In the Begining...

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    • In the Begining...

      This is directed towards anyone...

      ·How did you first start programming w/ DirectX?
      ·What did you use to learn it?
      ·What do you wish u had done different?

      ·Are their any mistakes that you maybe made which you want to share with people in hope they wont do the same?

      ·Are their any tips you can give to someone who is just starting out?
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    • Getting Started...

      I started by buying Inside DirectX and Inside Direct 3D and modifying the sample code they included. These books are dated (DX 6, I think), so I wouldn't recommend them today. I would recommend going through the tutorials found in the Direct X SDK and tweaking them to see what happens. Also, buy an introductory book on DirectX and go to tutorial websites. Google for 'DirectX tutorials' and you will find tons of good material to get you started.

      Where you start depends on where you want to go. If you want to do 3d graphics, then you'll need to learn 3d math (view space vs. world space vs. model space, cross product, dot product, vectors, matrices, etc...). If you are more interested in 2d, then the learning curve is much less severe. If you're totally new to graphics programming, you should probably start with simple 2d. If you want to eventually do 3d, just master the basics of blitting, frame buffers, swap chains, etc., then move on.

      The only mistake I think I made while learning Direct X was doing more reading than programming (initially). There's a lot of information out there, and I thought that the more of it I knew, the better off I would be. For the most part, that's true, but I've found that I retain information better when I put it to use.

      Give yourself simple projects (The Magnificent Spinning Cube), and then learn what is necessary to finish them. Then add new features (camera control, file loading, textures, reflections). Then, design a more complex project. Rinse, wash, repeat.

      Hope this helps!

      - John
    • RE: Getting Started...

      I really do appreciate you taking the time to reply, it really does help. I have started with 2D, but that should only be temporary; I want to go to 3D eventually.

      What type of classes did you take to learn some of this math? Did you learn most of it in collage or was it outside of collage?
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