- Paperback: 430 pages
- Publisher: Microsoft Press,U.S.; Pap/Cdr edition (1 April 2000)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0735606137
- ISBN-13: 978-0735606135
- Product Dimensions: 22.9 x 18.8 x 3.3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 2.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,683,137 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Aimed at the more experienced Windows C/C++ programmer, Inside Direct3D delivers a solid introduction to the world of game development on the Microsoft DirectX platform. With coverage of the features and APIs used to create realistic 3D gaming graphics, this book can initiate any C++ developer into the world of DirectX.
This book is best at explaining the basic and advanced features in version 7 of DirectX, a gaming platform that includes numerous APIs such as Direct3D (for 3D graphics), DirectDraw (for 2D graphics) and DirectInput (for joystick input). This text explains how to implement such 3D effects as texture mapping, lighting effects, fog and stencil buffers (which can be used to create cinematic fade-in/fade-out effects, for instance).
Each section here traces a relevant section of the DirectX API, starting with DirectDraw, and then moving on to various aspects of Direct3D and other APIs. Standout chapters include a solid explanation of Direct3D's transformation and lighting pipeline (which combines the various 3D elements and effects into a single- rendered scene). There's also an introduction to using input devices (like joysticks) and an overview of multiplayer gaming. This book explains what functionality is available and shows off the applicable APIs.
The other standout here is the author's useful gaming engine (called RoadRage), which lets you try out DirectX graphics features hands-on. While game development is a huge topic, this title can definitely get you started by concentrating on the DirectX APIs themselves, with some appealing visual demos that show off the various graphics effects in action. For those with some previous DirectX knowledge, the bundled sample gaming engine is definitely worth the price of the book. --Richard Dragan
Topics covered: Overview of Microsoft DirectX 7; DirectX APIs: DirectDraw; Direct3D; DirectPlay; DirectInput; COM for game programmers; using the Microsoft Direct3D Framework; basic message handling; programming with DirectDraw; enumerating and selecting Direct3D devices; windowed and full-screen modes; flipping and selecting surfaces; Direct3D Immediate Mode features and APIs; the Transformation and Lighting (T & L) pipeline; vertices; the strided vertex format; viewports; types of lighting; rendering 3D scenes; primitive types (point lists, line lists, triangle stripes and triangle fans); render states; keyboard and joystick input with DirectInput; force feedback; texturing; texture management; texture compression and the DXT format; bipmaps; texture filtering; texture blending and wrapping; fog effects; alpha blending; light mapping; cinematic effects with stencil buffers; 3D models and animation (segmented and single-mesh characters); Direct3D optimization hints; multi-player gaming, and RoadRage (sample custom gaming engine).
Product Description
As Windows"R" becomes a widely accepted platform for popular games, its 3D class libraries continue to gain in popularity with developers. INSIDE DIRECT3D"R" provides the lowdown on Direct3D from a respected writer with solid connections inside the Microsoft Direct3D development group. Last year he wrote INSIDE DIRECTX"R," which included coverage of Direct3D Retain Mode. Here he writes exclusively about Direct3D Immediate Mode. This title is a long-awaited, well-paced walk through the Direct3D APIs, with emphasis on a few large code samples. It includes the Direct3D 6.0 SDK. It's ideal for games programmers who need to learn about this technology, and also for non-game programmers who went to add real-time 3D effects and navigation to a Windows application UI.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
The Microsoft DirectX application programming interface (API) was developed to provide a set of interfaces that provide extremely efficient control of multi-media hardware on a computer running Microsoft Windows. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
The Microsoft DirectX application programming interface (API) was developed to provide a set of interfaces that provide extremely efficient control of multi-media hardware on a computer running Microsoft Windows. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Honestly, what's the point in writing a book that teaches you how to program using the framework library? A book called "Inside Direct3D" should be teaching Immediate Mode, not how to use some set of library functions, even if they are from Microsoft. "Tricks of the Windows game programming Gurus" is much more informative.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Well, with a name like "Inside Direct3D" I was expecting an indepth look into Direct3D IM, but instead its a book about a game the author is programming. Unfortunately, rather than telling us how the game is developed, he's too busy trying to hide his programming secrets, and instead shows little snippets of code (with little explanation, and to be frank, obvious to any intermediate programmer) and then shows pictures of the finished product.
The optimisation section of the book, is again, obvious, and doesn't really go into enough depth (and doesnt mentions things like culling techniques or tree data structs).
Most of the information contained in this book can be extracted from the DX7 SDK, or from the web.
Makes a good doorstop... :o)
Format:Paperback
Had this for a while, and found it a very interesting read. It is not a beginners book, and you will need to have a good grasp of programming using c/c++ and windows.
Gives a good basis for setting up direct 3d as the book is written around a game the author develops. This allows you to see how the function calls are used in a real program.
It also covers other aspects of the direct x sdk.
The disk has all the source code and the additional programs supplied on the disk make it worth the...(price)...
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