thondal

lol, I understand it's going to take a lot of work making anything in 3d, and i know i probably should conentrate on learning c++ very well first, but I just wanted to know where to go when i had learned a bit. Thanx guys... guess i need to read and work on/with c++ now.

-thondal-

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"die" he screamed at the polygon man. When he was done with him, only four points remained, a quad of what he once was.

melbolt

I am not an expert in this area, but this is what i've gathered from a little research.

here is a little unmanaged 3d game programming checklist to get you started, although this is not everything you will want to know, but its your bread and butter, often why games are developed in large teams(specialists in each area, graphics, programming, AI, etc, etc)

- learn the c++ language

- learn win32 programming

- learn directx, opengl, or another graphics library of the sort, concurrently mess around with 3d modeling(DaWei recommended some software for this) you can also use 3d studio max, directx has some sort of xfiles program for this, there are many others.

this is not the only way to 3d program, but its one way. there is also managed directx which is much easier but not quite as efficient for hardcore 3d programming(must have .NET)

tip: start out simple, you'll probably want to mess with some 2d apps first to learn concepts such as collision detection, etc. there are some nice videos out there somewhere i've seen before free on the web for directx to get you started.

good luck, don't bite off more than you can chew at once. when doing examples i strongly recommend not only reading them but trying to code them yourself(big pitfall for teaching yourself).

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DaWei

I forgot to mention that it has retractable landing gear, animated turbines and exhaust flames, boot logo, steer horns, and DaWei Bubba at the controls.

Attached Images

smokepot.jpg (25.1 KB, 105 views)

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Abstraction doesn't make it impossible to write bad code; it makes it possible to write superior code.
Contributor's Corner: Grumpy on C++ Exceptions DaWei on Pointers

melbolt

did you model that? pretty sweet.

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I have never let my schooling interfere with my education. -Mark Twain-

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DaWei

Yeah, it was a blast. I actually have expanded the Bubba Aircraft line to three models. There's a high-wing model that performs like a Cessna 172, but a little faster because of the retractable gear, A low-wing, single engine, prop model that does about 200 knots, and the Smokepot (pictured), which does about .75 mach at altitude. I did the lower-powered craft because I actually can fly a 172, but the Smokepot, even in FS, is a bitch to land. I've killed myself numerous times, which would be good news for the forum, but I keep getting ressurected .

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Abstraction doesn't make it impossible to write bad code; it makes it possible to write superior code.
Contributor's Corner: Grumpy on C++ Exceptions DaWei on Pointers

Game_Ender

You don't need to know win32 programming, DirectX, or OpenGL to make a decent 3D game. Knowing some of the basics about how DirectX and OpenGL work will be a lot of help, especially if you want to use shaders, but its not a must. Win32 programming is definitely not needed.

After you have learned the basics math around it and created some simple 2d games as suggested by people above you have 2 choices: You can set off to make your own 3D graphics/game engine based on OpenGL or DirectX or you can use an existing one. If you really want just want to make a 3D game and aren't super concerned with the nuts and bolts of it I would find an existing open source 3D engine and learn to use it.

Ogre is very good open source, cross platform, cross API 3D graphics engine. Irrlicht is another decent one, but its not as flexible as Ogre is. Crystal Space is another 3D engine, and it does physics and sound as well as graphics. I would investigate these as well as any others you find.

Good luck.

AntiNinja

DAMN! Look at that ghetto training wheel, rollin' 20" spokes.

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Klarre

If you wish to write your own 3d mesh importer you can use this application http://www.anim8or.com/ . It imports .obj files (which in itself is a very simple format to work with) and exports it in the most simple way you can think of, nearly. It generates a textfiles in this format
Worth a look if you dont want to use some kind of model import library.

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Random Spirit

On a side note how many people here are flight sim fans? I have always wanted to make my own wacky plane for FS2004 but never really known where to start.

DaWei thank god boeing never employed you to develop their planes. Its just like the car Homer designed for his brother in the Simpons. I can here the gasp now as investers breath in and feel the loss of their money.

I think its cool that you can fly a C172. I once wanted to be a civil airline pilot but the industry is a bit of a mess so i went mad and went to uni instead. Im sure one day i will get a PPL and scare the hell out of a few people. :p

v0id

Thondal, if you want start with something very easy, try OpenGL and Glut. It's easy to set up and easy to use. Some few lines and you have a small 3d-application. I once tried a book on OpenGL and Glut, but never read it finished, because 3d just isn't my cup of tea. It looked good, but as I said I didn't read it finish so correct me if I'm wrong. I think the book's name was OpenGL programming guide: The official guide to learning OpenGL, but I'm not sure. It's maybe a try worth.

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