What does it take???

I dont have the book on OpenGL but i have visual c++ 6.0

where can i find a freebie book? i want to start making my own ATI demos.
 
dallasstar said:
before beginning to code, are any special libraries necessary? Would borland be better or visual?
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I don't know about Borland, but Visual C++ 6.0 and your vid card drivers come with everything you need. If you want to do programming using OpenGL extensions for a specific vid card, you should download the appropriate SDK. ATI, for example, has an SDK that contains a header file with all the extensions that the Radeon 8500 supports.
 
How about a good place to start learning how to start using the advanced features of Direct X 8.1 (ie. programmable pixel shaders in nFiniteX and SmartShader technologies)?

What program do you recommend for someone starting out?
3D Studio Max? Maya? Rhino?
 
Speaking about 3D Studio Max, is there a freeware version of 3D Studio Max? What I mean by freeware, is something like an educational or learning version, for example like Borland's JBuilder Personal and Delphi Personal (which are free for personal use).
 
Yeah, it's called GMAX. It was on a PC GAMER disc a couple months ago. I didn't really check it out -- I got it off Kazaa.

findapollo: I'd recommend getting the basics down before you worry about harnessing DirectX8.1-specific features. If you optimize your proggie for DX6, then it'll fly when you add DX81 optimizations. But if you go from the ground up expecting every end user to have hardware TCL on their card, you'll get a lot of wierd tech-support calls... :)
 
[B]wizardlife[/B] said:
But if you go from the ground up expecting every end user to have hardware TCL on their card, you'll get a lot of wierd tech-support calls... :)
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But I'm not planning on developing games. Just animating as fast as I can in the highest quality I can. I want to get into broadcast animation or the movie biz. I only need to worry about render capabilities on my machine. I also know that I have to start at the beginning, but is there help out there for learning how to use the new features specifically?
 
Thank you all soo much for those helpful links and stuff ...

I want you all to know how much i appreciate this!!!


Thanks again!

--Bizz :)
 
findapollo said:


But I'm not planning on developing games. Just animating as fast as I can in the highest quality I can. I want to get into broadcast animation or the movie biz. I only need to worry about render capabilities on my machine. I also know that I have to start at the beginning, but is there help out there for learning how to use the new features specifically?
Click to expand...

why dont you try to learn maya if your interested in movie effects?
 
One advice I can give since I "grew up" on REAL 3D on Amiga is, dare play around, dare experiment and have fun. Also, everything new you learn, it is a accomplishment.
 
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