How does open-gl compare to d3d?

Engines, Libraries and Tools Java 3D
#1

Are they really comparable or has one more/better features than the other?
I don’t know much about open-gl yet, but I have the feeling that if you want to use some advanced things, you’re going into a dark area of non standard, video card specific extensions.
I know ogl is implemented on more different kinds of hw (unix, linux, gamecube, wintel) but otoh d3d is probably used far, far more often for gaming (and that’s what were here for aren’t we? ;)).
Maybe a good, up to date dx binding for java would not be such a bad idea? It would also make java viable for the x-box maybe.
I saw a dx binding for java once, but I believe it’s for dx 5 and so very outdated.

Erik

#2

Well - at the end of the day, you select OGL for compatibility, and DX for features.

Doing a Java wrapper for DX9 would be a huge work I reckon, and the jar would weigh in at 500-750 kb at least - there are so many classes/structs in that api, that needs to be modelled. It isn’t an impossible task, but it sure is a much tougher job than doing an OGL wrapper.

I just want OGL 2.0 out (and devices that use it) so that we can get more features, and get lwjgl updated for 2.0.

#3

http://www.gamedev.net/reference/articles/article1775.asp

The article. Note that it assumes you’ll be programming in C/C++, so bear that in mind…

#4

many lives have been destroyed by this very question.

if you’re going to tie yourself so closely to ms and use directx you may as well just use .net and J#, you can access it all directly.

#5

BTW a friend of mine has very good result with C# and DirectX. He has been developing new generation of his C++ engine in C#. He got more productive coding (thanks C#, which is nearly the same as Java in this field) without any performance drawback (just small increase in memory usage). But it’s Windows-only unfortunately. I think that if you’re going with Windows-only solution that tools from MS are the best, otherwise… OpenGL, OpenAL, etc. rule! :wink:

#6

[quote]if you’re going to tie yourself so closely to ms and use directx you may as well just use .net and J#, you can access it all directly.
[/quote]
It’s just that I’m fond of java and am annoyed by M$’ attitude against anything not M$. Otherwise I probably would.
OTOH, you won’t ever see Sun developing .net implementations for solaris and linux …

[quote]He got more productive coding (thanks C#, which is nearly the same as Java in this field) without any performance drawback (just small increase in memory usage).
[/quote]
Disturbing how C#/.net seems to surpass java so quickly in those area’s don’t you think?
They lack portability but seem to have everything else or am I wrong?
Ok, they don’t have applets and web start but that’s probably just a matter of time before they steal that too.
Well, I’m getting off-topic here :stuck_out_tongue:

#7

Staying OT for a moment, not eternally likely to lack portability: http://www.msnbc.com/news/864039.asp

#8

Not really - its to be expected. C# and DirectX are close Microsoft controlled standards and part of their overall strategy. Java and OpenGL lack that focus as they are not driven by any one single factor.