ROBSON_SP
03-01-2002, 07:56 AM
Hi
I have some data which I'd like to plot in 3d. The data is a set of 'meshed' cylinders which are concatenated. I'm looking for something that is quick to run, quick to learn and free (that's not too much to ask is it?!) . What is the best 3d library/controls for me to use? I've heard of one called VTK and also (obviously) DirectX 8.1.....
Cheers
Simon
:)
Squirm
03-01-2002, 09:47 AM
DirectX is very quick to run, free, and not too hard to learn. You can make it as complex as you need to. If you are in a hurry, for example, then you can simply use the hardware to do any transformation and lighting that you require. Plus, it offers a lot of flexibility.
Of course I am biased...... :cool:
denmeister
03-02-2002, 06:47 AM
If this is your first 3D app, then DirectX might present a fairly steep learning curve. 3D graphics has it's own set of terms and lingo. Be prepared for this.
But you will find that DirectX does present the best set of tools for graphics. I agree with Squirm, but, unlike Squirm, I am not biased.
You might want to also consider OpenGL. It's an open source library of 3D graphics functions, but it's not supported by any one company. But you can find lots of info about it at http://www.nvidia.com/
But I'd go with DirectX. It's quite fast, and quite cool.
Squirm
03-02-2002, 07:43 AM
DirectX and VB, both being Microsoft, integrate together seamlessly.
OpenGL, being non-Microsoft, does not integrate very easily. You need to download special 3rd party DLLs to use OpenGL in VB. The user base is much smaller so help and tutorials are much sparser.
If you arent to keen on spending time learning new things, then DX would be much preferable over OGL.