Rudimentary 3D graphics in C++ .NET

Question

I am looking to implement an extremely rudimentary FPS game with extremely rudimentary 3D graphics using C++ .NET and DirectX.

I'm not interested in any third party libraries or anything special like that.

Having never done graphics based programming besides 2D stuff I don't really know where to get started or even how to find the right resources online.

I have a few weeks to build this game so im trying to keep it simple.

Can anyone give me a little guidance on how to get started?

Answer 1

May I recommend "Introduction to Game Programming in DirectX 9" by "Wordware" Publishing. I know you just want something very simple like the rotating cube classic, so do not be put off by the 'game' element. I got 3/4 the way through and wrote a screen saver! DX10 is now available but I stick to 9 - card backward compatibility.

The maths can get silly in 3D, but if you can get the basics, the rest will follow very quickly.

If you haven't done so already the "DirectX SDK" download is also a must - it contains (most important) the help files for the methods, functions etc. and a few not so helpful getting started stuff.

Answer 2

If you download DirectX SDK you can find plenty of samples there in C++ and C#.

Answer 3

You might want to have a look at SlimDX, even if you're not interested in third-party libraries.

Although I don't have Visual C++ 2008/2010 Express installed, you could add SlimDX as a reference to your project. Be sure you check out the tutorial section, even though it's in C#, but if you know C++/CLI pretty well, you should be able to convert the code to C++/CLI.

Answer 4

This looks as though it may give you a push in the right direction: http://zophusx.byethost11.com/tutorial.php?lan=dx9&num=0

I always found that OpenGL was easier to learn though. So unless it's necessary for you to use DirectX, I'd suggest you have a quick look at GL and see what you think.