I would like to learn how to make games/programs. I plan to start small and increase complexity as my understanding develops. For example Pong>2d>3d. The time I spend progressing to understand a 3d game, I plan to experiment in 3d simultaneously by just jumping right so I will know what to expect before I get to that point.
I currently have no plan whatsoever to make any money with this. It will just be a hobby so program costs are a factor.
I have a BS in Mechanical Engineering and Associate in drafting and design.
I have experience in:
road, bridge, and land surveying
residential and small commercial building design
mechanical(primarily large industrial machinery, but also small engines and a lawnmower(once, fun stuff that was))
topography, maps, and elevations
art(non-computer based pastel, watercolor, charcoal, ect/with limited experience photoshop type software)
Programs(owned)-experience
Cad-10+ years, Can easily draw anything without trouble in 3d or 2d, motion studies, fea, renderings, flythrough, animations ect.
AutoCAD 2007
AutoCAD 2012(student version)
Autodesk Inventor(student version)
Catia(work)(example in attachment, not rendered)
Cadam(work)
Solidworks(favorite by far)
Visual Studio-College class experience, own book, and just playing around
-html college class experience
Can still get free versions of autodesk software(student versions)
Other resources:
Mom-more years of experience than I am old(25), knows more programming languages than I can remember, and has written plenty of programs. Lives 10 hours away, but with phones and internet receiving advanced help will be available.
3 high end computers
Lots of old computer programming books(most 10+ years old)
What I am looking for is a list of programs I will need, to know if any that I have are useful, a tutorial/example for a simple game like pong, and a exceptionally simple(as possible) tutorial/example of a 3d game.
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