2D and 3D Grachics program's

[StarGateSG-1]

I am in a delema right now becasue code itself can only get you so far into graphics . I need to know which one is the best out there.

Is it:
1)OpenGl
2)DirectX
3)Blender
4)3DMax

I and looking to go into hardcore gaming so....
it needs to be fully compatiable with C++ and it doesn't half to be easy to learn. If i have misssed a good language plz tell me.

[Andy]

o wow.. you dont have any idea what u are talkin about do you.. blender and 3dsmax are 3d rendering programs that change from your model to code, while directx and ogl are direct link libraries that provide additional functions for c++, you'd need to use two of those in conjunction

[Mazer]

Yeah, none of those are languages.

OpenGL is a 3D graphics rendering API, so you can do complex graphics in a program without doing work directly with the graphics hardware yourself. It's great for making a game or program that you want to run on different operating systems (like Linux, MacOSX, or that "Windows" thing).

DirectX is a bunch of things. Its made up of Direct3D (pretty much the same idea as OpenGL except that it is ONLY for Windows), DirectSound (for... sound), DirectInput (for keyboard, mouse, and gamepad/joystick control), and DirectPlay (networking). There may have been something I missed in there, or something I explained incorrectly, but only because I don't care enough.

3DStudio Max is for modelling, animating, and rendering.

Blender. Blender. Blender. It was made for the same purposes as 3DSMax, but it's free, opensource, and can fit on a floppy diskette so only a complete dumbass would use it.

[Martin]

To be competitive, you're going to have to end up learning all of the above.

Start with OpenGL, and then, when you need some models, work with some Blender. DirectX'll be more of the same, and 3ds max is too expensive.

http://nehe.gamedev.net/
http://www.gametutorials.com/

[Mazer]

To be fair (to blender, not you), Blender isn't really a pick-it-up-when-you-need-it kind of program. If you are remotely serious about doing 3D graphics, go grab a copy and check it out. Read as much as you can about 3D graphics but in your head keep the general concepts seperate from individual and specific program features. Learning to use Blender takes more time than learning to use a web browser, especially if you have no experience with 3D graphics.

[Maverick]

opengl for gaming

[md]

openGL is nice and portable, but if you intend to write stuff for windows you should at least look at DirectX. People may hate it cause it isn't portable, but it's really a good system. If you don't mind missing out on the newer features of directX 8 and 9, you can use version 7, which is actually supported on linux through many emulators.