c/c++ quick start needed

[jansi]

What is the best way to start graphic and video programing in C/C++ on Windows?

What software do i need (compilers , libraries) - I want to have access (if it's possible) to Midi , Live sound In , USB web cams live video . UsB joysticks , Live dv in , vfw video in ,

where can i find tutorials and stuff (i've got quite a big experience with ActionScript / Lingo multimedia programming)

Thanx

[eXhale]

for "graphic and video programing in C/C++ on Windows", the definite answer is directx (along with win32), especially if you also need extensive support for USB, MIDI and other kind of inputs (directinput does this very well). there are plenty of books on the subject, i'd recommend to pick up one, there are tutorials on internet (look on the microsoft site) but it's never as good as a book.

[many2]

The video games programming websites have a lot of information available on real-time 3d, sprite and video manipulation, as well as other important things such as interactivity, memory management strategies, software architecture (very important for C++, your software can only be as good as its structure). A good place to start your exploration is :
http://www.flipcode.com/

for links and books references about real time rendering :
http://www.realtimerendering.com/

Many-2

[jansi]

thanx for help
is visual C++ 6 and directx 8.1 SDK enough to start or do i need other software too.
thanx again

[eXhale]

yes i think it's all you need, at least that's what i have used in the past. there are a lot of directx abstraction classes too, they can be useful if you don't want to spend too much time to get started. in addition to the links many2 gave, i also recommend http://gamedev.net

[billyblaze]

__ what about developing cross platform stuff? DirectX is Windows only isn't it?

[infopocalypse]

All of this depends on goals... if you're wanting to make stuff that's portable between platforms, write it using OpenGL to directly write to the screen and using the respective APIs of each platform.... but this will have a lot of inefficiences.

DirectX itself is inefficient in spots, i.e. Direct3D is really bad if you don't have good hardware... so for this I would recommend taking a look @ using DirectX's output buffer, but not DirectX itself.

James

[MoRpH]

Originally posted by billyblaze
__ what about developing cross platform stuff? DirectX is Windows only isn't it?

What is the best way to start graphic and video programing in C/C++ on Windows?

Seems to me in this case he's only really interested in windows...... Personally I look forward to a day when we can do video on a free and easy to use platform as easily and with as much functionality as windows (or mac OS for that matter), but unfortunately I think that day is along way off.

[mkl]

Nice, I was just coming here to ask the same question. Guess I'll ask another..

Is DirectX necessary/recommended to simply receive MIDI IN, read midi files, and send MIDI OUT?

I have looked through the Visual PlatformSDK a bit, but haven't found a good example of handling MIDI.

Thanks
Mikel

[infopocalypse]

No it is not neccessary... MIDI is its own language... or rather sort of scripting language of sorts... involving instrumentation #s and such... (specific sort of format listed below)

I know DirectInput can handle a lot of diffferent devices... you can also write a driver to handle a specific device... or use various other methods on input... don't know about output per se... but I'm betting if you do a function dump on one of the drivers' DLL for you MIDI device you'll be able to find this out.

I'm not really the person to ask about MIDI (give me a few months to when i start personally working on it and when we get to that phase of programming)... but to clear up some misconceptions:


somone asked me in chat last week if MIDI was faster than keyboard... the answer to this is a definative NO... under no way in hell is MIDI quicker for the computer to do than keyboard input, unless you create a hardware solution to make a MIDI key into a keyboard key (interesting project, but not worth it).

Key's have low level built in methods of accessing them, especially under Windows... MIDI requires many many layers of abstraction... and so has to go through many permutations before being able to be recognized by the system... and then it becomes far up to the programmer how the language of MIDI is interpreted... the main reason in my belief for MIDI's popularity is the lack of a proper keyboard interface for most of the existing programs.



What I can give you is a place to start... you probably will be able to find this series in older bookshops or online somewhere...

:

Handbook of Proggramming Languages, volume III: Little Languages and Tools. This has a brief overview of MIDI as well as a Biliography listing more...

Page 592 includes MIDI specs... I'll repost them tomorrow when I've had a tad more sleep.

When dealing with MIDI itself you'll have to read some materials on Signal Processing... I'll see if I've got an example somewhere... the easiest way to do this is to send the data to/from a Parallel port.



Too much tech for one night,

James

[infopocalypse]

http://www.synesthetic.com/midi_spec.htm

Other nice little links, found over the past tad:

http://www.harmony-central.com/MIDI/Doc/intro.html

http://vr.kaist.ac.kr/resource/BOOK_cmusic.html

[infopocalypse]

As I've found more links (and a nice complete spec) online I'll post a thread specifically for MIDI. Will put some of the links there, as well as the older data.

James

[elout]

I just posted something about this in the thread 'best languages for visuals??? (http://www.vjforums.com/showthread.php?threadid=208)'

but anyway check,
http://cone3d.gamedev.net/cgi-bin/index.pl?page=tutorials/ogladv/tut1c
About installing this opensource freeware gcc compiler,
and using the opensource multiplatform SDL-library, to get
things running.

[trips]

I f you don't have any experience with Visual C++, try with Borland Builder (4,5 o 6). It's very more simple than the Visual C++.
In reference a librarys, there are a lot of them in internet (librarys to games control a lot of recurses (MIDI, USB,...). In the Api for Windows you can find some functions that 'll help you.