How long does it take to get skilled at 3D engines
BlitzMax Forums/MiniB3D Module/How long does it take to get skilled at 3D engines
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| Well, I've begun work on my first 2D puzzle game, but still am hoping to eventually use Blitz for 3D. Since Max3D is discontinued (and I assume in an impractical/unusable state), I have done some exhaustive searching, and narrowed down my possibilities to three that are suited to my purposes. I'm learning as I go. I'd like to take a moment to say thanks to those of you who have taken time out to answer some of my questions so far. Anyway, I do have one more... Approx. how long would it take to become reasonably proficient at using the following three, specific 3D engines: Warners Engine? miniB3D? Xors3D? Thanks ahead of time! :) |
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| Impossible to say, since it greatly depends on the programmer. For example, in my case the answer probably wouldbe "never", even though I have no problems with 2D stuff. for some reason the entire 3D mindset just never clicked for me. |
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| the following three, specific 3D engines All three of those engines are based on the same core Blitz3D command set; they all use the same space metaphor and command names for the most common functions. There are minor subtle differences (e.g. that miniB3D doesn't use quaternions... probably won't bother you too much), and Warner and Xors might have more advanced extra features, but fundamentally they're different flavours of the same thing and you will therefore reach a basic working competence in the same amount of time. Like xlsior, I couldn't really say how long. Everyone learns at a different pace. However, the Blitz3D system (and therefore all engines that imitate it) is very, very simple as 3D engines go and you only really need to understand a small core (basically: entities, pivots, parents, local+world spaces, the render loop) to get a feel for the whole thing - all the other dozens of commands are really oneoffs; you'll be fine looking most of those up in the manual as-and-when. |
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| There is no precise answer to your question... It depends on how much interested, motivated, applied you are, and how much time you can attribute to learn and to code. What i suggest is to first learn the concepts concerning 3d space, 3d positions, 3d orientations, 3d movements, 3d rotations, pivots, meshes, parents/childs, camera, then try to translate your ideas into code. Don't try to learn all commands at first, you will feel overwhelmed. What is good with these engines is that you can write your code as if you were writing instructions to do something in english. |
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