Book Image

OpenGL Game Development By Example

By : Stephen Madsen, Robert Madsen
Book Image

OpenGL Game Development By Example

By: Stephen Madsen, Robert Madsen

Overview of this book

OpenGL is one of the most popular rendering SDKs used to develop games. OpenGL has been used to create everything from 3D masterpieces running on desktop computers to 2D puzzles running on mobile devices. You will learn to apply both 2D and 3D technologies to bring your game idea to life. There is a lot more to making a game than just drawing pictures and that is where this book is unique! It provides a complete tutorial on designing and coding games from the setup of the development environment to final credits screen, through the creation of a 2D and 3D game. The book starts off by showing you how to set up a development environment using Visual Studio, and create a code framework for your game. It then walks you through creation of two games–a 2D platform game called Roboracer 2D and a 3D first-person space shooter game–using OpenGL to render both 2D and 3D graphics using a 2D coordinate system. You'll create sprite classes, render sprites and animation, and navigate and control the characters. You will also learn how to implement input, use audio, and code basic collision and physics systems. From setting up the development environment to creating the final credits screen, the book will take you through the complete journey of creating a game engine that you can extend to create your own games.
Table of Contents (19 chapters)
OpenGL Game Development By Example
Credits
About the Authors
About the Reviewers
www.PacktPub.com
Preface
Index

Chapter 9. Super Models

In the previous chapter, you created a framework to render OpenGL in 3D. At the very end of that chapter, we added a block of code that rendered a cube. In this chapter, you will learn how to create 3D objects in Open GL, first using code, and then using a 3D modeling program. In this chapter, we will cover the following:

  • Graphics cards: 3D graphics cards are basically small computers that are optimized to render objects in 3D. We will take a quick look at how a graphics card does what it does best.

  • Vertices: 3D objects are drawn by plotting points and telling OpenGL to use these points to create an object that can be rendered on the screen.

  • Triangles: Triangles are used to create all 3D objects. You will learn about the relationship between vertices and triangles and how they are used to create simple objects.

  • Modeling: Once you understand how to create simple 3D objects using code, you will also understand that you are going to need a more effective tool if you...