Hey all, I have dabbled in both OpenGl and DirectX libraries of C++. However I can't decide which to use for my games/renderings. If you would please give input on which you prefer I would greatly appreciate it.
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Hey all, I have dabbled in both OpenGl and DirectX libraries of C++. However I can't decide which to use for my games/renderings. If you would please give input on which you prefer I would greatly appreciate it.
I'm learning OpenGL, I know nothing about the differences between either, but OpenGL has a nice learning curve if you start from the beginning. I do have to say OpenGL is state based, so there's little abstraction by way of objects and the like when it comes to the code, you have to do that yourself, but once you find a strategy you'll find it quite nice to work with. Bubbah does a lot of Directx and knows quite a bit about 3d.
Plus this should be on the Game programming forum.
Ahh lol, good point.
Please move this to game programming forum.
I think it all comes down to what platform you want to use. Obviously you can't make DirectX run on Linux. And in Windows, it's preferred to make it with DirectX over OpenGL because it's more optimized for use in Windows.
The two aren't mutually exclusive. OpenGL is a graphics API while DirectX is an entire API suite. It's entirely possible to use OpenGL for your graphics, while using DirectSound, DirectInput, etc... for the other stuff.
It all depends on your priorities. For example, portability is extremely important to me, as I'm primarily a Mac developer who ports to Linux/Windows, so I use OpenGL and OpenAL for everything. If you don't care about non-Windows platforms, your reasoning will be different.
However, should you ever decide to abandon Windows, a pure DirectX project will bite you in the rear. Some people abstract the graphics rendering and have both Direct3D and OpenGL modes in the same program, which can alleviate the problem somewhat.
Either way, it's a question of priorities and future plans.