i want to know whether D3D or OpenGL is a better choice when making a 3d game. i haven''t started 3d stuff yet but i want to know when i am done with my 2d game and want to start 3d.

This is one of those topics that starts flame wars.
In a nutshell (and I''m sure I''m leaving stuff out):

Pros for D3D: MS is behind it. It''s constantly getting new and better features. It''s constantly getting better drivers. It''s closer to the hardware.

Pros for GL: It''s stable. Carmack uses it. It''s (IMO) easier to learn than D3D. It''s portable.

Can you mix and match?

--== Rapier ==--
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Save the whales, feed the hungry, free the mallocs!

I agree with SiCrane except for one thing:

OpenGL is easier to learn the basics, but when you need to do more advanced graphics, I should think it's about the same.

Every version of DirectX gets easier to use as MS really listens to what developers want, and ease of use is one of them.

As for Rapier's question: You can mix and match. With considerable difficulties. First of all the drivers won't let you share the videomemory so you will have do a lot of rendering to offscreen buffers and then merge them together to show the result on screen. It is certainly not something that I would recommend.

Edited by - Spellbound on 2/15/00 7:29:38 AM

I''m going to add my $.02, and then close this thread, since there are at least a half-dozen threads here asking the same thing, with the same answers.

Learn both. They are both useful, and learning the other isn''t hard once you know one. Which one to learn first? There are probably many arguments either way, so just pick one.

- Dave