(un)DelphiX and Texture Splatting

[jdarling]

Has anyone managed to get Texture Splatting working in unDelphiX? I have shader code that is supposed to work, though its from a C++ project, and I'd like to try and use it in Delphi using unDelphiX. If this is not possiable, then how exactly would you aproach texture splatting inside of unDelphiX? I can't find a DirectX Direct component or anything of that nature, so how do I go about using the raw DirectX stuff?

[LP]

Texture Splatting in unDelphiX! :shock:

[czar]

DelphiX is not suitable for that technique. You are better off with a library that handles alphablending in hardware. See Aspyhre or Omega. Dan and I made some psuedo 3d landscape demos for Omega that were later converted to asphyre that used texture splatting techniques.

There is almost no reason anymore to stick to DelphiX.

[jdarling]

Except that I already know it .

Texture Splattering has nothing to do with 3D, but I would agree that a library with alphablending would be a better choice. I'll have to take a look at the ones you pointed out (actually didn't know their was anything but UnDelphiX).

And actually I have a software implementation of Splattering that works just fine, so if I can't figure the other libs out I'll just use it .

- Jeremy

[LP]

And actually I have a software implementation of Splattering that works just fine, so if I can't figure the other libs out I'll just use it .

I really doubt you'll get a decent performance in software, although if you optimize your routines well (asm + mmx), you might get a "so-so" performance. It will be much easier (and a lot faster) to do this in hardware.

[User137]

DelphiX is not suitable for that technique. You are better off with a library that handles alphablending in hardware.

And alphablending is not handled by hardware in undelphix? In fact there will be new release very soon that also gives direct access to polygons, textures and colors.

Here's something about splatting (never heard of it before myself...):
http://www.gamedev.net/reference/art...rticle2238.asp

[LP]

And alphablending is not handled by hardware in undelphix? In fact there will be new release very soon that also gives direct access to polygons, textures and colors.

No, but there's hardware accelerated version of DelphiX called (un)DelphiX.

AFAIK There is a bit of license mess in UnDelphiX series - changes were not permitted in original DelphiX license but people continued to modify it nevertheless. Use it at your own risk and legal responsibility.

[czar]

The version of undelphix that has hardware support has similar hardware requirements as Omega and Asphyre so you may as well jump up to a system that is more modern and has much better performance.

[jdarling]

Well using my software based solution (ASM/SSE2/MMX) I can easily pull 60 fps (thats where I cap due to VSync) and have plenty of processor space left over. So on 2nd thought maby I'll keep going just because so many people think it can't be done .

[LP]

Well using my software based solution (ASM/SSE2/MMX) I can easily pull 60 fps (thats where I cap due to VSync) and have plenty of processor space left over. So on 2nd thought maby I'll keep going just because so many people think it can't be done .

It can be done, if optimized correctly, but you still won't be able to beat hardware even in simple things like alpha-blending. However, doing it in software can have its own advantages: since you don't stall the pipeline of using the texture you just rendered to, you can use this to create all kinds of motion blur, gaussian blur, fractal, distortion and other effects.

P.S. Can I ask what are you using SSE/SSE2 for?