Are you interested in learning how to write your own game engines? With "3D Game Engine Programming" you can do just that. You’ll learn everything you need to know to build your own game engine as a tool that is kept strictly separate from any specific game project, making it a tool that you can use again and again for future projects. You won’t have to give a second thought to your engine. Instead, you’ll be able to concentrate on your game and the gameplay experience.

The availability of a game engine which is ready to rock simplifies the development process of a game, allowing developers to concentrate on the game and gameplay experience.

Developing your own 3D game engine can be a demanding task. If you’re up for the challenge, then "3D Game Engine Programming" is ready to take you through each step. All you need to begin is a working knowledge of C or C++and basic knowledge of the DirectX and Direct3D interfaces. With these skills behind you, you’re ready to tackle the mathematical concepts and API-independent interfaces that will add up to your working game engine. This book takes you beyond simply building your game engine, showing you how you can apply it to implement a network deathmatch first-person shooter. You’ll also cover additional tasks such as implementing a level editor to build your own 3D levels from scratch with a graphical user interface.

Developing your own 3D game engine can be a demanding task. If you?re up for the challenge, then "3D Game Engine Programming" is ready to take you through each step. All you need to begin is a working knowledge of C or C++and basic knowledge of the DirectX and Direct3D interfaces. With these skills behind you, you?re ready to tackle the mathematical concepts and API-independent interfaces that will add up to your working game engine. This book takes you beyond simply building your game engine, showing you how you can apply it to implement a network deathmatch first-person shooter. You?ll also cover additional tasks such as implementing a level editor to build your own 3D levels from scratch with a graphical user interface.

For people who want a teacher

This book is for the following person: A programmer who woke up one day and said "Wow, I’d really like to make a Game Engine. Where do I start? How should I plan this thing out? What kinds of things do I have to implement? What things should I be worried about?"

The code is solid, with just a few exceptions that a good programmer should be able to catch. The author speaks German, so he’ll occasionally ramble about the war and whatnot, but overall he’s a good teacher. He’s answered questions about the tiny problems with his code, but you’ll have to check out the forums at his Gaming University website (not his German one. Unless you happen to speak German)

He doesn’t go in depth into many things because his book is designed to get you started, and show you all the steps you’ll have to take in your game-engine education. That being said, you WILL create a fully functioning first-person shooter engine at the end of the book.

It’s written at a reasonably moderate level, so I suggest that you learn DirectX 9 and C++ ahead of time, but once you’ve done that you’re good to go. It provides a good bird’s-eye view of the game engine process, shows you how to make each little bit in a modular, reusable way, and puts together a lovely result.

One of the reviews on this page suggests the purchase of the Game Programming Gems series. Now, as nice as that series is (And it is nice), Game Programming Gems is about tiny bits of code that make a project more exciting. In fact, I’d have to say that Game Programming Gems has absolutely nothing to do with Game Engine Design. Heck, it’s the polar opposite of 3D Game engine Programming. Gems are fragments- This book is about bringing everything together.

A better suggestion would be to use the Game Programming Gems series to make this book’s engine more impressive.

Overall, a very decent book

I’ve been going through this book like a madman the past few days. I really am enjoying it. It is a little old, considering that it is from 2004 and he generally uses VS 6.0 (though makes reference to VS2003). Most of the stuff is still very relevant. He wants to take you through creating a semi-independent API for your engine (though he uses a lot of Direct3D programming).

A word of caution though: this book is full of techanese, which tends to deter newbies from learning C++. There were a few places where I got lost, and had to look things up. This is definitely not a newbie book, though you definitely can review the sourcecode included with the book instead of reading it. Most of the code is pretty self-explanatory if you are somewhat familiar with 3d programming.

Great book though. Cheers to the writer.

Its an OK buy

This book has lots of great information in it. You can easily learn a great deal about 3D graphics and what it takes to create an engine. However, one of the major drawbacks is that the engine doesn’t compile. Which, in my luck, has been typical of computer book. But reading the books for the concepts are great.

First book of it’s type

3D Game Engine Programming is actually written by Stefan Zerbst and Oliver Duvel. The book is unique in that it does exactly what it says it will do. Be warned however that as the book states it is not for beginner programmers who are new to Direct3D or new to C/C++ programming. However if you are familiar with the language and the API but never quite grasped the concept of fitting together all the components neccasary to make a 3D game engine then this really is the right book for you. There is not another book around as of this review that tells you bit by bit how to build a game engine and not only any game engine but a game industry standard engine the way the professionals build them.

There are a few version issues with the code on the DVD-ROM supplied. However this is always an issue if you are an intermediate programmer and familiar with C/C++ and a popular IDE then to be honest the minor issues should not be too much of a problem for you. Plus the author has even got a support website and he answers emails.

