RE: [Dev-C++] moving to 3d programming

[Abhijit S. <mu...@gm...>]

> DirectX is used by many many people and organisations. Microsoft recently
> removed themselves from the OpenGL consortium (or whatever its
> called) as a
> side note.

All the more reason to do OpenGL! :-)

Microsoft pulled out because OpenGL was challenging its monopoly. Even from
a neutral (non-anti-M$) view, one has to agree that OpenGL is usually the
most efficient, stable, and widely-supported. If you had a choice between
having your graphics code compile only on one platform, versus having it
compile with few changes on two, which would you go for?

One thing that amuses me was that before DirectX was such hot property, M$
used to distribute OpenGL screen-savers along with Windows. It just goes to
show their monopolistic ideals that even with OpenGL being good enough for
them to use to make screen-savers for Windows, they decided to go ahead with
Direct3D... not to create a better API, but to create an MS API.

>
> I reckon DirectX is the way to go, you know 2D programming and Dx
> has (had)
> a 2D component, which is now part of Direct3D.
>
> Check out GamesDev.Net

gamedev.net?

Specifically, for OpenGL, see
http://nehe.gamedev.net/

Also, for 2D, you might want to try using Allegro (see http://www.allegro.cc
and http://alleg.sourceforge.net - not sure about the second one). This is a
cross-platform library for graphics, sound, input, timing, etc. Used in
conjunction, you can very easily port your code across different platforms.
Allegro does use DirectDraw on Windows, if it's available.

--
Abhijit Shylanath
Homepage: http://mudeth.tripod.com/