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I started to write a game engine from scratch based upon DirectX which started to hurt my head after a while. It took far too many different steps to even draw a single triangle. And of course for some reason DirectDraw doesn't support transparencies and for some reason you have to create 3D triangles that face the camera all the time in order to even think about making a 2D game engine with rotation/transparencies and all that stuff (The engine will use a 3D system anyway for the map).
So, how do I obtain the latest OpenGL SDK (I looked under the link on the official website and ironically I found nothing of the sort ) so I can make the programs as well as a good beginner's guide on 2D and 3D graphics with OpenGL. I want to see if I can work something out with it.
This post has been edited by skyhawk133: 6 Aug, 2007 - 06:30 AM
I've heard that NeHe's tutorials are good for getting into OpenGL...if you're the kind of person who needs to buy a book, check out what everybody calls "The OpenGL Red Book"(it's actually called OpenGL Programming Guide).
I think OpenGL is even more low level than DirectX, but it's your choice. As an SDK, I don't think, that you have to download anything, as the standard header files (opengl.h, etc...) should be present in your compiler, and the dll-s are provided by your card's driver - or by windows if you have a 2D card, but forget about 3D acceleration then... For extensions, check opengl.org they have a ncie collection of vendor specific platform dependent header files in their sdk home section.
one thing, remember to use glut library while programming opengl. it is a library for managing window processes, you can use opengl without it but it will cause you headache i guess. Required files for opengl (gl, glu) are in windows but you have to download glut libraries externally. They are dll's and header files... I will not make a detailed explanation, I do not use opengl with c/c++. i don't remember all the setup works.
glut is an interesting option, since it really has some useful utility function, but since it is not part of the standard, you have to install the library yourself or package with your app, and it might not worth the hassle, since most of the glut functions are not so hard to implement if you need them so badly.
Thanks guys, I decided to write using an Acknex SDK I found in my hard drive, and I can write my own engine based upon the Acknex library. So far it's going well but I am sure I will need OpenGL later, so I'll work through what you guys gave me. I may write a few arcade sized games using OpenGL, but for a full scale game I figured it would be easier to just use a nice high level library (such as Acknex) to build a game engine upon. It IS easier than DirectX, that is for sure! After looking at how you would draw a triangle, the OpenGL version was readable and logical while the DirectX one was confusing and riddled with those awful jibberish uppercase macros. I've written window and window process handlers all the time so I don't think I need the GLUT.
I wanted to go in an entirely different direction with my game project, so I really wanted to code it in C++ to make a nice engine. The parallel C-Script built in language is to simple for my purposes, I only use it to define some resources and to link actions to the current game map in this new version of the game engine, the rest is done in C++.
The next step for me is to learn HLSL or whatever it is called for shader effects. The Acknex engine is compatible with it so I'll be able to write all kinds of shader effects.
The advantage of using OpenGL, from what I have heard, is that it will run on multiple operating systems.
I'll go poke around the library folders for the OpenGL SDK files. I would really like to know where to get the latest SDK files however.
I won't use SDL simply because the Acknex6 library I have is pretty much a better substitute. Acknex6 wasn't free but it is quite powerful. (Acknex comes with 3DGameStudio but I am referring specifically to Acknex6 since I am writing my own .exe file engine instead of using the bundling publish command in WED).
I'm more of a get the physical book person instead of a poke around tutorials online person, but all these resources will prove useful to me.
If there's anything else that can be of use I would like it.
This post has been edited by WolfCoder: 6 Aug, 2007 - 11:07 AM
It IS easier than DirectX, that is for sure! After looking at how you would draw a triangle, the OpenGL version was readable and logical while the DirectX one was confusing and riddled with those awful jibberish uppercase macros.
man you should have listened to me a couple of years ago
30 Jul, 2007 - 09:30 PM
) so I can make the programs as well as a good beginner's guide on 2D and 3D graphics with OpenGL. I want to see if I can work something out with it.
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