ABSTRACT
We have shown how vectors get us off to a good start in freeing ourselves from the complexities of coordinate systems – and how a couple of simple predicates facilitate the geometric operations greatly. Not only do they help us with basic area, volume and intersection testing, but the concept of sidedness, in 2D and 3D, is fundamental to obtaining well-posed questions about the spatial relationships of lines and points, leading us to the understanding of ‘good’ coordinate systems – local ones, adaptive to the distribution of the data, and not based on some imaginary grid system in the sky. If you gain nothing more than an understanding of simple barycentric coordinates and the CCW test, this book will have been worthwhile.
