C(++), OpenGL and coding demos

[Cymric]

z5 wrote:
Learned languages: Pascal, C, Visual Basic. Demos seem to use C++ plus OpenGL/DirectX. C++, here I come.

Enjoy! But one word of warning here. Your previous experience with programming languages falls into the category of old procedural ones---although I'm not sure what the Beast has done to poor BASIC by Visual-ising it. C++ is object oriented ('OO'), and requires an entirely different approach to programming. 99% of all the books you'll find on C++ do not teach you how to do this: they only focus on the syntax of the language, perhaps mentioning the characteristics of OO in passing. This has you quickly falling into the trap of using C++ as a 'better C'. Your programs will still work, of course, but will not unleash the full potential of C++.

I can therefore recommend you try and find a book on OO design or OO development after you've read a book on C++, and decided you like the language enough to stick with it for a while. I myself use Cay Horstmann's Practical Object-Oriented Development in C++ and Java (Wiley, New York, 1997, ISBN 0-471-14767-2), which is a readable and rich source of do's and don'ts in both C++ and Java. It is a bit dated, but the techniques it describes are still very valid, and you can always try and find something more modern. Have fun!

[Cymric]

psycho wrote:
snip... However, for hardware rendered demos and with decent amiga hardware (that excludes powerup cards) we plan to do Windows/OS4 multiplatform demos, which should be pretty easy with a sufficiently comprehensive demosystem (basicly taking care of opening the gl context, music playing and file io).

I must say I've not really kept up with the demo scene---their 'products' rather---after Commodore went down the drain. I wonder... Demos to me meant pulling off incredible graphical feats on (by today's standards) mediocre hardware. Think 'Hardwired', 'Nexus 9' or 'State of the Art' here. Nowadays, you have 3 GHz CPU's at your disposal, and all the 3D-stuff is now safely crated up in various publically available libraries (OpenGL, DirectX). Of course I've seen the 'demos' which come with 3D Mark, but to say I was picking my jaw up off the floor... No. Well, perhaps a little, but not to the extent as with my trusty 500. Perhaps I'm just spoilt. Nevertheless: what is left of squarely laughing the impossible in the face? :-P

P.S.: in case people are interested: The Funet archive still hosts a large collection of golden oldies. It's too bad I don't have a 500 or a 1200 anymore. I know what I would do with my broadband connection...