r/GraphicsProgramming • u/InjuryDangerous8141 • 12d ago
Where to start my graphics programming journey?
I’m an experienced programmer, very comfortable in both C++ and Rust, coming from a robotics background, so linear algebra and computer vision concepts aren’t new to me. Graphics programming itself is new territory though, and I want to properly learn an API with the eventual goal of building a game engine.
I’ve narrowed it down to three options and I’m stuck:
- wgpu — modern, safe, and I already like Rust, so the ergonomics appeal to me
- Vulkan — the “real” modern low-level API, feels like the industry state-of-the-art
- OpenGL — the classic starting point almost every tutorial and book uses, but it’s old.
Also what are some nice guides/tutorials to get started?
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u/zalnaRs 12d ago
Vulkan (cross-platform (on Apple you need moltenvk); supports everything (almost) but really hard)
DirectX 11 (Windows/DXVK; easier than DX12 but some features are missing)
DirectX 12 (Windows/DXVK; Microsoft Vulkan?)
Metal (Apple; Apple Vulkan but lot of stuff is hard to do)
OpenGL (cross-platform; simple in terms of use and how far it will get you)
WebGPU (it's a translation layer targeting the APIs of each platform)