Path tracer with fast SH image-based relighting

This is an archive of my Twitter posts from last year recording the development of the path tracer I wrote for my Masters project.

How to open Introduction to 3D Game Programming With DirectX 9.0c: A Shader Approach sample projects with Visual Studio 2013

Frank Luna’s DirectX 9.0c book is excellent, but it can be a pain trying to build the code samples using the latest versions of Visual Studio. Here’s what I did to get it working with Visual Studio 2013 on Windows 7:

First, ensure you have installed the DirectX SDK (June 2010): https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/download/details.aspx?id=6812

Then add the following directories to your project in Project Properties:

Add the following to C/C++ > General > Additional Include Directories:
$(DXSDK_DIR)Include;C:\Program Files %28×86%29\Microsoft DirectX SDK %28June 2010%29\Include;%(AdditionalIncludeDirectories)

Add the following to Linker > General > Additional Library Directories:
$(DXSDK_DIR)Lib\x86;%(AdditionalLibraryDirectories)

In Linker > Input > Additional Dependencies, change dxerr9.lib to dxerr.lib.

Finally, in the source code, change dxerr9.h to dxerr.h. The project should now compile.

What I Thought: Never Alone

Never Alone is an intriguing platformer game based on the traditional culture and stories of the Inuit people of Alaska. Though it falls short of being truly great, it is an encouraging example of a culturally authentic and educational game that has reached a wider audience.

Requiem for a Fantasy

Despite having a huge backlog of new games to play, I found myself having a craving to play Final Fantasy XII again. It seems stupid. Why would I waste time replaying an old game I had finished years ago?

2 days pass, but the old hankering does not subside. I want to go back and be with the characters I have gotten to know and love after spending tens, if not hundreds of hours in their company. To re-live their journey, bring them back to life, live in their world again…

The Operant Conditioning Chamber

Over the past few days I subjected myself (for research purposes) to the experience of playing certain well known games that I would normally never touch:

• Farmville 2
• Sim City BuildIt
• Plants vs Zombies 2
• Godus
• and as much of Hay Day and Kim Kardashian Hollywood as I could stand.

There’s got to be a reason why these games are so popular and financially successful. 

An Ode to Homeworld

I bought the collector’s edition of Homeworld Remastered, which arrived today. Let’s see what’s inside the box.

3 days to go