The Zen of Direct3D Game Programming (Prima Tech's Game Development)

By Peter Walsh

This title is an advanced tutorial on the complex features of DirectX. It provides in-depth coverage of DirectX Graphics Immediate Mode and DirectDraw and demonstrates how to implement a Quake style... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0761534296
• ISBN13: 9780761534297
• Release Date: June 2002
• Publisher: Muska & Lipman/Premier-Trade
• Length: 863 Pages
• Weight: 3.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.8" x 2.3" x 7.0"

Customer Reviews

Awesome book!

This book is definitly for beginners to both Windows, and DirectX not to mention Direct3D. I love this guy's informal style. It'll keep you interested even through the tough math parts :) I must say though that it's wise to get the VC++ compiler which the author recommends. It will save you some hearteache and a few heated e-mails. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking into starting D3D.

Direct3D Version 8 - The One Book You Really, Really Need !

The Zen of Direct3D Game Programming is an absolutely excellent book that truly accomplishes what it sets out to do.Direct3D Immediate mode is one of the most demanding programming challenges in the Universe, period. This book, if pursued studiously, absolutely will give you a very solid foundation in Direct3D and how to use it effectively.The books only presumptions are that you are able to program somewhat adequately in "C" and that you possess, and have at least a little familiarity with, Microsoft's Visual C++ Compiler.This book provdes excellent, appropriately sequential and insightful coverage of Windows graphics programming, 2D DirectX Programming, 3D concepts and beginning to moderately advanced 3D Direct3D concepts and implentation methods. It is written in a very coherent and easy to follow manner, with complexity of concept increasing only as our ability to understand also increases, a rare feature in this level of technical book.The game engine that Peter continuously helps you develop and refine throughout the book is truly a tour de force. Its development is clear and logical and it's increasing sophistication and complexity follows our advancing learning curve very tidily. As Peter progresses through the book, he uses more and more sophisticated coding techniques, but he always demystifies them and explains them adequately before moving on. Part way through the book, Peter introduces and begins using classes for encapsulation of the functions that he includes in his "game engine", but the book also includes a very nice appendix item that is a short introductory course to C++ classes that is just right for the level of C++ specific implementation that he uses in the book. For most books, the learning about Direct3D methods that takes place would be quite sufficient, but this book packs a real bonus in the parallel development of its game engine. This engine is really useful, truly powerful and imminently extensible. Most previous attempts of this sort resulted in an engine that may have been suitable for learning, but was certainly not so for any more serious implementation. Peters engine can easily be used as the primary basis for construction of advanced 3D projects and games. It is heavily optimized for speed and utility. Moreover, the principals of engine construction that are continuously reinforced as you proceed leave you more than adequate to the task of engine enhancement or even to begin constructing engines of your own.This book does not cover: advanced animation methods, character animation, 3D collision detection, game theory or how to build your own game. However, without this book those things are moot. I look forward to a volume 2. But even without that, Peter has given me the capability and the confidence to move forward confidently on my own and undertake those missions with a certainty that I can make sense out of them and produce coherent, tidy and powerful implementations of my own.By the way, Don't knock this b

Antonio

First want to say that this book was great. I am a VB programmer moving to C++ with well basis in programming console applications in C++. This book is definitely for a beginner that knows well how to program console applications in C++ and wants to learn Windows Programming, DirectX8, and Direct3D. I found it very useful. It goes from the basics of how to create a window, how it works, drawing with the GDI, discusses the uses of it and disadvantages. Then it goes from the basics, in 2D, of how to draw a point to lines and load bitmaps in different ways. Then it goes to 2D drawing with Direct3D. Also covers well explained basis of Direct Input. Is the best game programming book now on the market explaining the 3D mathematics and how to implement them, believe me I have studied mathematics all my life and after reading others book found it well explained. It is true that it does not cover meshes with animations and other stuff, but for any one that is learning 3D it is better to stick with the basis and learned one step at a time. If you think that you are going to find a book with everything about 3D programming, let me help you, stop searching. I have read more than ten books, never taken programming courses, and this is the only one that explains DirectX8 with Direct3D so well that with the basis I have learned, I can go easily to the SDK Documentation and read the other features of DirectX8 and deal with them understanding everything.

It's the Best.

I've been waiting a long time for a book like this. I'm a Unix software developer by profession, but only a hobbyist when it comes to PC game programming. Back in the good old days, before Windows and DirectX/DirectWhatever, it was possible for us casuall programmers to keep up with the technology and have fun experimenting with graphics and game programming. I simply lost interest when the complexity of the operating system and video hardware started getting in the way.I've been searching for a good book on DirectX graphics programming for years and finally found one that delivers what it promises. Peter Walsh, the author, obviously understands how frustrating the learning process can be. The content of this book is masterfully structured to give the reader a solid understanding of everything you need to know. It's friendly, informal, humorous, and focused. It's a big book, but it reads fast, and keeps you interested.The author assumes you know C and maybe a little C++. That's about the only prerequisite you'll need to understand the material. He doesn't spend hundreds of pages explaining how to use your compiler, and how to write Windows code (there are bazillions of other books that do that). But he does nicely explain the minimun setup code required for a program running under Windows. Then he moves into the serious graphics stuff that you bought the book for in the first place.There is some heavy-duty material in this book, and it's presented in a way that even us non-geniuses can understand. Take it from someone who has read a lot of programming books over the last twenty years -- this one is the best I've seen.

Good coverage of advanced game development topics.

This book covers a lot of fascinating topics surrounding DirectX Graphics. What I found especially useful was the detailed explanation of doing 2D sprites and fonts with Direct3D, which is a complicated subject. The sprite engine is really cool, because it uses the Direct3DX library, and there is not a lot of reference available for it. 3D math is covered in detail, showing how to maximize performance out of 3D code. The Zen3D engine is pretty cool, capable of rendering scenes using a ton of included C++ classes for doing all kinds of things, like CZenLight, CZenFace, CZenCube, etc. These classes make it really easy to create a 3D scene. I especially liked the CZenMouse class--that is so cool, a 3D mouse that you can use in a game. It's a subject most people overlook. The appendixes are kind of ridiculous, but then I started to actually refer to the DX8 function listings (a whopping 100 pages worth at the end), so it is definitely easier than looking this stuff up in the SDK. There is no coverage of sound, which I thought was pretty strange. Sound is mentioned in Chapter 3, but I couldn't find any coverage of DirectSound anywhere. There is also no coverage of DirectPlay, but that's an off topic. I think that when you combine this book with Todd Barron's Multiplayer Game Programming book, the two books together are a great pair. Todd's book actually covers more of DX8, and still has some cool D3D stuff (like the Space Pirates game) that help to fill the gaps in Zen3D. I own both books, and they are very cool together. Unfortunately, with a book of this size, I think it should have covered this stuff. Oh well, it was written to cover just D3D, and it does that better than any other book I have read.