What is the difference here? I have settings for both when I goto properties - settings. Are they different? Which do games use? I recently baught the game Giants, under its settings it only shows Direct3d as options, so is Direct3d better to learn than OpenGL, or are they somehow part of the same thing?

Both OpenGL and Direct3D is for using the graphivs hardware. Quake3 is OpenGL only so games built with that engine often (always?) support OpenGL but in quantity is Direct3D more used in commercial games.

They are different but it seems like Microsoft is trying to make Direct3D more and more like OpenGL. I do not know if OpenGL is better to learn but it is easier and more popular among hackers.

Please, not another d3d vs. ogl thread!

Oh, well. It''s inevitable so I might as well make most of the points that will probably be made anyway.

1) this is an opengl forum so all the opinions are quite likely to be biased twoard opengl.

2) the folowing is my opinion and experience.

d3d:
plus = used more in comercial games. (microsoft may have bought them off as they seam determined to chrush ogl???)
minus = api changes with each new revision.
minus = no provision for using new features untill the next ver. adds them
minus = only works on MS Windows
minus = originated in 1996 and now on version 8 (5 years / 8 versions = 1 new version every 7.5 mo)
minus = is a pain in the but to learn.
minus = requires the constant passing of handles and context''s

ogl:
minus = not used in as many comercial games as d3d so it''s considered inferior due the the fact that the big company''s don''t use it.
plus = api remains the same even when new features are added.
plus = provides an extension mechanism for new features.
plus = works on many systems mac, pc(windows & linux) and many others
plus = origonal version released in 1992 now on third verstion (ver1.2) = 1 revision every 3 years.
plus = is capable of doing everything that d3d can do.
plus = is fairly easy to learn
plus = dosn''t require a bunch of handles, rendering is just done to the currently active context.

Unfortunately for those of us not blessed with a great or atleast decent (anything beyond Voodoo3, most TNT''s will due) card cannot use OpenGL, and becuase of it''s ease of use idiots like ION STORM are alowed to make games. Deus Ex cannot run decent on a PII600 with a GeForce 2.

But if you can use OpenGL, DirectX if you haveto.

and what so you mean by hackers? did you mean crackers?

hey, dont judge ion storm by daikatana. Deus Ex is one of the MOST enjoyable games I''ve played. n believe me, i HAVE played a lot of games. It runs smoothly on my comp athlon500+tnt2ultra.
1024x768x32

tht should take some heat off the OGLvsD3D discussion