Quote Originally Posted by Delfi
I don't think you guys realise how complex it becomes to implement image atlas in a particle system that advanced as the one i have (think different pixel formats and sprite resolutions and include the per-gpu image size limit), and pretty soon managing all that becomes harder and the speed increase ends up being neglectible.

Do not say that the design is wrong, i was just pointing out that sometimes the VBOs don't go well with a existing system that was made to be something more than just sparks.
Well, everything is a design question, i've implemented texture patterns for the particle system in Phoenix, i made the design choise to keep it simple, only allowing for a rectangular particle grid of 2x2 4x4 or 8x8.

See the source:
http://phoenixlib.net/files/phxParticles.pas
http://phoenixlib.net/files/phxParticleAffectors.pas

What was the problem with the different pixel formats? That really shouldnt matter if you're using OGL or D3D

And jdarling, yeah better MAC support would rock, i have no access to a mac or a linux distro through ;p