Panda3D Manual: Tutorials
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This section of the manual includes some basic tutorials that will teach you the fundamentals of using the Panda3D library. ## Learning Python Since most of these tutorials require you to use the Python scripting language, it would be a good idea to familiarize yourself with Python before continuing. Python is an interpreted, interactive, object-oriented language comparable to Java or Perl. It is available on several platforms, including UNIX, Windows, OS/2, and Mac. Python also has a large number of modules outside of the standard Python installation, and additional modules can be created in C or C++. Because it is late-binding and requires minimal memory management, it is an ideal language for rapid prototyping. The Copy of Python that comes with Panda It is not necessary to install python, because the windows installer for Panda3D includes a copy. This is a completely normal copy of python, identical to what you would have if you installed python using the standard python installer. Panda's built-in copy of python is automatically added to the PATH environment variable. This enables you to type "python" at the command prompt, and it will run the python that comes with panda. What if I already have a copy of Python? If you already have a copy of python, and you wish to use that instead of the one provided with panda, it is easy to do so. Simply create a "panda.pth" file inside your copy of python, containing the path of the panda directory. This will enable your copy of python to find the panda libraries. For this to work, the version of python that you use must match the version of python included with panda. The panda libraries are compiled for that particular version, and will not work with any other. Of course, if you do use your own copy of python, you may wish to delete panda's copy of python, or at least, remove it from the PATH environment variable. Otherwise, you will have two copies of python, which can lead to confusion. Python Programming Resources There are a lot of other resources available for programming in Python. Here is a list of some of the best: Links from the official python website: Official Website - http://www.python.org Current Python Documentation Python Documentation This is the version still being used in Panda3D. Python Tutorial. Written by Guido Van Rossum, the author of Python. Here are some other good links for learning python: Programming in Python Byte of Python Python for Non-Programmers Dive Into Python Python 101 Miscellaneous python documentation Python Examples and Sample Code The Standard Python Library Python Book List ## Learning C++ It is possible to write Panda3D programs using C++. However, since most of the documentation uses Python, it may be better to learn Panda3D using python first, and then switch to C++ later. If you do switch, the function calls are the same. C++ is an object-oriented high-level multi-purpose language. It is actually a copy of the C programming language, but object-oriented, with more functions. Here are a few links to C++ tutorials that might be useful for you: http://www.cplusplus.com/doc/tutorial/ http://www.intap.net/~drw/cpp/ The most recommended compiler is the GNU G++ compiler. For information about compiling your program with the G++ compiler, see this page.
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