Free Downloads Directx 9 Graphics: The Definitive Guide To Direct3d (Wordware Applications Library)
DirectX 9 Graphics: The Definitive Guide to Direct3D provides a detailed and comprehensive guide to getting started with DirectX, with a specific focus on Direct3D, a technology designed to create interactive multimedia products. This book demystifies DirectX, starting with the basics of setting up a DirectX application and finishing with the intricacies of real-time 3D animation. Learn how to create and render 3D worlds; use index and vertex buffers to represent 3D primitives; apply 3D mathematical theory to graphic design; export 3D models from 3D rendering applications and import them into DirectX as meshes; save and load data using X files; create snow, rain, fog, and more using point sprites and particle systems; animate pixel data on textures; enhance your game world with real-time lighting and texture mapping. Employ skeletal animation to animate meshes.
Series: Wordware Applications Library
Paperback: 349 pages
Publisher: Jones & Bartlett Learning; 1 edition (April 8, 2005)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1556222297
ISBN-13: 978-1556222290
Product Dimensions: 6.3 x 0.8 x 9 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #5,538,114 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #77 in Books > Computers & Technology > Programming > Graphics & Multimedia > DirectX #991 in Books > Computers & Technology > Graphics & Design > 3D Graphics #2810 in Books > Computers & Technology > Games & Strategy Guides > Game Programming
This book is not even close to being the definitive guide to Direct3D. At best it's an introduction, and covers even less material than other introductions (eg Frank Luna's book or Wolfgang Engel's book).The first 20 pages are given over to installing DirectX SDK. Complete waste of time for anyone who can read the SDK install doc. The chapter on video playback is pure filler - that is not part of Direct3D and shouldn't be in the book. You would learn just as much D3D by following the free SDK tutorials or some of the excellent (free) Internet tutorials.To make matters worse, he defines his own linked list class, instead of using the STL std::list. That's always a bad sign in my book.All in all very poor. Stick with the SDK docs and Internet tutorials.
I got this title because it had the most references and positivereviews. But this is a seriously flawed book. Important topicslike depth, culling, block bit transfers, and any discussion ofshadows and reflections are completely missing.The book style is quirky, it starts like a users guide, withinstallation instructions for directX, then launches into afeature by feature discussion with virtually no overview materialabout what 3d drawing means, and what we are trying to accomplish.Further, the author starts with an example of how to write amessage loop that POLLS for messages instead of releases controlto get them "because we need all the time we can get for thegame". This is an amateur hour stunt that is the reason someapps bog down the system in Windows. Its totally unecessary,you can use timers to make sure you get program time from thesystem WHEN APPROPRIATE, not continuously WASTING CPU time.DON'T use this technique !I'm sorry to say that I have not found a professional, readablehigh level book on Direct3d yet. This is in contrast to theexcellent books available for OpenGL. Sad.
This book starts out with 3D math reviews and goes on to Direct3D fundamentals.Pro:- It has pretty good chapters on the X file, camera system, and skeletal animation- I love the DirectX Q&A on the back of appendix which gives a thorough some of the questions you mgiht have ran into but can't find the answersCon:- the chapter on materials and lightning could have been expanded more such as giving more samples- the samples you can downloaded although there are no error in the code but you have to put a little of work to add those files into a new project and compileOverall, it's a great start for those who wish to learn DirectX 9. I strongly suggest you to download the DirectX9 SDK and read it along with this book. You should have a solid basic foundation of direct3d at the end of this book.
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