Since Poser and likely also Bryce seem to have been written in C or C++, where can people send any lengths of C source code that they write that they think might be useful as additions to Poser or Bryce etc? (rather than independent utilities)

Heya Anthony. I just got borlands c++ ver5 for windows for christmas. I wish I could write those utlities like you do. I sorta understand all the commands and syntax #include,main(),etc. But it's damn hard to actaully produce something with it. I'd really like to be able to create my own .exe files for my poser figures like Zygote does it. It's a lot easier to organize my files when they are in that .exe format. If you have any source code that does this. I'd love to have it. -ScottA iamsba@aol.com Wannabe programmer

There are various books available about programming for Windows. I sympathize with your puzzlement :: after I had programmed for mainframes and MSDOS for donkey's years, where everything happens in one succession, transferring to Windows and all its messages and windows etc and registerable window-functions and qwertyuiop alone knows what was like knowing how to drive a car and suddenly being sat down at the controls of a UFO. - The download zipfiles for my utilities all contain the source forms (for Borland C++ v4.52). - Apart from that, it is a matter of learning how to program in C++.

The Zygote .exe files are zip files with a "self extractor" option. If you are using Winzip 6.2 or 6.3 (the last decent Winzip, in my opinion) you need to download a "self extactor" addon. This will take the zipped file, add on just enough code to extract the zip, and give it a .exe extension. As far as coding the rest of it, if you're going to use Borland C, there are several good books on it. But you can learn an awful lot by disecting the examples in the "examples" directory. Especially the files in examplesowlapps. Draw, Pait, and Mthread will give you a good start on 2D stuff like UV Mapper. If you want to get into 3D apps, you might want to look at some of the OpenGL under OWL tutorials floating around on the web. IMO OpenGL is way easier to learn, faster, and more powerful than DirectX. And it will help you greatly if you ever want to port to Mac and/or Linux. Ciao! Joe

When I program in Windows, I program directly. Learning the basics is enough without deciphering the alien intricacies of OWL or getting into a bullfight with OLE.

Well it seems that learning C++ is similar to learning how to create your own custom poser figures. It's really very easy. But nobody can teach it very well. I've looked at lots of so called beginner books for C++. And they fail terribly. Too little or or too much info. I just need to get a basic grasp on the process. Then I'll be able to get into more difficult things as I go. But Grasping the basics is giving me a hard time. Mainly because nobody can really teach it well. There seems to be a real lack of good teaching skills in this country. Scott Ayers iamsba@aol.com

When I program in Windows, I program directly. Learning > the basics is enough without deciphering the alien > intricacies of OWL I do not understand you at all. A good class library, such as MFC, OWL, wX, or PowerPlant is not an "alien intricacy", it is an efficient, high level way of handling the incredibly intricate Windows API. I assume by "directly" you mean that you program only in straight C, to the Windows API calls in the SDK. I've done this, and the same task usually takes four times as much code as a comparable OWL or MFC app. My engineering budget may be big, but it's not unlimited. Anything that provides a reasonable boost in the productivity of the programmers is encouraged, if not mandated. > or getting into a bullfight with OLE Again, what are you getting at? Using a class library does not mandate that you use OLE. If your program needs to be OLE enabled (i.e. if you're writting an application which must work within an office suite, or you just want that "designed for Windows" Microsoft seal of approval), then you must work with the OLE api. This is true weather you are writing "directly" in C to the Windows API, using a class library like MFC or OWL, or an application builder like Delphi. Weather it's a "bullfight" or not would be determined by your skill level and project managment skills.