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

Drawing your weapons


It's time for us to learn how to draw things in OpenGL. Whether you are drawing your weapons, an alien spacecraft, or a blade of grass, it all starts by with very simple shapes that are combined to make more complex shapes.

Getting primitive

The most basic shapes that can be drawn in OpenGL are known as primitives. The primitives that can be drawn by OpenGL include:

  • Points: As the name suggests, a point renders a single point and is defined by a single vertex.

  • Lines: A line is rendered as a line drawn between two vertices.

  • Triangles: A triangle is defined by three vertices and the three lines that pass from one vertex to the other.

  • Quads: A quad is defined by four vertices and the four lines that pass from one vertex to the other. Technically, a quad is actually two triangles that have been joined together at the hypotenuse.

That's it, folks! Everything known to exist can be created from these four primitives. Extrapolating into 3D, there are these 3D primitives:

  • A plane...