3D Programming Books

[Quinn]

Any recommendations for a good 3D programming book?  I am very new so it would have to be beginning level.

Has anyone read a particular one that they would recommend?
 

[mikeschuld]

Well, I can give you a list of all the books on the top shelf in my room. I wouldn't recommend them all, but it is what I have read to get where I am.

Game Programming All in One
Programming Role Playing Games with DirectX
3D Game Programming with C++
Introduction to 3D Game Engine Design using DirectX 9 and C#
Game Design Secrets of the Sages (not a programming book, but useful nonetheless)
Managed DirectX 9 Graphics and Game Programming Kick Start
3D Game Engine Design (David H. Eberly)
Shader X3
Game Programming Gems 1
Game Programming Gems 2
Game Programming Gems 3
Game Programming Gems 4
Game Programming Gems 5
Game Programming Gems 6

Recommended ones are obviously the GPG 1-6 series, but those are pretty advanced topics and should probably not be purchased until you understand a bit more about 3D programming in general. The David Eberly book is also a very advanced (math and concepts as well) book that I would not suggest trying to use unless you have either taken some college calculus or are just outrageously good at math. The Kick Start one was written by the author of Managed DirectX himself, Tom Miller, and will give you a good introduction to the different components of the framework and what they do. The others I mostly bought for specific reference purposes and design ideas and have mostly just catalogued away for perusal when I need to look up things like networking for ORPGs and things like that. There are a lot of books out there that I don't have though that are probably just as good (newer editions of all of mine would be great)

[Chr0n1x]

ShaderX3 and up, if you go any lower it does ASM shader code, which you don't want. Similar thing for GPG, although I think its from 4 onwards, not sure though.
(by this I mean most of the code is ASM shader code)

Also the Nvidia books Gpu Programming Gems by Nvidia. Don't have them myself, but they say they are pretty good.

[Quinn]

Thank you!

[gonZoX]

And perhaps this ones will fit for you :

http://www.amazon.de/Professional-Xna-Game-Programming-Nitschke/dp/0470126779/sr=1-1/qid=1168933236/ref=sr_1_1/028-3820212-0096508?ie=UTF8&s=books-intl-de

or

http://www.amazon.de/Microsoftr-Studio-Express-Creators-Guide/dp/007149071X/sr=1-2/qid=1168933236/ref=sr_1_2/028-3820212-0096508?ie=UTF8&s=books-intl-de


cu,gonZoX.

[Chr0n1x]

once they are released The Wrox one will be good.

[gonZoX]

@mike :
nice book list, but do you have really had the time to read gems 1 to 6 complete ....
 

cu,gonZoX.

[mikeschuld]

Reading them and implementing everything in them are entirely different matters I have not read them all yet completely, but I am working on it. It is the kind of thing I generally find interesting to read anyway, and I usually read two or three gems every night before I go to bed.

[gonZoX]

@mike :
I also like them very much (like many others ...), but I couldn't see an ending point when I will be finished with them.
I think, that is the biggest 'problem' with game programming : every time you get a step closer to the solution of one question, there are ten new ones.
So for myself, I have noticed that it will take years and everyone should keep this in mind when he wants to be a 'big' game developper.

cu,gonZox.

Also interesting books for game developpers are :

http://www.amazon.de/Modeling-Character-Wordware-Developers-Library/dp/155622088X/sr=1-2/qid=1169622355/ref=sr_1_2/028-1882698-1763762?ie=UTF8&s=books-intl-de

and

http://www.amazon.de/Animating-Characters-Charles-Development-Paperback/dp/1584502703/sr=11-1/qid=1169622525/ref=sr_11_1/028-1882698-1763762

Because I think that is the final goal for the own game : a selfmade fully animated 3d character.

[Quinn]

Well, I bought 3D Game Programming All In One, 2nd Edition.

It had some very useful information for me but it is basically creating a game with the Torque engine.  It still had some good stuff for a new comer to the world of 3D game programming.

I think I will pick up GPG 1 now.  I assume book 1 is the place to start? 

[mikeschuld]

Not necessarily, although having them from the beginning of the series on is usually good as many of the later books expand on articles in others (you can see this if you look in the index, because it has references to ALL the books in there.)