Well worth the money !!

Build an industry standard game engine

The book is unique in that it does exactly what it says it will do. Be warned however that as the book states it is not for beginner programmers who are new to Direct3D or new to C/C++ programming. However if you are familiar with the language and the API but never quite grasped the concept of fitting together all the components neccasary to make a 3D game engine then this really is the right book for you. There is not another book around as of this review that tells you bit by bit how to build a game engine and not only any game engine but a game industry standard engine the way the professionals build them.

There are a few version issues with the code on the DVD-ROM supplied. However this is always an issue if you are an intermediate programmer and familiar with C/C++ and a popular IDE then to be honest the minor issues should not be too much of a problem for you. Plus the author has even got a support website and he answers emails.

Well worth the money !!

First book of it’s type

3D Game Engine Programming is actually written by Stefan Zerbst and Oliver Duvel. The book is unique in that it does exactly what it says it will do. Be warned however that as the book states it is not for beginner programmers who are new to Direct3D or new to C/C++ programming. However if you are familiar with the language and the API but never quite grasped the concept of fitting together all the components neccasary to make a 3D game engine then this really is the right book for you. There is not another book around as of this review that tells you bit by bit how to build a game engine and not only any game engine but a game industry standard engine the way the professionals build them.

There are a few version issues with the code on the DVD-ROM supplied. However this is always an issue if you are an intermediate programmer and familiar with C/C++ and a popular IDE then to be honest the minor issues should not be too much of a problem for you. Plus the author has even got a support website and he answers emails.

Well worth the money !!

THe author should learn how to program first!

C’mon - at least get a CD with examples that actually compile! If he were a programmer working for me, he’d get fired. Save your money, and you can buy mine as used for 1/2 price.

Not horrible, but could be much better

The one consistent dig that I have with this book is not that it is a DirectX inspired author, nor is it that the code isn’t consistent with the examples, but rather it is a book that seems to show off "how I built my uber game engine".

Okay, so I admit that maybe that is a bit harsh and maybe slightly skewed, but that is the feeling I get from reading the book. The author is German, which I don’t hold against him at all, but from a German I was expecting a little bit more. Not that his engine is bad, it is just that, if I wanted to learn how to use his engine the book should be named "3D Game Engine Programming using ZFXengine2.0". This is the hardest and biggest flaw with many game engine books on the market: They always focus on "how I built my uber engine". Good for you, want a cookie?

When I say I was expecting a bit more, I was expecting a book that covered architecture on building an API inspecific, object oriented, and platform inspecific game engine that was not biased towards Direct3D, OpenGL, Windows, Linux, Visual Studio, gcc/g++, or otherwise. I want to see what common class layouts and interfaces, algorithms, and design hierarchies that go into building a set of sub-engines that encapsulate into one massive game engine, not just "how I did mine". Key point: needs more abstraction.

Zerbst does, however, go to good lengths to describe things in decent detail, given he is a native German speaker. Some of his ancedotes I find quite humurours, and a 3.5 rating would probably be more appropriate. I think the best so far was the details about Team A vs. Team 1 in the Deus Ex project, his motto: You have to have gone through Hell to see Heaven (so very true), and his down right 100% appropriate bash on those that use the term "3D Game Engine" without even knowing what the heck they are even talking about to begin with. Thank you, Stefan!

One section I liked was the coverage of SIMD with SSE, of which I think Zerbst has had some decent exposure to... On the bad side, though, he forgets: Assembly code without comments on almost every line is a real @#$!& to follow. I’ve seen GTAs doing assembly labs struggle for hours on a simple piece of assembly that is not commented at all while they whip through the ones that are well commented. It *ISNT* a matter of understanding your clever way of solving X, it *IS* a matter of effectively communicating your algorithm in code, a flaw assembly is well noted for due to its low level language construct. Hence why we use C++ on up to Visual Basic - K.I.S.S..

One section I greatly disliked was more or less a quote Stefan made about programming video games. He stated that it is not an artform nor wizardry, he states that it is along the lines of something that just needs to be done... I disagree whole heartidly: It’s a matter of perception - always was, always will be. As a programmer, I find the work I do to be one of the most mentally demanding of tasks in the world I live in, and I love every bit of it because I enjoy the overcomming the challenge of mastering and managing complexity (something that few people can do *well*). It *is* a matter of perception, if you do it just because it "needs to be done", then what kind of attitude is that?

All in all, it isn’t a bad book... It isn’t a great book. It’s a good book that has its very useful moments, but don’t neccessarily expect to be entirely happy with it. Thank god it isn’t 60$ here on Amazon.com.

