Customer Reviews

Sams Teach Yourself DirectX 7 in 24 Hours (Teach Yourself -- Hours)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

I have just started learning DirectX and chose to start with 7.0. I wanted a book to start out with the basics and teach me the concepts. I like to skim the concepts, quickly picking up the topics in order to get an overall picture before moving to an intermediate mode of learning and subsequently fleshing out the details. THIS BOOK DID THAT! From knowing very little about DirectX programming, I picked up the basics extremely fast and understood the ideas and concepts with little effort thanks to the book's concise and informative path through the topics.

But it took me forever to program DirectX. The code was obviously left over from a prior version of DirectX. First of all, although the DirectX types were changed in the book ... the sample code on the CD reflected an older version of DirectX. Also the sample code in the book contained some basic mistakes that appear to come from changes in DirectX 7. I learned more about DirectX 7 hunting down the mistakes and fixing the coding problems than I really cared to in a beginner's book. Good or bad, for beginner's I feel this will deter some future programmers because it was a lot of work.

But should anyone stick with it, you will be somewhat proficient with DirectX by the time you finish the book and complete all the code. Maybe some people made up thier own code, but being new, I stuck with the examples in the book.

Overall I liked the book and it taught me what I wanted to know about DirectX 7. It was just a lot harder wadeing through the code than I thought it should be.

In 24 hours? Ha! Here's the sequel... "Teach Yourself to Write Diablo 3 in 21 Days"!

You will not "Teach Yourself DirectX7" in 24 hours. You will, however, learn that this code dosn't compile without your having PREVIOUS KNOWLEDGE of DirectX.

The absolute beginner might like this book. However, since the stuff really doesn't work anyway, I can't recommend the book even for them.

Stay away from this book. Instead, read the .HLP files and example code in the SDK, which to this date are still the best source of info. Heck, they all but write your first app for you if you bother to look hard enough.

The problem with this book is that it's not what it claims to be. If you want to learn DirectX by debugging the author's code with the aid of the broken and incomplete source clips from the text and the outdated code on the CD, then this is a great book for you. Because of these factors, however, Sam's "...in 24 Hours" in the title is inaccurate. Sam's decision to publish a book knowing the source on the CD was not what's discussed in the book is something else you may wish to consider before buying this book. I've chosen to go the debugging-the-author's-code route for the pure challenge of it, but I can't honestly recommend this book to anyone looking for a 24 hour primer. Debugging code written for a complex API you don't know will certainly take much longer (and require resources other than just this book), despite the "Who Cares If It's Broke" bravado of some of these other reviewers.

If you're new to DirectX, I would recommend against this book for the following reasons:

1. The source code offered on the CD and in the book for the first few chapters is written for DirectX6, not DirectX7 as the title of the book would suggest. To the author's credit, he admits this on his website and offers corrected code there. Unfortunately, until you get the patches, the source on the CD and in the book will not compile for the first few chapters. The enclosed CD does come with the DirectX7 SDK, saving you from having to order it elsewhere.

I'm surprised and disappointed that the publisher would allow such a large error slip by the editing process and allow the book to ship 'as-is', especially since it's a programming book where the code *must* be correct in order to do what the author intended the code examples to do. A 2nd edition is definitately needed here. Unfortunatly, by the time a 2nd edition is released, we'll most likely be beyond DirectX7.

This incompatible source code issue will discourage new DirectX programmers more so than experienced DirectX programmers. As the experienced programmers will know how to code around the changes between DirectX6 and DirectX7. Unfortunately, with a title like "DirectX7 in 24 Hours" the publisher appears to be aiming directly for those new DirectX7, and they are most likely the ones who will be confused with the first few chapters. Maybe even putting off the book altogether in frustration. If you fall into this category but are really determined to learn from this book then try to stick with it after getting the Author's code patches.

What happened to books that were fully edited before publication?

2. Another issue is that DirectX7 now supports VB, but the book doesn't talk about it. Too bad for VB users, though I think at least a couple VB topics/chapters would be appropriate for an introductory DirectX7 text like this.

Those wishing to learn DirectX are better off getting the DirectX game programming series by author Andre LaMothe. His books seem to be edited better and offer more material on these very interesting topics.

<sigh> where to begin... I recommend against this book if you're new to Direct X.

First of all the source code for the first chapters are written for DX6, not DX7 as the title of the book would lead you to believe. So after installing the DX7 SDK that comes on the CD, if you try compiling the example code - it won't work, naturally. To his credit, the author has the fixes on his website for download, if you don't mind having a book and CD that are virtually worthless from a coding point of view - until you get the author's patches.

I would have hoped that the publisher or perhaps the author would *know* if the code is for DX7 or DX6, but apparently not with this release. Unfortunately here we have an example of a quick attempt to cash in on a hot topic, to the detriment of product quality. "Ship first, fix it later" is the mentality which is exhibited here.

Whatever happened to books that were edited completely before release?

NOTE: The code version mismatch issue will affect newbies more so than more experienced DirectX programmers. Unfortunately with a title like "Learn DirectX7 in 24 Hours", SAMS publishing is aiming directly for those new to DirectX... and those readers will likely be confused when reading the book. Those with more experience will know right away what is wrong and can code around the author's poor code examples (both in the book and on the CD).

<sigh> such is life. Good luck.

First off I'd like to say for any subject one book is never enough. The book is very good to get you up and running and familiar with directX. Its written in a easy to follow style. I recomend picking up 'Inside DirectX' after you read this one as that book is more complete but its not really written in a teach yourself manner.

I own three DirectX books. This is by far the best. The book is very clear and to the point. Although it will not give you all you need to know to be a game coding guru, it is the best book I've seen to help you start on your way to that goal.

My suggestion: Get this book and, when it comes out in a few months, get Advanced 3D Game Programming With DirectX7.0 as an adjunct. By then you should be ready for a more advanced book.

Note that this book is geared to C++, but if you want to write fast, DirectX games you probably won't be writing them in anything else anyway.

When I read the title "..In 24 hours", I said to my self that it was impossible, I also own "...C++ in 21 days" and that is more like 21 month. But after reading hour 4 I realized that you can actually complete the book in 24 hours ! Compared to André Lamothe's "Windows game-programming for dummies" Sams book is going fast while the dummie book explain in a more detailed version. So my conclusion is that you should own both books, so when you have completed Sams book you should read the dummie book. Ofcourse you have to know C++.

This book is good as a quick introduction to DirectX, and it does give a quick and concise explanation on some of the concepts for 2d/3d graphics required to use DirectX. My biggest complaint is that some (not all) of the sample code on the CD uses DirectX 4, while the book itself cites DirectX 7 examples. It's very annoying, especially since the book does not have a complete listing of the program at the end of each section. This book is not the best if you are a beginner to Windows programming, so dont expect to learn it in 24 hours if you are new to Win32. It is a good book if you have prior graphics programming knowledge and want to get up to speed on DirectX.

I own about five different books on DirectX, and this one is by far the best. The author avoids getting into too much detail too quickly, and gives small, well-documented, easy-to-understand example programs. If you are looking to learn DirectX, I *highly* recommend you buy this book first, and then perhaps go on to a more advanced title.