Introduction to 3D Game Programming with DirectX 9.0

Rating:
Summary: very nice
Review: a very good book that takes you along the way of 3d programming using Direct3D.and thats all it does.like one of the previous reviewers said it is focused only on Direct3D

Rating:
Summary: Buen libro, sin duda
Review: Este libro no es para principiantes, definitivamente, en bueno para personas que ya conocen firmemente los primeros pasos en Dx 9. Los programas ejemplo, facilmente pueden ser combinados, tiene efectos nieve, laser, etc, me encanto el algoritmo para mover la camara, me resolvio mis problemas en ese aspecto. Tambien otro de sus puntos fuertes es el render de terrenos complejos, con eso logre hacer mi primer juego en serio.

Rating:
Summary: This book rocks!
Review: Excellent introduction to DirectX programming. I bought other books such as the Engel book on DirectX programming and was frustrated with how badly put together they were. This one covers the topics concisely and efficiently, building on top of earlier chapters, and has very good sample source code as well. Highly recommended!

Rating:
Summary: Only good for beginner programmers
Review: First of all don't let the title mislead you, it's an introduction to 3D programming with DirectX 9.0 (not GAME programming at all).

The book opens up to a whole introduction on basic 3D math, which is good for a reference because the particular section seems to be completely error free according to its errata (download at the book's site: http://www.moon-labs.com/). The math is mainly on the basics of vectors, matrices, planes, rays, and anything else the book will exercise, so will not leave you hanging if you aren't very good at the subject. It is well written overall and goes over the preliminaries of Direct3D (note, only Direct3D, it uses windows messages for key input rather than DirectInput) then provides a few examples to go with. Each subheading gets to the point and is always followed by a definition of the structure variables and parameters that Direct3D uses (though it's always best to use the Microsoft DirectX SDK help file for updates and changes of which have undergone in the past year). The back section is on the very basics of the Windows API, all you really need to know in order to construct a window for Direct3D - so don't buy some huge book on Windows programming.

On the negative side, some of the chapters are pointless. For example: 3D text (what for? a screensaver?), loading unanimated .x files (because if you want to animate them, it takes a lot of code... learn a popular format instead such as md2/md3 unless you want static models), the particle effects, and the chapters on shading - though is a decent reference when you want to come back to the subject, as it is a quite complex topic. I recommend you download NVIDIA's FX Composer, or ATI's Render Monkey for proper shading rather than Microsoft's Effect Edit which is what the book uses. If you are moderate at C++, then the particle effects would be pointless as you will most likely be able to build your own. The effect demos seemed to run with fluctuated movement, as if the timing was poorly made, others tend to run way too quickly. The picking example is not perfect; in fact it's off a few units due to the projection, so use the DX SDK sample provided by Microsoft instead. I really disliked the unnecessary scope on some functions such as ::GetAsyncKeyState. I also dislike how he sets a material for everything... Usually from the projects I've seen, there is only need for one preset material set to full color, so set it and forget about it. The blending chapter is too short, you should learn how colors work or else you'll have no idea what good the operations can do for you, such as subtraction and reverse subtracting. The particle effects use a blended source of D3DBLEND_ONE, use D3DBLEND_SRCALPHA so that you can make them more transparent! As for the minor flaws such as the annoying omitted "_" , I'd recommend it to beginner programmers, more advanced people should seek a reference book on the DirectX API instead.

It definitely helped me at the start of this year when I first started to learn programming all together; you can see my work here: http://dxelliot.tripod.com

Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Introduction.
Review: Firstly, let me say that this is a beginner book and even though it says "Game Programming" in the title it doesn't have much to do with game programming. That said, it still gives you a better head start in game programming than most books that actually do cover game programming (if that makes any sense).

What I like about the book is that it has almost no coverage of Win32 and COM (there is a good appendix if needed, but you really should get books dedicated to the subject). The math overview is particulary good simply because the author relates it to Direct3D all the way, so you aren't left to figure out how to implement the theory through the DirectX API.

