Stenciling - Introduction to 3D Game Programming with DirectX 9.0 - page 151

Part III
Applied Direct3D
In this part, we focus on applying Direct3D to implement several 3D
applications, demonstrating techniques such as terrain rendering, parti-
cle systems, picking, and building a flexible 3D camera. In addition, we
spend some time further exploring the D3DX library (in particular, the
mesh-related components). A brief description of the chapters in this
part follows.
Chapter 9, “Fonts”—During a game we often need to display tex-
tual information to the user. This chapter discusses three ways that we
can generate and output text in Direct3D.
Chapter 10, “Meshes Part I”—This chapter thoroughly explains
the data and methods of the D3DX mesh interface ID3DXMesh .
Chapter 11, “Meshes Part II”—In this chapter, we continue our
study of the D3DX mesh-related interfaces and functions. We learn
about .X files and how to load and render them. In addition, we exam-
ine the progressive mesh interface ID3DXPMesh . The chapter also
shows how to compute the bounding box and bounding sphere of a
mesh.
Chapter 12, “Building a Flexible Camera Class”—In this chapter,
we design and implement a flexible camera class that has six degrees of
freedom. This camera is suited for flight simulators and first-person
shooters.
Chapter 13, “Basic Terrain Rendering”—This chapter shows how
to create, texture, light, and render 3D terrains. Furthermore, we show
how to smoothly “walk” the camera over the terrain so that it looks
like we are walking on the terrain.
Chapter 14, “Particle Systems”—In this chapter, we learn how to
model systems that consist of many small particles that all behave in a
similar manner. For example, particle systems can be used to model
falling snow and rain, the sparks of an explosion, puffs of smoke, rocket
trails, and even the bullets of a gun.
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