3D Software Renderer with VB6

Question

I am IT student and I have to make a project in VB6, I was thinking to make a 3D Software Renderer but I don't really know where to start, I found a few tutorials but I want something that goes in depth with the maths and algorithms, I will like something that shows how to make 3D transformations, Camera, lights, shading ...

It does not matter the programing language used, I just need some resources that shows me exactly how to make this.

So I just want to know where to find some resources, or you can show me some source code and tell me where to start from.

Or if any of you have a better idea for a VB6 project.

Thanks.

Answer 1

I disagree with the previous posts, a 3D renderer is actually pretty simple. A high-quality 3D renderer is hard however.

1. Get a bunch of 3D data, triangles are simplest.
2. Learn about homogenous coordinates and the great 4x4 matrix for transforms.
3. Define a camera by a position and a rotation (expressed in the 4x4 matrix).
4. Transform your 3D geometry by this camera.
5. Perform the perspective divide and scale to your window. This converts your 3D data to 2D.
6. Render the data as 2D.

Now you're going to lose out on a depth buffer, so stick to wireframes in the beginning. :-)

Don't listen to these nay-sayers, go out and have some fun!