Expanding TGB's graphical rendering options...
by Dennis Harrington · in Torque Game Builder · 06/13/2007 (7:22 pm) · 5 replies
Is there a way to do it?
I imagine the answer is yes but I suppose the next question would be what would I need to learn in order to accomplish it and is it even realistic within TGB's framework? I've been seeing a lot of posts lately asking about adding pixel level manipulation, bitmap manipulation, mip mapping, etc. These are all things I've wanted to do at one time or another, but quite honestly, lack the knowledge to accomplish. I've had to resort to using particle effects in the strangest ways to accomplish my visual goals... haven't we all! ;)
Can anyone recommend a good book to learn how DirectX/OpenGL works as it could possibly relate to TGB? I don't even fully understand where the distinction between DirectX and OpenGL occurs within TGB. Does TGB just use one or the other depending on whether the game is running on a Mac or PC or is it more complicated than that?
I realize that this is a large subject but I'd be appreciative if someone could at least point me towards a resource/book that will get me started in the right direction learning about it. I feel like I'm ready to take my understanding of rendering techniques to the next level but I just don't know where to start.
Thanks in advance!
Dennis
I imagine the answer is yes but I suppose the next question would be what would I need to learn in order to accomplish it and is it even realistic within TGB's framework? I've been seeing a lot of posts lately asking about adding pixel level manipulation, bitmap manipulation, mip mapping, etc. These are all things I've wanted to do at one time or another, but quite honestly, lack the knowledge to accomplish. I've had to resort to using particle effects in the strangest ways to accomplish my visual goals... haven't we all! ;)
Can anyone recommend a good book to learn how DirectX/OpenGL works as it could possibly relate to TGB? I don't even fully understand where the distinction between DirectX and OpenGL occurs within TGB. Does TGB just use one or the other depending on whether the game is running on a Mac or PC or is it more complicated than that?
I realize that this is a large subject but I'd be appreciative if someone could at least point me towards a resource/book that will get me started in the right direction learning about it. I feel like I'm ready to take my understanding of rendering techniques to the next level but I just don't know where to start.
Thanks in advance!
Dennis
#2
06/14/2007 (11:58 am)
Thanks for the link, it looks like a great place to start. I'll check it out!
#3
Any help figuring this out or clearing this up would be greatly appreciated.
06/15/2007 (12:57 pm)
Sorry to hijack this thread a bit, but nobody has answered my post in this forum on whether or not I can enable trilinear filtering on images as well as use user-generated (as opposed to autogenerated) mip maps.Any help figuring this out or clearing this up would be greatly appreciated.
#4
06/15/2007 (3:03 pm)
Both would require source code changes as far as I am aware.
#5
06/18/2007 (12:04 pm)
Ok, cool. Thanks for the info! :)
Torque 3D Owner Marc 'Dreamora' Schaerer
Gayasoft
It has as well anti aliasing if you enable the smooth in the settings of the image.
For start learning OpenGL (DX is too slow you would have to rewrite the rendering part of TGB. Currently the main rendering is OpenGL, DX is done through a callback like structure that results in a seriously lower performance of 50%++ slower), I would suggest starting at nehe.gamedev.net
Although, bitmap and pixel manipulation are a little critical, OpenGL has no RAM replications of the image so you must rebuild them as textures every time you modify them.
My plan for later is to take some of the ideas of TGE modernization kit and make a TGB modernization kit out of them somewhen. Main features of that that I would like to port over are the RenderTarget (-> Render to texture) support as well as the GLSL and Material part of it and the manager behind that.
The rest of the fixes, optimizations etc are TGE specific and not needed for TGB