gaurdianAQ Member Posts: 106 From: Registered: 01-15-2007 |
I have a few questions can Ogre3D work with Visual Studio Express? and can it support 2D if not can someone tell me a free one that can? |
jestermax Member Posts: 1064 From: Ontario, Canada Registered: 06-21-2006 |
Ogre 3D works fine with VS express but you need to download the MS Platform SDK (free but a hefty download). For 2D, it depends on how you want to use it. You can: A) use something called Billboards, which are nice to use and are rendered in 3D, but the facing direction is calculated each time the camera moves. So they're good to use (and are used for particles) if you don't have a million of them. B) you can use Overlays. This is normally used for GUI Stuff as it's rendered over top of everything else. C) You can use a Plane and render a texture to it. I use this when i do 3D but i'd suggest using this after you get a grasp on the rest of the engine. Ogre is a blast to use and is very high quality, but what do you want to use it for exactly? It's definitely worth learning but if you're just looking for something to play around with, there might be a better alternative for a small project. I can't really suggest a great 2D engine off hand other than SDL unless you're willing to go with Java |
Calin Member Posts: 358 From: Moldova Registered: 12-04-2006 |
^^Those a best answers you can get. If you want an alternative to Ogre take a look at Irrlicht, it can do 2D as well. |
dartsman Member Posts: 484 From: Queensland, Australia Registered: 03-16-2006 |
Ogre is better suited to the more experienced C++ coder... just as some who get frustrated with getting it working the first couple of times tend to give up on it... Also I wouldn't really recommend using Ogre3D for a 2D project, there are others like SDL or even DirectX or OpenGL. I'd actually recommend looking into OpenGL, sure, you have to do a lot of the work, but then you'll get a greater understanding of 2D concepts and can tailor the 2D framework/engine around your project. Sometimes a framework/engine isn't even required or just small minor parts (such as audio). ------------------ |
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Calin Member Posts: 358 From: Moldova Registered: 12-04-2006 |
I think it comes down to how much C++ you know. If you know to code you can't fail horribly on picking a graphics library, unless of course if you do it on purpose. |
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jestermax Member Posts: 1064 From: Ontario, Canada Registered: 06-21-2006 |
Indeed, i would suggest either using SDL which POSSIBLY could work better with the free Dev-C++ IDE (i haven't had much luck with VS but i haven't given it a LOT of time). OR Use Java and download both the GTGE library and a free IDE of your choice (i'd HIGHLY suggest taking a look at JCreator; it doesn't have debugging but it's extremely simple to configure and doesn't have complex project generation). I code both Java and C++ regularly and in my honest opinion, Java is faster to start coding with; for the sole reason of not having to worry about pointers/memory/linker errors. I'm not saying it's going to be a walk in the park for everyone but the syntax is very similar and if you wanted to use C++ after you'd certainly be more ready for it. Another reason for this suggestion is that GTGE is extremely easy to set up and make a simple game with ("simple game" as an actual game, not just moving sprites around). The user input system and sprite rendering is a lot easier to begin with then SDL, and the API/tutorials are very nice. Anyways, it's up to you and i'm sure a lot of people have some sort of preference on language/library but just take a look at everything  Pick the best tool for what you want. |
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gaurdianAQ Member Posts: 106 From: Registered: 01-15-2007 |
ok I tryed using SDL but I don't think it works with VS express if it does could someone tell me how to use it? like when I was creating the file I could not find the Win32 windows application button any thoughts? |
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jestermax Member Posts: 1064 From: Ontario, Canada Registered: 06-21-2006 |
Unless someone else can magically come up with a solution, i would not suggest trying to use SDL and Visual Studio. If you want to use SDL then i would suggest trying the Dev-C++ IDE. It's free and is nice for small projects. ------------------ |
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gaurdianAQ Member Posts: 106 From: Registered: 01-15-2007 |
I tryed that but the version they were using looked different than the one I was using I tryed two different versions. |
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gaurdianAQ Member Posts: 106 From: Registered: 01-15-2007 |
wait direct x works? I will try that |