Hey all, Whats the cleanest and easiest 3D game engine in C++? I've become proficient at modeling and want to do an Animal Crossing type game. I've done extensive programming in the past, except mainly in Java and never in 3D.

If you are most comfortable using Java why don't you stick with it and use jMonkeyEngine?

Java is a .NET language. It has less in common with C++, and more in common with other .NET languages. The .NET languages tend to be much more geared toward an object-oriented programming methodology. C++ allows for OOP, but it isn't really built around that, and the level of memory management you will have to exercise would be unfamiliar to a Java programmer.

I would strongly recommend that you use a Java engine, or any engine that uses .NET languages for programming or scripting. lmelier suggested the jMonkeyEngine, and that is a good choice. I would suggest the Unity Engine. It uses &#106avascript and C# for gameplay scripting elements, and it is much easier to get 3D resources into it. (I know &#106avascript is not the same thing as Java, but if you can handle Java's syntax than &#106avascript would be a walk in the park) C# is a .NET language that is fairly similar to Java, and the transition should be pretty easy. Unity is known for being both clean and easy to work with. It has full support for 3D graphics, and an Animal Crossing style game would probably work just fine in it.

Quote:Original post by Richard Kain
Java is a .NET language. It has less in common with C++, and more in common with other .NET languages. The .NET languages tend to be much more geared toward an object-oriented programming methodology. C++ allows for OOP, but it isn't really built around that, and the level of memory management you will have to exercise would be unfamiliar to a Java programmer.

Whoa there, Java is not even remotely related to .NET, and C++ was originally just an extension to C to add OOP functionality (which is why it was almost called "C with Classes"). I might argue that C++ is more flexible with OOP than Java and C#, though some of the things you can do in C++ that are disallowed in those languages can be considered more trouble than they're worth (e.g. multiple inheritance). Generally though, the point stands that he'd spend a lot more time learning C++ on top of actually making a game.

EDIT:

Sorry OP, all these responses and no actual answers regarding C++ engines. Check out DevMaster's 3D engine database. There are reviews for many of them. I like what I've seen with OGRE, but as that's the only one I've spent any time with (and I won't buy an engine yet), I can't really say more.

You won't discourage me from learning it. I will check out Ogre. Thanks. More suggestions welcome.

I agree, I thought java was written well before C# and .net.

Quote: I like what I've seen with OGRE, but as that's the only one I've spent any time with (and I won't buy an engine yet), I can't really say more.

I have been working with C++ and had trouble working with ogre for a number months, I am still trying to get it to compile. If you just want to get something up and running really quickly you can always try dark basic That is written in basic, but it very clean, and straight forward. Also, you can check out the Unreal Engine.