and photorealistic lighting
• A discussion of motion matching technology for character animation
• Improved coverage of undefined behavior in the context of compiler optimizations
• Fuller coverage of C++ language standards up to C++23
• An improved index, plus fixes for various errata found by our readers in previous editions

This book is intended to serve as an introductory text, but it also offers the experienced game programmer a useful perspective on aspects of game development technology with which they may not have deep experience. As always, copious references and citations are provided in this edition, making it an excellent jumping off point for those who wish to dig deeper into any particular aspect of the game development process.

Key Features

• Covers both the theory and practice of game engine software development
• Examples are grounded in specific technologies, but discussion extends beyond any particular engine or API
• Includes all mathematical background needed
• Comprehensive text for beginners and also has content for senior engineers