All http://mattandwell.net/blog Random chatter from some guy in Laos Fri, 30 Jan 2009 04:38:26 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 en Stanwood flood http://mattandwell.net/blog/posts/stanwood-flood.html http://mattandwell.net/blog/posts/stanwood-flood.html#comments Fri, 30 Jan 2009 04:38:26 +0000 admin http://mattandwell.net/blog/?p=105 Everyone that lives in or close to Stanwood knows that it floods every year or so, but check out these pictures taken by Jeff Torgerson.

Great photography as always, I don’t think I’ve ever seen the flooding that bad before !!

]]> http://mattandwell.net/blog/posts/stanwood-flood.html/feed 3D Modeling Math http://mattandwell.net/blog/posts/3d-modeling-math.html http://mattandwell.net/blog/posts/3d-modeling-math.html#comments Sun, 18 Jan 2009 16:24:10 +0000 admin http://mattandwell.net/blog/?p=101 Been playing around with DirectX, and I’ve been running into this problem where I’m trying to load a mesh with materials on it and it just fails. I’ve tried exporting a mesh from both Maya and Blender with the same result, so now I’m convinced that there is something about creating models that I’m not grasping quite yet. Okay so I’m stumped there for the time being.

So I switched to something more abstracted .. Ogre =) Though I haven’t tried to load meshes with Ogre yet, it is a nice abstraction from DirectX and on top of that you’re code is more portable, which is nice and .. nice. Spent a few days working through the various tutorials..

So far throughout my very limited experience with 3D programming the same few questions keep coming up, and they mostly all point at math.. such as “What is really happening when you use a matrix to transform an object, how does the underlying math effect the object in such a manner ?”, “what are Quaternions ?”, “Euler Angles ?”, “Gimble Lock?”, “How is is possible to multiply many matrices together and get a cumulative effect mathematically ?”. Yes it’s time to get sidetracked in linear algebra land.

So after acquiring a neat book 3D Math Primer for Graphics and Game Development I’m up to around chapter 9 so far, and it’s a pretty good read. Although it sometimes goes slowly as I stumble through the alien hieroglyphs trying to make sense of it. (yes I know, I should have paid more attention in school ^_^ ).

]]> http://mattandwell.net/blog/posts/3d-modeling-math.html/feed