Hey everyone, So I have been using this book Visual Basic Game Programming for teens and it has been using DirectX to teach me how to make the game. Well, before I got this book, I programmed in C++ all the time, and want to start with either OpenGL or DirectX because I am a little tired of SDL. I haven't made any games with SDL, but I know it fairly well and I'm sure I could if I tried. Anyways, I'm going to Full Sail in about a year, and want to start getting ahead and learning, but I want to do either OpenGL or DirectX, either one, it doesn't matter. But my question is, what is easier to learn. When I started with OpenGL it was fairly easy with GLUT, but I want to hear some opinions, and I want to hear some opinions of Full Sail as well. Thanks in advanced!

^^ Heh, I just noticed you fixed it and deleted my post. :)

If you don't know either, at all, I would advise going with DirectX [or more specifically, Direct3D, since that is the part of DirectX that is directly comparable to openGL].

For a beginner, it is pretty easy to get into the habit of writing very bad code in openGL. The reason for this is that most any tutorial you go with will start you off using functions and features, like 'glVertex3f()' [among many others], that perform a task 'easy', that also comes with a huge performance penalty. Once you start doing things for real, you end up having to unlearn what you saw in a lot of beginning tutorials and change your mindset, and lots of newbies hold on to these functions either out of ignorance or refusal to leave those easy and comfortable functions. DirectX doesn't include these functions. This makes for a slightly steeper learning curve at the very start, and slightly longer time until your first test projects get done, in exchange for learning it 'right' right from the start.

If you know anything about either of them, then stick with the one you already know something about.

[Edited by - Drigovas on August 1, 2008 6:08:43 AM]

OpenGL is easier in my opinion although very easy to write bad code in.

Alright, well I suppose I'll be going into DirectX, because now that I think about it, if I went to Full Sail, they teach DirectX I believe, so I might as well get a head start instead of referring back to my old functions I used in OpenGL. Thank's everyone!

IM in the middle of this question myself, and im trying not to ask here as it tends to start a debate. I read an article that talked about the headers of both, pros and cons. It seems like its a good idea to learn both really at one point or another. When you learn one, its not too difficult to learn the other as you have a lot of the logic.