BassBox

[Petr Schreiber]

Hi Patrice,

thanks a lot. One idea - I think the FPS counter should be visible only when bassbox is launched with "-diagnostics" parameter or something, it looks too much "debug" stuff to me as "user"


Petr

[Patrice Terrier]

Petr,

FPS counter should be visible only ...

Easy to solve, just REM this code out:

Code:

'    hCtrl = zStaticLabelEx(hMain, "", 736, 23, 45, 15, %ID_FPS, SK_INACTIVECAPTION(), %BS_LABEL_LEFT, 1)
'    CALL zSetAnchorMode(hCtrl, %ANCHOR_RIGHT)
'    CALL zSetZorder(hCtrl, %HWND_TOP)

By the way i would be glad to try some of your 3D's work, do you have some demo written in PB?

...
(that i could also post, under the form of screen shots, in the "Written in powerBASIC" section)

[Petr Schreiber]

Hi Patrice,

I know I know

By the way i would be glad to try some of your 3D's work, do you have some demo written in PB?

[OT]
Here comes kind of paradox part - I write TBGL DLL completely in PowerBASIC for Windows/8.04, but I use functions from this module in ThinBasic. I have tons of TB demos using PB powered module ... So I am not sure if that counts, probably not?

My last big application-type 3D project in PB is: ThinEdge.
3D editor ... but it has not been updated for ages ( year or so ), so I am not sure if it would not do kind of "negative advertisement" for PB. I use the WIP version almost daily, but it really does not meet requirements for "proffesional" app yet ( especially the help file is brief ).

I am rewriting ThinEdge ( hearing to your timer suggestions too), once it will be out I will publish link and images here. It will be 100% PB project again.

Second big project was ClassEd, created by order of customer, to suit his needs. So single copy business. You can see screen here:
ClassEd visualization.

I have lot of smaller games done in PB, but their code is not perfect, as I was learning OpenGL on them, nor the games are in finished state ... all just concept demos, sometimes not even that.

Time time time ... that's what I need desperately
[/OT]


Petr

[Emil Weiss]

Patrice

good work as always..

greets Emil

[Patrice Terrier]

Petr, Emil,

Thank you.
The next feature i would like to add to BassBox, is to simulate composited mode.

[Petr Schreiber]

Patrice,

I found one problem with the way BassBox plugins create textures.
Problem is on line:

CALL glTexImage2D(%GL_TEXTURE_2D, 0, 4, xSize, ySize, 0, %GL_RGBA, %GL_UNSIGNED_BYTE, PixelArray(0))

... that 4. While it is according to specs, it is recommended to use %GL_RGBA8 instead. It has basically the same meaning, but the equate has different value and should prevent some issues with ATi ( and possibly other ) drivers.

So it should be like this in the end:

CALL glTexImage2D(%GL_TEXTURE_2D, 0, %GL_RGBA8, xSize, ySize, 0, %GL_RGBA, %GL_UNSIGNED_BYTE, PixelArray(0))

Hope it will help prevent some issues.


Petr

[Charles Pegge]

Petr, that's good to know - I'll make sure that is fed through to my future Opengls.

Patrice, I am out of the BassBox orbit for the time being but I hope to catch up with developments in due course - Many thanks for your sustained work on this project.

[Patrice Terrier]

Petr,

I for myself, NVIDIA user, made the choice of 4 because in my GDImage i am using RGBA exclusively to create composited graphic (with variable opacity).
(see the GDImage "illusion" demo)

Howevr it seems that there are some divergent opinions about that:
http://berkelium.com/OpenGL/GDC99/internalformat.html

http://www.flipcode.com/archives/Cool_It_Works-Issue_05_32-Bit_GL_Textures_Log_Files.shtml

I shall make a test with %GL_RGBA8 to see if it could work on VISTA in composited mode.


Charles,

Thank you again for your different ASM contributions.

[Petr Schreiber]

Hi Patrice,

GL_RGBA8 should mean R-8bits, G-8bits, B-8bits, A-8bits.
The documents you linked are interesting, and I think they do not go against what I suggested.

The point is, when using GL_RGBA8, you are suggesting to preserve full quality. With GL_RGBA without bits specified I have noticed on some cards the driver would convert bitmaps to 16bit color, which might be faster, but makes your eyes sad when looking what impact it did have on visual quality in blending. This fact is also mentioned in second link you posted.


Petr

[Patrice Terrier]

%GL_RGBA8 works well also with VISTA, so we can use it as well.

Thank you

[Emil Weiss]

Windows Vista and OpenGL-the Facts ..

http://www.opengl.org/pipeline/article/vol003_9/

greets Emil

[Patrice Terrier]

Emil

I know this article, and i would say that it is not accurate.

BassBox has been highly optimized to work on VISTA, and indeed it runs faster on it than on XP even in full AERO mode.
However it tooks me many weeks until i was able to master the DWM composited mode, and it is almost impossible to develop for VISTA without using yourself a computer running it.

On my computer I can run BassBox, MovieBox (playing HD movie), and PhotoSetup (running in full crystal clear mode) at full speed while i am able to move anything without filcker and without lag...
Something i am unable to do on XP.

VISTA, once you know how to use it, is realy great for intensive graphic application. However the main issue is the lack of reliable informations as soon as you are not using WPF nor managed code.
Being a SDK programmer I had to find everything by myself, but fortunatly DWM is also written in plain SDK procedural mode for the purpose of speed and optimization.

Last thing, if you want to create graphic application that will work with VISTA in DWM composited mode, then move on to GDIPLUS, or switch to GDImage
   

[Emil Weiss]

Patrice

Last thing, if you want to create graphic application that will work with VISTA in DWM composited mode, then move on to GDIPLUS, or switch to GDImage

i think speed not a problem from BassVis
when use a Picbox in Application for OpenGL think this make the renderring slow

also make a simple sample in PowerBasic for BassVis
BassBox with BassVis think you have a full speed on Vista.

greets Emil

[Patrice Terrier]

I don't know what a picbox is, nor what it does behind the hood.

About BassVis:
If you want it to work on VISTA, you have to disable the composited mode and work in XP mode compatibility.
Then you got the same speed than on XP.

...

[Emil Weiss]

I don't know what a picbox is, nor what it does behind the hood.

PictureBox is a Container (Control) from any Language C/VB or other.

greets Emil