How do games like Left 4 dead and Half life 2 get made?

Question

Since I am getting into c++, but I have no idea at all at how they get those type of graphics, do they use their own c++ headers or something?

Since in c++ all I could make are simple primatives such as circles and squares, but how do I make a 3d enviorment?

Answer 1

You need special programs. Learning just the basic programming language isn't enough. You need to get the tools.

Answer 2

In general, a group of programmers will design tools used to generate a lot of the environment (for Half Life 2 and Left 4 dead, the tool is called Hammer) Although for things like HDR and parallax mapping, the code for openGL is available for free on the web.

A 3d environment is generated using a set of precompiled "brushes" (generally cube shapes, occaisonally other shapes) and use 3d models to fill in whatever space looks empty. You can get Half life 2 tools (hammer and the ability to code a mod in C++) when you buy any Source engine (half life 2, portal, etc) based game.