Average Customer Review: 
I really liked this book. IMHO, if you can only get one OpenGL book, this is the book to get. It covers most of the topics that the Red Book and the Opengl Superbible cover, and then some. This is the only one of the three that cover lightmapping, reflections, how to load 3d model files (.md2), Direct Music, and Direct Input. As indicated by some of the features noted (DirectMusic), this book is not just for Opengl, but actually making games with Opengl. The final chapter even has you create a small game engine and fps!I say that after this book, the only book you need is the Blue Book. If you want to learn more about glut, though, this book won't help (is that really a bad thing?). The only reason I gave this book 4 stars instead of 5 is because the cd I got had the soure code missing. Of course, a few downloads later, it was on my hard drive anyways, and I hear that they've corrected the problem now anyways. So, it shouldn't be a problem for you. Really, I think this should be 4.5 stars because this isn't such a major issue.
This book contains a good introduction to OpenGL. It also teaches 3D fundamentals, and programming DirectX for sound and input. If you're a programmer who wants to know how to use OpenGL for 3D game graphics programming only then this is your book. I haven't finished reading it but what I have read so far is pretty good. It doesn't go in depth with OpenGL but rather summarizes just what you need to use with examples. A plus for this book is that it teaches you how to render and animate Quake2 models in your game. I know this is a book about OpenGL programming but it would have been nice to include a chapter about map/level programming too. The demo in the last chapter is a good starting point for a fisrt-person shooting game. Unfortunately I got the first printing of this book with the CD-ROM without the source so I had to download them from the website. However I shouldn't complain because I got this book for a bargain!
| The best...but not perfect | |
I'm a bit irked that my original review of this book was deleted, so I'll keep this one short and to the point.This book has many things going for it. Its advanced texturing, Win32 programming, and physics sections shine. The engine design section is concise and well-assembled too. It also has some flaws. The particle engine is sorely lacking in terms of examples and somewhat in its flexibility. I really wish the guys had spent more time on comprehensive material on the different types of matrices, though the matrix math section is good despite this. Texture coordinates needed more coverage. It would have been very nice for them to have used SDL or another cross-platform library for input and sound, because one of the main purposes of OpenGL is portability, and DirectInput/Sound lock you into the Window platform. Also note that the first printing books have no source included(...).
This has been corrected in successive printings. It may seem like I'm tearing this book apart, but I assure you I'm not. Most of the flaws I mentioned were very minor in comparison to the brilliance of the good points. This book was the sole impetus for my finally buckling down and learning OpenGL after months of trying. It has volumes of useful information for any skill level, and I would most definitely recommend it as a first read for anyone interested in using OpenGL for games. There's so much more I could say, but, like I said, I don't want to invest too much time in a review that will likely get erased anyway... Later,
Warren 'zealouselixir' Moore P.S. In case I didn't make this clear: BUY THE BOOK!
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