Learning and using C++ for the first time for a project

[Zyxl]

I will be developing an application which requires some 3D rendering. I plan on developing from first principles and using no libraries such as openGL.

I'm not familiar with C++, so would I be able to learn it as I go along developing the project, or will I require some separate learning beforehand and for how long. Also, I have managed to compile and run simple programs, but do things get more difficult with larger projects in this respect and is it possible to develop and test on Linux an application for Windows without something like Wine? Do I just need to change some compiler settings for the final product?

Thanks.

 

[odlumb]

I will be developing an application which requires some 3D rendering. I plan on developing from first principles and using no libraries such as openGL.

I'm not familiar with C++, so would I be able to learn it as I go along developing the project, or will I require some separate learning beforehand and for how long. Also, I have managed to compile and run simple programs, but do things get more difficult with larger projects in this respect and is it possible to develop and test on Linux an application for Windows without something like Wine? Do I just need to change some compiler settings for the final product?

Thanks.

I would not recommend C++, the syntax of the language is arcane, cryptic and ENORMOUS. Your learning curve would be steep. Its only advantage is that there exists so much code already written in C++ that you may want to integrate into your own projects, but with modern development environments (like Visual Studio) this is no longer much of a problem. Unless you expect to be reading (i.e., attempting to decipher/understand/reverse-engineer) a lot of pre-existing C++ code, go with a more modern language (C# for example).

I've been writing code in C++ for twenty years, and I hate the language. There are still parts of it I don't understand and don't use. When I'm forced into it I experience great frustration and anger that anyone would create such a ridiculous syntax for a programming language (see my recent post). Objective C is my language of choice, but it never really "caught on" and it's not as well supported as I would like. From discussions with friends "still in the business" (e.g. Microsoft), C# seems to be the path leading forward. Java and F# are also possibilities. Across my career I've had to learn about 15 different languages (counting assembly dialects), starting with Fortran. Almost all of it is forgotten now. But C++ remains a thorn in my side to the present day.