Which graphics engine to use?

[Useless Hacker]

Until recently, I was working in a GUI system for a game, using DelphiX. I then decided to use DirectX 8, and was thinking of using PowerDraw. However, since then, I have downloaded Bobby's Omega Components, and have been wondering about using them instead. PowerDraw has been around for some time, whereas Omega is still in Beta, but which would be better? Or what about GLXtreem?

[Bobby]

Im biased on this obviously, but Omega is coming along very nicely, we use DirectX8.1 and as soon as directX9 comes out, we will be switching to that. We have a full set of components now, we have our Input component almost done, (mouse and keyboard done, working on joystick) and we have our own timer now. So in the next release you wont have to use DelphiX at all. Also the advantage to using our components would be that we can help you because we are active in both this forum, and the forum on our site for tech support with omega. So if you had a question we would answer it that day most likely . Plus we are cool people hehe

Let me know if you have any specific questions on features that we have or dont have and ill let ya know. Thanks.

[TheLion]

I always use DelphiX... I never used any of the other DirectX component-sets so I can't say that I prefer DelphiX, I have just always used it and it still works for me for 2D games...

I must admit though that I have always only used the DXDraw component and the sound components, because some of the other components contained some bugs that might give you a headache, so if you would like to use all of the components I would disadvice using DelphiX another problem of DelphiX is that it hasn't been updated after the release of DirectX 7 and therefor it doesn't support 8 and will probably never support 9 either!

[cairnswm]

As indicated in the DelphiX forum I'm using the DXGui components to create my UI.

I have noticed a problem with the Z-Order not working consistently but that the only problem I've come accross so far.

[Andreaz]

About GLX, its many times faster in 2D than delphix, DrawAdd for an example, but it lacks the input and sound components as it's built around OpenGL. If you decide on GLX, i'll help you with any problems, anything to get the components 100% working =)

[Useless Hacker]

Aw, ain't you lovely people.

Well I've started using Omega, though I might possibly develop another version in GLXtreem. Watch this space...

[Useless Hacker]

I made a couple of simple applications in GLXtreem and in Omega. They basically drew a 256x256 image 100 times at random positions on a 640x480x32bit window, and print the FPS. With the Omega version I got ~80FPS and with the GLXtreem only ~40FPS. Unless GLXtreem speeds up I guess I shall have to go with Omega.

[Andreaz]

I made a couple of simple applications in GLXtreem and in Omega. They basically drew a 256x256 image 100 times at random positions on a 640x480x32bit window, and print the FPS. With the Omega version I got ~80FPS and with the GLXtreem only ~40FPS. Unless GLXtreem speeds up I guess I shall have to go with Omega.

The reason for this is that GLX uses Quads in OrthoMode when drawing 2D images, omega, i guess uses BitBlt. This means, that the images in glx wery easilly can be blended with the rest of the scene, remember that glx is a 3D libary with 2D support.

In 3D rendering there'll be a diference in the results.

The GLXImageList.Items.Draw is not an very fast method, it binds the texture every time it's called, if drawing the same texture many times its better to use GLXDraw.Begin2D, GLXImageList.Items.Bind and GLXDraw.Primitives.Rectangle.

[Useless Hacker]

What does bind mean/do?

[Andreaz]

It tells opengl witch texture to use...