This is probably directed at The Trick more than anyone else, but I'm certainly willing to listen/read any ideas.

I'm going to take some time to get some vector graphics going. I've got all the vectors, and they're all 3D vectors, basically just two X,Y,Z end-points. There will also be a need to draw some spheres with an X,Y,Z centroid and an r radius. I suppose the vectors will also have a "thickness".

Now, when doing vector graphics, I always think of a Camera Position. With respect to the camera, some people talk about Pan and Zoom. Pan is correct, but Zoom is not. It's my understanding that Zoom changes the magnification (which can distort things). Rather, I think a forward/backward Pan may be a better way to discuss it.

Therefore, eventually, I will need to understand how to Left-Pan, Right-Pan, Up-Pan, Down-Pan, In-Pan, & Out-Pan. Also, I will need to understand how to rotate the camera. With respect to zoom, I'll always be staying at 100% (i.e., no distortion).


Ok, to start with, let's forget about the camera. I'll just need to understand how to draw lines (i.e., 3D vectors) and spheres (i.e., 3D points in space). Setting the color of the background would also be very nice.

Trick, I've looked at your examples, but they just get too complex too quickly for what I'm trying to do. Also, I've done ALL of this in DirectX8, but it's been a few years since I messed with it. And DX9 appears quite a bit different from DX8.

Trick, if you could set up a down-and-dirty example on how to draw lines and spheres, I would be exceedingly grateful. Or, if anyone else has done it using his dx9vb.tlb TypeLib, I'd love to see it.

All The Best,
Elroy

EDIT1: Maybe I should call them line-segments rather than vectors. It's really two vectors, and I'll be drawing a line between the two end-points.