The other topics are all solid introductions to the various parts of Direct3D (setting up, lighting, meshes (very good), vertex/index buffers, v/p shaders etc) and a very usable camera class and a nice simple introduction to terrains.

You certainly aren't going to be able to write an AA title after reading this book but it gives a solid introduction that you can work from, which is sadly lacking in most other books.

Rating:
Summary: Very good!
Review: Great book indeed! Frank Luna did a great job writing it: he's explaining stuff like *why* we need to use 1.0/0.0 with points/vectors as "w" instead of simply saying "we need to put this number". My math background let's me take advantage of what i know, but this is the only book i seen so far explaining all this math stuff in such a great way. Also, this book greatly cover the basics for pixel/vertex shaders programmin, that's a cool feature at current time. I read something about ps/vs in other books, but they miss the big point that's *WHY* we use them and *HOW* we use them. Thank you Frank!
And congratulations!

Rating:
Summary: Very good!
Review: Great book indeed! Frank Luna did a great job writing it: he's explaining stuff like *why* we need to use 1.0/0.0 with points/vectors as "w" instead of simply saying "we need to put this number". My math background let's me take advantage of what i know, but this is the only book i seen so far explaining all this math stuff in such a great way. Also, this book greatly cover the basics for pixel/vertex shaders programmin, that's a cool feature at current time. I read something about ps/vs in other books, but they miss the big point that's *WHY* we use them and *HOW* we use them. Thank you Frank!
And congratulations!

Rating:
Summary: just a taste...
Review: I am an applications programmer who was interested in learning graphics API. I was interested in learning something I could use for 3D game development that skipped over the 2D garbage I endure with Javascript. After quite a bit of research on my part I discovered this book. And I enjoyed every page. Very professional for a programming book and very to the point, the author takes on a romp through basic techniques used in DirectX. Granted he stays completely in Direct3D and does not discuss DirectPlay or DirectSound, but this is a beginning DirectX book. He gets you to understand the meat of the subject, 3D. This book covers the essential math you'll need to understand the following chapters. The chapters after that cover vertex buffering, programmable pipeline, vertex shaders, effects framework, transformations, ect. The only thing that wasn't covered, that I was expecting, were the animation functions and charector animations. Other than that it was a fine text. All in all it took me one week to read this book, dedicating about an hour a night. Subsequently I followed up by reading through it again and taking notes. A follow-up book will be required to begin making games of any great substance. This title was a perfect INTRO to the topic of Direct3D.


Rating:
Summary: Superb...
Review: I can't recommend this book more to those who want to start learning Direct3D game progamming. It elegantly hide the details of COM, Windows programming, etc. for those untrained in these fields, so it's very focused and can get ppl started quickly. The author really explains D3D from a beginner's perspective, and with his own understanding instead of copying chunks of texts from the SDK doc like some other titles on the market do. Of course this book alone won't get you become D3D expert, but it definitely does its job as the bridge that introduce you to the road on becoming an expert. Gone are the days when you were overwhelmed by the complexity and unrelavant or unnecessary details of the SDK doc or some advanced textbook and don't know where to start--grab this book at all cost. Last but not least is its accompanying website where you can post questions and discuz related topic with other dudes and the author. And the author's responses to my questions(I guess to others' questions too) are nothing short of just fast and to the point. He answered EVERY question I asked on the forum, and EVERY time his answer could solve my problem. I mean after reading this book, I think books owe their readers if they don't also provide such excellent service to their customers.

Rating:
Summary: Perfect beginner book
Review: I feel this is the best intro book to Direct3D. It covers a lot of cool stuff in an amount that I think is perfect for a beginner. It mixes a pretty good blend of theory and practice, explaining some mathematical techniques where necessary, and then relying on D3DX for other things to make us more productive. One of the beauties of this over other API books is that it remains focused on Direct3D and doesn't try to be a huge bible covering all aspects of game development. All in all I would recommend this book to a friend so 5 Estrellas!!