Discover the exciting world of game programming and 3D graphics creation using DirectX 10! "Beginning DirectX® 10 Game Progmramming" is an introductory guide to creating fantastic graphics, amazing creatures, and realistic worlds for games. Written specifically for the beginner programmer, the book uses step-by-step instructions to teach the basics of DirectX 10, introducing skills that can be applied to creating games for both PC and game console platforms. You’ll start by learning how to install the DirectX SDK and how to get your first application up and running. From there you’ll be introduced to the 2D and 3D graphics components of DirectX allowing you to draw animated sprites and create 3D objects. Put your new skills to the test with a final, hands-on project that shows how to bring together everything you’ve learned. If you have a basic knowledge of C++ and 3D math concepts then you are ready to learn how to program amazing 3D game graphics with "Beginning DirectX 10!"

Get ready to learn DirectX from the ground up. For programmers just getting into the gaming world, this is an place to start. You’ll begin with the most basic program and will work your way toward creating a playable game using easy-to-understand examples. From the basics of installing the SDK and an introduction to the graphics component to the essentials of drawing to the screen and Direct3D, you’ll cover every fundamental angle. Only the required math is presented and is explained in detail to avoid overwhelming you with unnecessary concepts. You’ll learn how to draw and animate sprites for your games and will learn how to add sound and incorporate network play. If you have a basic knowledge of C++ and a basic ability to follow beginning 3D math concepts, then you’re ready to begin.

DirectX "10"

I’m using this as the textbook for a course I teach on the subject, so I obviously value it and think Wendy Jones did a great job with it. My only complaint is that, simply, there is NO SUCH THING as DirectX 10. This is a somewhat incorrect title. Even if you go to the Microsoft download site, there is no reference to DirectX 10. Within even the past year, Microsoft still referred to the SDK as DirectX 9.0c, but has recently dropped the "9.0c" in favor of the release month/year to designate the version. So what you’ll find now is "DirectX SDK (August 2008)", for instance.

Here are the relevant libraries in DirectX "10":
* Direct3D
* XACT
* XInput

perfect for a directx beginner

Perfect for a directx beginner who already has some experience working with Microsoft Visual Studio C++. A couple of things could be presented a little bit more clearly... but overall.... good job Wendy!

Not for the beginer

Ok, so Beginning DirectX 10 Game Programming, keyword Beginning, assumes you already know C++, and windows programming...if you don’t these things...stay away, the book is way too advanced. I ended up returning it.

A good book

It is a good book for anyone interested in learning the basics of graphic programming. It is also a good basic introduction to DX10. There are a lot of things not cover however as a basic book it good.
The examples do compile properly so that is a plus.

Not so good

Book gives some valuable info on DirectX techniques and apparatus, but practically no more than basic samples.

It gives exactly what the title says

It truly is an introduction into D3D10. Tells you exactly how to get started. If your new to dX, this is actually a great book to start. She does a great job in telling you how things work and the way they do. Now i am not saying it will always be great and will always be easy to learn. If your not great at C++ then this book still is fine. It does not use advanced concepts. It just plainly does a great job in what it says.

"BEGINNING DIRECTX 10"

Perfect for DirectX newbies

This is a good introduction to DirectX 10 if you haven’t used DirectX before. If you’re familiar with version 9 you can as well use the Microsoft documentation instead. In fact much of the code in the book seems to be taken without much modification from there. This is all right I think. When you purchase this book you essentially pay the author a finder’s fee for helping you locate and use what you as a newbie would have to spend lots of time in frustration digging up yourself.

For me as a newbie to DirectX the book was perfect with complete cut & paste runnable examples. It covers a lot of ground, but because it does this with so much detail it’s not always as compete as you would like. For example lightning of 3D objects is covered but not the use of depth buffers. This means it tells you how to create the illusion of depth for single objects but not for many interacting objects. So I would say the book would benefit from being like 500 pages instead of just 350 in order to take it just a little bit further.

But all in all it’s worth every penny for a DirectX newbie. It’s detailed and clearly written with working examples on a CD.

Delivers what it promisses

This is a very light introduction to DirectX10, especially to direct3d 10. Beginners should feel very comfortable with this book. The text, most of the time, is clear and the examples are very simple. The math and math explanations involved are kept to a minimum.

The book delivers what it promises and should be taken as a base for further readings.