Direct3D Directx Programming Books : Managed DirectX 9 (Kick Start)

Managed DirectX 9 (Kick Start)

£15.20


A fantastic book for Visual Basic.net - I dont know anything about c# and that was fine because the text is easy to understand and the full Visual Basic.net source code is included on the CD. Explore the cd to find the directx 9 SDK, install and oh yes! no more endless google searches looking for more advanced topics like environment maps and mesh animation . A big thank you to Tom Miller who has included us .net ers in the game development.

Quite cool - If you don t know anything about DirectX, and you know C# this book is a great buy.The only big issue with it, is the fact none of the code compiles from the CDROM unless you use the SDK that comes on the CDROM, however you can get an update of the code kindly hosted by zman on thezbuffer.com.All in all it is just a walk-through of the managed directx sdk with some useful background information.I would not recommend this book if you are a directx guru.

Interesting, but no drive - As a reference of the classes, this is a good starting point. The first few chapters slam their way through rendering pipelines and whatnot, but I couldn t help feeling like I got much more out of a project based book, such as Introduction to 3D Game Engine Design Using DirectX 9 and C#.DirectX isn t just something you can recieve and know, it s something you have to apply, and you have to know why you re applying it, and the rationale behind actions, otherwise it ll remain very much out of grasp.

An overview for those that know, a glimpse for others - As an experienced programmer with little 3D or gaming background, I have always been passingly interested in this field. This text shows you - with examples on CD - how easy it has become to do the [what is now regarded as] very simple. I was left feeling as though I had been shown one path through a wood without really being trained to be a gamekeeper. It does demonstrate the basics of the DirectX interfaces in a managed environment, but I felt it left out a lot of what goes before this in terms of game structure. But I guess it does what it says on the tin... gives you a start.

Useful - .Net 2 is out now, though MDX2 will never ever go gold. XNA is going to be the next production release of the managed DirectX technology. And as Managed DirectX 1 IS gold and can be used in C#2... the book can still be useful.So where does that leave you? Well if you are new to Direct X, and want to learn some C#, this book is great. The samples make sense and you will no doubt pickup something. It s easy to read and tries to tell you why you are doing what you are doing.As technology has moved on, paying the full rrp for this book could leave a bad taste in your mouth. But saying that, it s covering technology now well established - and is a good framework and starting point for you to learn. And as a gold release of the new technology is still at least months away, it will be useful.It not only covers the 3d graphics and shaders, but also covers maths, 2d graphics, sound, input and networking. Basically covers the building blocks from which you could make a game.




Managed DirectX 9 (Kick Start)