Wiley 3D for iPhone Apps with Blender and SIO2 978-0-470-57492-8 User Manual
Product codes
978-0-470-57492-8
2
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Chapter 1: Getting Started with 3D Development for the iPhone
Getting Started
Welcome to the world of interactive 3D graphics programming for the iPhone and iPod
Touch using Blender and the SIO2 game engine! I think you’ll find that working with
these tools is a fun and challenging experience.
Touch using Blender and the SIO2 game engine! I think you’ll find that working with
these tools is a fun and challenging experience.
Throughout this book, I will assume that you are working on a Mac computer run-
ning OS X Leopard (10.5) or later. The official iPhone Software Development Kit (SDK)
is designed to run exclusively on Mac. There are some projects underway to create emula-
tors and development environments for doing iPhone development on other platforms,
but they are not officially sanctioned by Apple, so if you opt to try to make use of these
alternatives, you’re on your own. There’s no guarantee you’re going to be able to install
and run your apps on a device or make them available to other iPhone and iPod Touch
users.
is designed to run exclusively on Mac. There are some projects underway to create emula-
tors and development environments for doing iPhone development on other platforms,
but they are not officially sanctioned by Apple, so if you opt to try to make use of these
alternatives, you’re on your own. There’s no guarantee you’re going to be able to install
and run your apps on a device or make them available to other iPhone and iPod Touch
users.
As mentioned in the introduction, there are a number of areas of background knowl-
edge that will be enormously helpful to you as you work your way through this book. A
lot of the necessary information is dealt with in the appendices, but some of it will be
up to you to fill in. A good print or online reference for C and C++ syntax will come
in handy if you aren’t already familiar with these programming languages. As a refer-
ence for OpenGL functions, the official OpenGL Programming Guide (7th Edition) by
Dave Shreiner (Addison Wesley Professional, 2009)—also known as the Red Book—is
indispensable.
lot of the necessary information is dealt with in the appendices, but some of it will be
up to you to fill in. A good print or online reference for C and C++ syntax will come
in handy if you aren’t already familiar with these programming languages. As a refer-
ence for OpenGL functions, the official OpenGL Programming Guide (7th Edition) by
Dave Shreiner (Addison Wesley Professional, 2009)—also known as the Red Book—is
indispensable.
It is not strictly necessary to have an iPhone or an iPod Touch of your own in order to
learn the content of this book. Most (but not all) of the functionality described in this
book can be run on your desktop using the iPhone simulator included with the iPhone
SDK. However, some functionality, such as the accelerometer, requires the use of an actual
device, and if you plan to make your app available to others, it will be necessary to test its
performance on an actual device.
book can be run on your desktop using the iPhone simulator included with the iPhone
SDK. However, some functionality, such as the accelerometer, requires the use of an actual
device, and if you plan to make your app available to others, it will be necessary to test its
performance on an actual device.
Getting the Software
There are a number of software tools you will need to have installed on your computer
before you can proceed with this book. Some of what you will need is free and open source,
some of it is simply free of charge, and some of it you’ll have to pay for (although it won’t
break the bank). The rest of the chapter will focus on getting what you need and making
sure it’s working.
before you can proceed with this book. Some of what you will need is free and open source,
some of it is simply free of charge, and some of it you’ll have to pay for (although it won’t
break the bank). The rest of the chapter will focus on getting what you need and making
sure it’s working.
The iPhone SDK
If you’re thumbing through this book in the shelves of your local bookstore wondering
whether it’s right for you, the one thing you should know immediately is that this book
(like any book on iPhone development) is for Mac users only. The iPhone SDK 3.0 and
whether it’s right for you, the one thing you should know immediately is that this book
(like any book on iPhone development) is for Mac users only. The iPhone SDK 3.0 and
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