Switching to DX, need direction
Author
I''ve been doing 3d stuff in OpenGl. I''ve been wanting to switch to DX for a while. The problem is that I want to learn the latest version, DX 9, so that I won''t be learning an outdated way of doing things. So, my question is what is the best book to buy to learn DX9? Or is it even woth while to specifically learn DX9 as opposed to one of the earlier versions like DX 8.1? If it is not, then what do you think that the best book would be anyway? I''ve often heard that the documentation is the best way to learn it, but I really want to buy an actual book, so that I can read it away from the computer and use it as a conveinient reference.
Also, someting that I''ve been wodering about for a while is if OpenGl or DirectX is faster in a fairly complex program? If its a pain to anwser the OGL vs. DX question, then don''t bother anwsering it. It is just something that I haven''t been sure about.
Also, just so that you know, I searched the last 10 pages for a similar topic before posting this. I know it must be a common question and don''t want to annoy people with it, but there werent any other similar topics recently.
Thanks for you time.
§LateR§
I don''t have any particular book to recommend, as I learned DirectX from the Microsoft documentation (although a book may be helpful). But one thing that I want to point out is that Direct 3D versions 8 and above are COMPLETELY different from Direct 3D versions 1 through 7. On the project that I am working on, I switched the code to use version 8 to take advantage of the latest features, and it required a HUGE amount of rewriting.
Direct 3D versions 8 and above are actually quite similar to OpenGL, in that both require you to write a certain amount of relatively low-level code to draw the 3-D images. Versions 1 through 7, on the other hand, are more high-level--you create frames for each of your objects and manipulate the position, orientation, and velocity of the frames.
Whatever book you get, make sure that it deals with version 8 or higher.
The Fluxmaster
Direct 3D versions 8 and above are actually quite similar to OpenGL, in that both require you to write a certain amount of relatively low-level code to draw the 3-D images. Versions 1 through 7, on the other hand, are more high-level--you create frames for each of your objects and manipulate the position, orientation, and velocity of the frames.
Whatever book you get, make sure that it deals with version 8 or higher.
The Fluxmaster
Author
I was definitly planning to get something recent, DX 8 or 9. I didn''t know there was a big difference between 7 and 8 though thx for the info.
Does anyone have any specific books to recomend? I would appreciate any suggestions.
Thanks.
Does anyone have any specific books to recomend? I would appreciate any suggestions.
Thanks.
Programming RPG''s with DirectX 8 by Jim Adams
The great thing about this book is, that it''s not only about DirectX, it''s also about GameDevelopment. I started out with online tutorials and stuff like that. Simple things like initializing DirectX and using vertices, can be learned on nexe.
.lick
The great thing about this book is, that it''s not only about DirectX, it''s also about GameDevelopment. I started out with online tutorials and stuff like that. Simple things like initializing DirectX and using vertices, can be learned on nexe.
.lick
dx8 and dx9 only differ marginally, i think only a handful of parameters changed in a few functions.. sorry methods. there were some other major changes to VB''s (like being able to store more than 1 type of vertex format in a VB, weird..) and of course HLSL, but they shouldnt effect anything that you do... yet 
''Special Effects Game Programming with Directx'' is izzo fresh, I only knew dx4 before and just this year hopped back into doing a game with dx9 and this book helped alot! It''s also a good reference to match up with the documentation fluxmaster mentioned. The documentation is cryptic at times! You can read about it on gamedevs book section.
I tried ''inside direct 3d'' which is whickety wack, but it had topics on stencil buffers which ''special efx gam prg'' didn''t though. It''s going cheap, so it may be good to pick up for a few chapters on DirectPlay/Stencilbuffers and the CD utilites.
and to comment I belive 8.1 and 9 are really close! Well except for the monkeys.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1931841063/qid=1054226368/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_1/104-9820223-7621542?v=glance&s=books&n=507846
Anyone read ShaderX? Is this a good book on shaders?
I tried ''inside direct 3d'' which is whickety wack, but it had topics on stencil buffers which ''special efx gam prg'' didn''t though. It''s going cheap, so it may be good to pick up for a few chapters on DirectPlay/Stencilbuffers and the CD utilites.
and to comment I belive 8.1 and 9 are really close! Well except for the monkeys.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1931841063/qid=1054226368/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_1/104-9820223-7621542?v=glance&s=books&n=507846
Anyone read ShaderX? Is this a good book on shaders?
Author
After looking at a lot of books online at Amazon, I''ve pretty much narrowed it down to either "Special Effects Game Programming with DirectX w/CD", or "Real-Time Rendering Tricks and Techniques in DirectX". If anyone has any comments on either of these books that could help sway my decision, it would be appreciated. They both look about equal from different reviews and such.
I cut "Programming RPG''s with DirectX 8" because I''m looking for a book that is focused on the technical side of things and that book seemed to have too much focus on the development. Thanks for the suggestion though. I appreciate knowing about more options to consider.
I''ve also cut "Advanced 3D Game Programming with DirectX 9.0", which hasn''t been mentioned yet, but I''ve been looking at it. Has anyone bought this book? I guess I''m still halfway considering it because books from WordWare seem to be pretty good from my experiance. There aren''t any reviews of it on Amazon, but the previous version had mixed reviews (Which is why I cut it).
In anycase, "Special Effects Game Programming with DirectX w/CD" and "Real-Time Rendering Tricks and Techniques in DirectX" both seem to cover the basics of direct x. They also have more advanced topics that will be usefull later on. They both seem so close, its a hard decision (I don''t have a very big budget right now, and can only afford one of them). I would appreciate any opinions on them.
Thanks for all the info.
§LateR§
I cut "Programming RPG''s with DirectX 8" because I''m looking for a book that is focused on the technical side of things and that book seemed to have too much focus on the development. Thanks for the suggestion though. I appreciate knowing about more options to consider.
I''ve also cut "Advanced 3D Game Programming with DirectX 9.0", which hasn''t been mentioned yet, but I''ve been looking at it. Has anyone bought this book? I guess I''m still halfway considering it because books from WordWare seem to be pretty good from my experiance. There aren''t any reviews of it on Amazon, but the previous version had mixed reviews (Which is why I cut it).
In anycase, "Special Effects Game Programming with DirectX w/CD" and "Real-Time Rendering Tricks and Techniques in DirectX" both seem to cover the basics of direct x. They also have more advanced topics that will be usefull later on. They both seem so close, its a hard decision (I don''t have a very big budget right now, and can only afford one of them). I would appreciate any opinions on them.
Thanks for all the info.
§LateR§
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