getting started

Can someone help me get started with opengl programming? i am working on c++ right now and i would like to get into windows programming and graphics programming. I am good in math and am learning calculus.If anyone can give me a hand in getting started, reccommend good sites or books, please help. thanks so much!

Hey there! Alright for windows programming you don’t need to know a lot if you are just going to program graphics. Most graphics books tell you how to create a window in their intro chapters. But, for windows programming i suggest:

Now for the graphics:

OpenGL:

Ok each book title is a link to their page at amazon.com. The first one is the best one to learn opengl, but the second one is good for learning and applying it to a game (you get to learn how to do some pretty neat things…if i were you… I’d get the first one (it’s also called the red book because the cover is red) and read through it and THEN get the second book so you can focus on the more advanced concepts without worrying about the simple opengl things). I have never read the last one but i hear it’s not bad.

For just concepts and or math, i like these books:

  • [li] Real-Time Renderin (2nd Edition) This is A GOOD book for concepts only (doesn’t teach you programming). Get this after you understand OpenGL…that way you know how things work instead of just blindly using them.[*] Mathematics for 3d game programming and computer graphics - Good book for learning the math required (the math is not really so much calculus as it is linear algebra - vectors and matrices). I’m sure u’ll pick it up fast. Get this book if you want to know a lot of math behind the physics, water rendering, and other advanced stuff. If you just wanna know how to do simple vector math, look on the internet…i’m sure there is a LOT of stuff there that won’t cost you $49.99 .

Ok, those are all the books you’ll need. If you are just doing graphics, get the first opengl book i listed and then look for an online tutorial for how to create a window NeHe and GameTutorials.com will take care of all the online tutorial needs for you.

Ok…so if your doing graphics get the red book and then look at the tutorials on NeHe’s and Gametutorials.com sites.

If you ALSO want to learn windows programming to a level beyond JUST creating a simple window with no menus and buttons, then get the book i suggested or some other book that you like better. I hope all this helped!!

Happy Holidays

  • Halcyon

[This message has been edited by Halcyon (edited 12-25-2002).]

thanks so much!!!