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[Stoo]

The last program I wrote was a GFX package for use with a ray tracer called Lightwave on my Amiga4000 using a mix of a language called Blitz, machine code, but it was many years ago.

I would really like to learn C++ and to this end picked up an Idiot Guide book to do so. It helps I`m sure, but is so dry and seems to contain nothing but number crunching.

Always when I learned a new language I would start off by putting a dot (pixel) on the screen and build up from there, learning new concepts as and when. I`d love to do this again, but am struggling to find out how to access/create a bitmap or output window upon which to plot.

I`m hopeful that this should be RELATIVELY simple and that a kind soul will see this and either point me in the right direction or show me how.

Thanks, Stoo.

 

[Cogman]

The last program I wrote was a GFX package for use with a ray tracer called Lightwave on my Amiga4000 using a mix of a language called Blitz, machine code, but it was many years ago.

I would really like to learn C++ and to this end picked up an Idiot Guide book to do so. It helps I`m sure, but is so dry and seems to contain nothing but number crunching.

Always when I learned a new language I would start off by putting a dot (pixel) on the screen and build up from there, learning new concepts as and when. I`d love to do this again, but am struggling to find out how to access/create a bitmap or output window upon which to plot.

I`m hopeful that this should be RELATIVELY simple and that a kind soul will see this and either point me in the right direction or show me how.

Thanks, Stoo.

Well, Sorry to disappoint you Stoo, but this is really not an easy thing to do in C++. The problem is, doing this is going to vary from platform to platform. When dealing with guis, things just aren't really THAT easy. Text based programs are a much easier place to start when it comes to c++.

 

[Markbnj]

I think this is a serious barrier to developing new programming talent. The tools and environments are nowhere near as accessible as they were years ago, and often the "cool" things that a new programmer wants to do require too many layers of knowledge.

Cogman is right, what you want to do isn't as easy as it should be. Probably the closest you can get now is javascript using the HTML5 canvas and other drawing tools. You can write the code in a text editor, and run it simply by loading the page into a recent HTML5 compatible browser. So I guess my recommendation would be to start there.

 

[WildW]

I've been playing with Microsoft's Visual C# Express and their XNA Game Studio that goes with it, both are free. There are some good tutorials by MS themselves for doing the simple exciting stuff like plotting sprites on the screen and moving them around.