Graphics Programming in C++: Writing Graphics Applications for Windows 98 [Hardcover]

Mark Walmsley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1998 | ISBN-10: 3540761853 | ISBN-13: 978-3540761853 | Edition: 1

The Windows 98 operating system makes life easy for the user but the creation of a Windows 98 graphics application can be a bewildering experience for the novice programmer. This book attempts to provide a quick and clear introduction to graphics programming under Windows 98 without encumbering the reader in a mass of extraneous details. The application of object oriented techniques to graphics programming is a principal theme throughout the text and many illustrative coding examples in C++ are provided. The main topics include: message-based programming; window management; working with C++ objects; Windows 98 Graphics Device Interface; pens, brushes, bitmaps and palettes; sprite animation; wire-frame and polygon-fill images; assembly language programming; 3D vector geometry; perspective projections; hidden pixel removal; colour shading and texture mapping; virtual world simulation.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 280 pages
• Publisher: Springer; 1 edition (September 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 3540761853
• ISBN-13: 978-3540761853
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,232,389 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Informative but not for the novice, April 12, 2000

By 

John Vanek "javanek" (Oklahoma City, OK, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Graphics Programming in C++: Writing Graphics Applications for Windows 98 (Hardcover)

This is a very well written book on designing your own graphics applications for Windows, no matter what type of application you are wanting to do. Mark Walmsley goes into good detail about designing many different types of applications from simple display program to advanced subjects such as 3D modeling. Mr. Walmsley address many common errors and pitfalls with the included examples. The only downside to this book is that you must have a good working knowledge of C++ and Windows to be able to fully understand all of the concepts he describes. Being a relativly new person to C++ I found on many occasions having to look through many other resources to understand some items that the book takes for granted that you should already know.

I would reccomend this book to anyone who is interested in writing a graphics application, but I would say that if you are a beginning programmer you either will want to keep other books handy or try one of the other titles that is available first.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good starting point for the beginner, April 12, 2000

By 

Graeme Sutherland (Dunstable, United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Graphics Programming in C++: Writing Graphics Applications for Windows 98 (Hardcover)

The great strength of Walmsley's book is that it covers writing a graphical application under Windows, from start to finish. The reader is taken on a whistle stop tour of Windows GDI programming, vector and sprite based graphics, the mathematics of 3D translations, and even some assembly language tricks for speeding things up. It's a good place for a beginner to get into computer graphics, as the writing is clear and accessible throughout.

The trouble is that the breadth of material covered is at the expense of the depth of information. Programming with DirectX is conspicuous by its absence, and the theory doesn't go any further than 3D transformations. More advanced readers would be advised to purchase Foley and van Dam's "Computer Graphics: Principles and Practice" instead, though, to be fair, the books are aimed at different markets.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good wide range, but spread too thin., January 14, 2001

By 

"kinghornd" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Graphics Programming in C++: Writing Graphics Applications for Windows 98 (Hardcover)

Well, there's my opinion in the title. This book covers a lot of different things from dialog boxes to sprites to 3d rendering. However, beware, if you are a beginner, you WILL need more than this. It covers dialog boxes in less than one page. It gives maybe one example program per major concept and just describes the rest. This book gives you a good basic understanding of the Windows programming environment. However, if you think you can just sit down on a Saturday, start typing up the source, and get it to run, think again. It may just be my horrible typing or my compiler, but I had some major problems with the examples used here and eventually had to borrow a larger one with more examples from a friend. Again, its a great overview, but it won't help if you have little idea what you are doing.