Resources

For those who are interested in developing graphics related applications and/or computer games, here is a list of useful links and literature sorted by topics. These references include books, online tutorials and complete libraries and development environments.

• [General Topics in Computer Graphics.]   Computer generated graphics has gotten a huge field within computer science. Here you will find some starting points for general topics related to graphics.
• [OpenGL.]   OpenGL is an important API for developing 3D applications. Its availability on many different software and hardware platforms makes it very interesting for cross-platform development. On this page you will find some links and literature for getting started with OpenGL.
• [DirectX.]   DirectX is another very common API for graphics, audio and multimedia, mainly used in games, but with its importance for productivity appliactions growing. In contrast to OpenGL, DirectX is a Microsoft specific API and as such only available on Windows systems.
• [Mathematics.]   This section contains some references to good books and online ressources for mathematics, especially with computer graphics in mind.
• [Sound and Music.]   Besides graphics sound and music is another important subject for games.
• [Programming in general.]   Programming is more than knowing the syntax and grammar of a language, for larger projects you also need some profound knowledge in architecturing and facturing.
• [Algorithms in general.]   Another really important field are algorithms, which are the key to a well performing application.
• [Libraries.]   One programmer cannot be expert in everything plus he has only limited time to fullfull his job, so a look at specialized libraries for specific jobs is a good idea that will not just save time and money, but in many cases will also help ensuring a high-quality result.
• [Complete Game Engines.]   If one wants to take even a step further, one can use a complete 3d engine together with an integrated development environment. This enables the developer to concentrate on content instead of technology.