OK, but still needs work

The book does provide a basis for understanding a 3d game engine but it leaves out pieces in its tutorials, which would fine execpt that the book is written in "step-by-step tutorial" style. If you actually follow the book as a tutorial and code along, nothing will compile. If you use your head a little, though, you can figure out the missing features on your own, either by reviewing the material on the cd or by googleing. All in all, I found the book to be OK but i am still looking for someting better.

Fantastic Basis -- Covers all the bases!

Stefan Zerbst’s 3D Game Engine Programming is a 850-paged guide to constructing a modular, functional video game engine. This reference was one of the biggest reasons I became confident that I could complete a project of my own and has helped me tremendously in the design and building of an engine based upon the fundamentals of the ZFX Engine.

Even though the book does not go into detail and provide the code to all the bells and whistles of a commerical engine, it certainly outlines the basics and even provides code for testing. (I personally liked not having everything provided so that I could add my own features with a more personalized touch). Have no fear: all the basics are there to build off of!

In particular, the text guides the reader through the concepts and code needed to construct an engine that has the ability to support both DirectX and OpenGL (though DirectX is the main focus in the text), Vertex and Pixel Shaders (which is a big plus in upcoming game graphics!), and networkable players. In addition, the book brought extra possibilities such as Non-Player Characters, AI, and other various effects to the table for the reader to take note of where they could be added on to the engine. More importantly, he did do an excellent job of keeping these options (and more!) open without forcing his more ambitious readers to reprogram half the engine.

A very important thing I felt was the key to why I liked it some much was the fact that I understood how the components of the engine worked individually and as a whole to construct a functional game when I had finished the book. So many times have I read a programming book cover to cover and then still be lost on how everything fits together outside of the demos provided in the text-- but this book was NOT like that at all. The concepts were presented clearly as well as explicitly outlined within the code.

However, I will note: this book is not for the faint of heart or for the inexperienced programmer. (Hopefully the size scares the aforementioned away in a direction to seek some more practice before coming back to this fantastic reference.) There is a LOT of code and while the text does take care of the graphics, DLL loading, and algorithmic aspects to a FPS game, the book does treat the reader as a programmer and not a novice.

One last, important feature is the Level Editor that is developed along side the engine (that’s right! you build a level editor too!). This chapter (14) is certainly one of the most useful parts of the text and is where a lot of key concepts come together.

So, if you are looking for a book that hits the ground running, providing a complete archive of source code and demos in an effort to construct a comprehensive game engine: this book is for you!

A highly recommended book for game programmers

Yes, the book’s CD had some issues. Yes, the code on the CD and the code on the book are sometimes different. That being said, show me a programming book that

1) Publishes every line of code
2) Every published line matches that on the CD
3) The code on the CD contains no errors

and I will show you a GREAT book. (BTW, this book does not exist.)

Criticizing the author for not publishing all source code is ludicrous as half the book would have had to be cut to make room, and then everyone would be complaining about not having enough content. All source code is provided and this book is NOT for beginners, so having to look at source code that was not published is not a problem.

Stefan does an excellent job of presenting a workable engine that could be used to create a modern game that could fit about any genre. He also presents methods to allow for upgrading the engine without requiring all games that use it to be recompiled. He covers many issues in the space he has and provides a workable game in the final chapter. He also shows how to implement an editor for the game (albeit a simple one), which is something I had not seen in other books.

If you are looking for a book that shows how to step into game engine programming and ALREADY know about game programming itself, then this is a good book.

If you are new to programming this book is not for (and is not intended for) you, so please do not read it and then complain when you do not understand.

Wonderful book, it’s perfect

He does have some problems explaining some of the concepts, and does sometimes go off into his own world and show you code that you sometimes write down, when in fact it was just to show you what a function WOULD look like... though you might never use it.

Nonetheless, it’s PERFECT. Buy the book, but don’t complain like others about the CD. Go to the updates page, and get those patches and fixes. If you want, to remain unconfused, what you will need is Visual C++ 6.0 and get all the files from the CD. Read through those files and understand it that way. It’s somewhat easier that way if you’re not a C++ guru.

I’m sorry, but the CD "Companion" is inexcusable

The CD mistakes are unforgiveable. I would say until they release a completed downloadable examples of entirely workable examples DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK!

I did visit the errata site and followed a few of their examples on how to build things. Got a couple of things to build, but when exploring the world in the example of chapter 15, there are bugs and holes in the display or render errors or something. Or maybe this is the way that it was engineered.

I think when they provide proper support for this book I will probably give this book 4 stars, because I think it is well written and goes over the topic of Game Engine programming very well. Too bad they did such a poor job of quality control.