Rating: 
Summary: one of the best
Review: I have read a lot of intro to a subject books and this is one of the best. Learning game programming was made easy by the author as all the chapters are well put together. I would have like to learn about the camera class much sooner then the author wants you too, but I understand his way of progression throughout the book. I am proud to own this book and I feel it was the best [$$] I spent on a gaming book to date.
Rating:
Summary: A Solid Book on DirectX 9
Review: I havent used directx since version 7 and was curious as to some of the new features like HLSL and the effects frame work for a new game that I will be developing. This was an excellent book: clear, concise and mathematically rigorous. The section on the effects framework and HLSL is a solid intro to the subject.
Rating:
Summary: One of the better DX9 books I've seen
Review: I like the way this book is written. It is a good introduction for people who know how to program, but have not done any Direct3D development before. The book is written in a very straightforward and almost scientific manner. This book does not assume the reader to be a complete beginner when it comes to many programming topics like so many other DX9 books do (even though they often claim they don't). This book simply covers the fundamental Direct3D topics as well as a bit of math, and it does so from the ground up as far as the DX API goes. Most of the samples are done soup to nuts, rather than using helper methods and API sample code that simplifies things a lot, but keeps too many details from the reader (once again: like so many other DX9 books seem to do). I like the focus of the book: It simply only describes Direct 3D graphics programming. Other DirectX topics, such as DirectPlay or DirectInput are NOT covered. Also, if you do not know what a game-loop is, then you won't learn it here. I think this is one of the things I like most about this book: It focuses on one topic, and it does a great job at that! But a small warning is in order as well: If you are not an experienced programmer and just want to get started with game development, then this book is NOT for you! Quite simply, many aspects of 3d graphics development are not for the faint of heart! Don't expect this book to read like a novel either. It is very much a DX9 text book.
Rating:
Summary: comprehensive book with good technique
Review: I pick up this book and found out that this is the book I always wanted!Not every book I brought did explain everything and everything well.But this one explained every single step well and understandable for me. I personally need to thank the authors themselves for writing such a good book on DirectX 9 in 3D.Buy and read it yourself, you will understand what I meant by THE BEST BOOK I ever had!!
Rating:
Summary: The best intro book I've read
Review: I've read many introductory books on DirectX, and this is by far the best. The author does a great job of explaining a lot of concepts both clearly and timely. The book is very easy to read. He has a short section on math, which made vector, matrix and plane math easy to understand. This is followed by chapters on Direct3D fundamentals that offers a great recap if you already know this stuff. Next, comes chapters on applied D3D that include using fonts, meshes, terrain rendering and particle systems. Finally, he covers shaders and effects.
Rating:
Summary: This book is perfect for novice programmers. SIMPLY AMAZING!
Review: If you are a Novice/Advanced programmer, with a college level understanding of C/C++ then this book is perfect for learning Microsoft DirectX. It may be a bit overwhelming for beginner programmers. However, the book comes with a website and forum so your learning will be greatly accelerated. The author answers questions many times the same day they are posted. I cannot believe the generosity of this man, who is practically dedicating his life to the success of his fellow coder. The code samples are vital in understanding DirectX, while following along with the MSDN DirectX Tutorials. The book alone is worth the price, but it also comes with a website where the author answers your questions regarding DirectX. The best part is that the website is superior to most web-forum's I have used in College. SIMPLY AMAZING!!! ...
Rating: 
Summary: The almost perfect intro book to D3D
Review: If you know C++ at a reasonable level (meaning pointers , references structures and classes don't scare or confuse you)
this is book is a very good starting point in your directx quest.
It has the advantage of not spending hundreds of pages on windows programming details or even worse on GDI like the many LaMothelian game programming series books...but it gives you a little framework in which to work with and it explains how it works and why.
Subject coverage is very good, and you will get explanations and working code on interesting subjects like terrain renedering and
mesh loading and manipulating and a bonus of a couple chapters on pixel and vertex shaders. Now this is definitely what I would call advanced topics.. but even if you are a beginner it is nice to read about them just to figure out what these mysteriously sounding entities are ;)
My only grudge with this book is that it is quite a little one.
Lenghtier explanations and a few more examples would could really benefit the beginner.. especially since like for many books of this kind the author is more a programmer than a technical author or tutor so the writing style is pretty much like: here are the basic points about the theory and here is the program I wrote to show you how it works. So you won't get much from this book if you don't dig a lot in the code. The difference with many other similar book on the market is that the author gives you at least some good assistance into it.
Rating:
Summary: THE beginner's Direc3D API book
Review: If you're going to learn Direct3D, GET THIS BOOK.
I have other books (Beginning Direct3D Game Programming by Engel), and they don't hold a candle to this book.
Not only does he explain everything you NEED to know, he tells you to look up whatever he doesn't explain within DX's SDK.
Everything he does in this book has a plan. The organization is top notch, with the starting point being a primer on how to set up visual studio to compile and run directx programs. The next step is a math primer which should be mandatory for any book that is about 3D graphics, but apparently other authors would rather spend their time talking about higher level stuff in a beginner's book.
I have to say that without this book, I would have had a lot tougher time learning Direct3D.
Rating:
Summary: Very well done
Review: Intro to 3d game programming with directx 9.0 was an excellent book to buy after just completing a c++ course. Within a few hours I was up and running making some 3d graphics. The book is readable and organized good and builds in steps which is nice. The examples are well explained too and the author summaries helped. Also, the chapter on making a terrain and how to walk on it was cool and gave me some ideas for how to use that in my own games. My only problem was some underscore printing errors in some of the code segments, but they are mentioned in the errata on the book's website and the source code is correct, so you can easily compare against the source code. If you're interested in learning programming 3D games and graphics with the new directx 9 then this book is a good book to purchase.
Rating:
Summary: Good Book, Needs Some Better Explanation On Some Examples
Review: Introduction to 3D Game Programming with DirectX 9.0 is a good book, though some of the code needs better explanation. But that's no reason not to read it, as where if you really are having trouble you can just go to msdn.microsoft.com. Luna uses a nice form in his examples so as to allow the reader to concentrate on the more useful parts of Direct3D. This is by no means a complete and thorough mastering of DirectX, as it only has an introductory style of writing. I'm only through half of the book and already I'm having lots of fun. If you like programming, this book is definately the best choice of introductory DirectX books, though it should certainly not be the only one in your library. If you don't like programming, then you will most likely find this book complicated and boring, and you would have no point in reading this review. DirectX 9 is by no means a simple API, and it will take a certain amount of discipline on your part to stay on when confused, but when you get to the end, you will have a certain amount of satisfaction. If you have moderate experience with C++ 6 or .NET and want to start off in the graphics programming business, this book is for you. Also check out the site at [website]
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