This book presents the geometric bases of the physics of radiation. Most of these bases were discovered a very long time ago. Their properties have been well defined, but they could not be fully exploited until the recent advances in numerical methods and computer technology.
Special emphasis is put on central perspective and sphere mapping, which have been used extensively from the Renaissance period in the field of pure drawing and which were rediscovered in the second half of the last century in the development of computer-aided design, ray tracing and radiosity methods.
Some new applications are presented by the authors, particularly in the field of architectural and urban physics, where the regularity of forms and the complexity of interactions make it indispensable for reconciling geometry and perception.