Rating:  Summary: The best book I've EVER read on OpenGL Review: First of all, I would like to say that this book is the one and best OpenGL reference for learners (newbies) I've EVER seen.When I started reading the book I didn't have much knowledge on OpenGL's Graphics API which luckily turned out wasn't a big problem at all since the first chapters of the book describe what OpenGL actually is and compares it to Microsoft's DirectX. Slowly as you read further into the book, you are presented to a whole new world of commands and graphics settings which are all accompanied with great examples. In the end of the book you are even introduced to DirectInput and how to implement that into OpenGL. Even physics are covered and the last two chapters of the book give a great example on how to make a real simple 3D engine. All in all a very recommendable book because a lot of cool techniques are covered and actually I still go back and read some of the chapters because they are so informative. There are only few typos and I guess the missing source files on the cd for the examples in the book have now been corrected in the current version of the book. Buy this book or go miss a whole new world of OpenGL...
Rating:  Summary: Feels weak for the price. Review: The authors of the book are good, they really know their stuff. The thing about this book that I can't stand is charging [enough money] for the basics of graphics programming maths that are found in any other maths or graphics programming book. The introduction to WIN32 and WinMain, together with the repetition of setup code to initialize the main window and contexts make the book a lot thicker than it actually is. Most of the technologies mentioned in the book are given a mentiion and a little explanation. To be fair, game programming is a big topic and there are many fields of knowledge to cover. Squeezing it into one book rather than a series or collection is not easy. This means it must be tailored to a specific audience. Is this book written for you? If you know nothing about programming or graphics, this could be the book for you, then most likely you'll like the book. Are you willing to part with [money] in exchange for a basic tutorial? The think I like so for about it is that it is accurate and written with a good style. Please browse a copy of the book before buying it.
Rating:  Summary: I don't believe!!! Review: I don't believe it, it's a wonderful book about programming and design. When you buy it you see. I'm a Turkish game programmer, I knew a lot before buy this book. But now I know more than before. If you are new for programming or you are advanced this book helps you to know a lot.
Rating:  Summary: Learning OpenGL easily with this book Review: I took a class on OpenGL and had to drop it after I missed a class where all the commands were explained. Now with this book, I feel I am ready to tackle that class again because I not only know some OpenGL (and I am still learning!) but I know WIN32 programming as well. It is easy to read, but I was a little upset that the CD I have doesn't have the source code as advertised. Apparantly that is for the first printing only, so people should be able to get a CD with source now. I like this book a lot because without it, I would still be struggling to find a place to start breaking into Windows programming as well as doing graphics in general.
Rating:  Summary: The best...but not perfect Review: I'm a bit irked that my original review of this book was deleted, so I'll keep this one short and to the point. This book has many things going for it. Its advanced texturing, Win32 programming, and physics sections shine. The engine design section is concise and well-assembled too. It also has some flaws. The particle engine is sorely lacking in terms of examples and somewhat in its flexibility. I really wish the guys had spent more time on comprehensive material on the different types of matrices, though the matrix math section is good despite this. Texture coordinates needed more coverage. It would have been very nice for them to have used SDL or another cross-platform library for input and sound, because one of the main purposes of OpenGL is portability, and DirectInput/Sound lock you into the Window platform. Also note that the first printing books have no source included(...). This has been corrected in successive printings. It may seem like I'm tearing this book apart, but I assure you I'm not. Most of the flaws I mentioned were very minor in comparison to the brilliance of the good points. This book was the sole impetus for my finally buckling down and learning OpenGL after months of trying. It has volumes of useful information for any skill level, and I would most definitely recommend it as a first read for anyone interested in using OpenGL for games. There's so much more I could say, but, like I said, I don't want to invest too much time in a review that will likely get erased anyway... Later, Warren 'zealouselixir' Moore P.S. In case I didn't make this clear: BUY THE BOOK!
Rating:  Summary: The best...but not perfect Review: I'll try to keep this relatively short, because a lot of people have stated the points I want to make. This book is superb, and is by far the best (perhaps the only viable) combined OpenGL and game programming book I have personally had the pleasure (displeasure on some, I'm sure) to read. I've been programming for about 3.5 years, in various languages (I'm now 16), but, until I got this book, I never really knew anything at all about 3D graphics (and therefore 3D game programming, of course). The highlights of this book are its section on Win32 programming (though laMothe did it better), special texture effects, and, to an extent, game engine development. OGL matrices are covered in-depth, except for how to render in 2D using Ortho Mode (which is next to impossible to find info about on the 'Net). The downsides are the 3D math section (could have used some work, not bad overall, and keep in mind that all of this material is online from multiple sources), particles (this irked me pretty badly, but at least they made it flexible to compensate for the total lack of particle theory), and the fact that they rushed on the last couple of chapters (I've read Kevin's design journal, and talked to both authors on several occasions, and I can attest to the fact that, with 3 more months, this book would have owned everyone). You really have to get hit with this book at the right time for it to stick. If you're eager to learn OGL, or if you've tried before and gotten bogged down in boring tutorials, check this out. If you want to do cross-platform development and you already know the basics of game development and OGL, don't. Be forewarned that the first printing of CDs has no source code, but it's available at the book's website. [...]
Rating:  Summary: Good, but still lacking Review: I thought it was a very good book, had a lot of explanations, from the basics of windows programming to particle systems. However, the version I bought was missing the source code (CD-ROM zip files were blank) which were confusing, and I didn't think enough supporting code was given. A full-length code example for advanced topics such as particle systems would have been much more useful in my opinion, as well as other things like fog (which is mentioned) but was never implemented in any way.
Rating:  Summary: Good book, bad math explanations Review: The book is actually pretty awesome. It explains everything. It even explains stuff about Direct3d in a non biased way. The math examples are very confusing and he dosen't explain them very well.
Rating:  Summary: Windoze only Review: OpenGL is available on a multitude of platforms. This book is constrained on Microsoft Windows programming. It should at least warn about it on the cover. The book is also about DirectX programming. If you program DirectX, you could as well do the graphics with DirectX. Anyway, the book is comprehensible and easy to understand.
Rating:  Summary: Best OGL Book !? Review: I would simply recommend OpenGL Game Programming. Its a book for beginners yet it covers many important topics like Loading Models,Animating,Game Physics and Maths,Particle Systems and DirectX.But i should warn you that it's authors are not really professional Game Programmers (same guies that run gamedev.net) so u may feel at times that they can't do justice with some topics e.g: Maths. Also 1st Ed. Book's CD doesn't have the source code(get it from book's web site) n DirectX SDK doesn't install.But still its the best OGL book i have read so far!
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