plib-users

[Plib-users] wxWindows and SSG together?

[Ben D. <be...@wa...>]

Has anyone on this list tried using wxWindows and PLIB/SSG together?  It =
seems like a good combination (open source GUI, open source 3D).

It should work well since wxWindows can set up an OpenGL context, and =
SSG just draws into the current context.  However, my attempts so far to =
combine the small wxWindows OpenGL sample program with some SSG =
functions has not been successful - the SSG objects aren't appearing.

Has someone used them successfully, and if so perhaps someone has a =
small sample program with them working together?

Thanks,
Ben

RE: [Plib-users] wxWindows and SSG together?

[Norman V. <nh...@ca...>]

Ben Discoe  writes:

  Has anyone on this list tried using wxWindows and PLIB/SSG together?  It
seems like a good combination (open source GUI, open source 3D).

  It should work well since wxWindows can set up an OpenGL context, and SSG
just draws into the current context.  However, my attempts so far to combine
the small wxWindows OpenGL sample program with some SSG functions has not
been successful - the SSG objects aren't appearing.

  Has someone used them successfully, and if so perhaps someone has a small
sample program with them working together?

  Hi Ben,

  Welcome aboard. :-)

  Using the FLTK windowing kit was fairly easy to do
  There are some minor yet show stopping gottchas however.
  i.e you have to make sure that you have a valid GLContext
  prior to any SSG calls.

  basically all you should need to do is derive a new class
  from wxGLCanvas and attach a ssgContext

  You can look at the PPE source
  http://sourceforge.net/projects/prettypoly
  To see a way to do this
  The pertinent code is in src/viewer/ppeViewer.cxx
  esp. ppeViewer::init()

  Watch out for possible confusion of
  wxGLCanvas::SetCurrent()  and
  ssgContext::makeCurrent()

  MakeCurrent() !!! MUST !!! come after SetCurrent()

  Cheers

  Norman

Re: [Plib-users] wxWindows and SSG together?

[Ben D. <be...@wa...>]

Hi Norman, it feels good to be here, i hope i can find a way to stay =
with PLIB.

I checked my test program to confirm that the contexts are being treated =
properly, yet the SSG graphics will not appear, and in fact seem to mess =
up the display of OpenGL calls even when the ssgCullAndDraw is called =
second.

Does PPE use wxWindows, FLTK, or something else?  I tried to acquire the =
PPE source to look at the module you indicated, but when i downloaded =
and opened the file "prettypoly-cvsroot.tar.gz", all the files had ",v" =
in their names and had jumbled contents, as if the were were some kind =
of CVS-internal format.

-Ben

----- Original Message -----=20
  From: Norman Vine=20
  To: pli...@li...=20
  Sent: Saturday, October 14, 2000 3:31 PM
  Subject: RE: [Plib-users] wxWindows and SSG together?


  Ben Discoe  writes:=20
    =20
    Has anyone on this list tried using wxWindows and PLIB/SSG together? =
 It seems like a good combination (open source GUI, open source 3D).=20
    =20
    It should work well since wxWindows can set up an OpenGL context, =
and SSG just draws into the current context.  However, my attempts so =
far to combine the small wxWindows OpenGL sample program with some SSG =
functions has not been successful - the SSG objects aren't appearing.
    =20
    Has someone used them successfully, and if so perhaps someone has a =
small sample program with them working together?=20
    =20
    Hi Ben,
    =20
    Welcome aboard. :-)
    =20
    Using the FLTK windowing kit was fairly easy to do
    There are some minor yet show stopping gottchas however.
    i.e you have to make sure that you have a valid GLContext
    prior to any SSG calls.
    =20
    basically all you should need to do is derive a new class
    from wxGLCanvas and attach a ssgContext
    =20
    You can look at the PPE source
    http://sourceforge.net/projects/prettypoly
    To see a way to do this
    The pertinent code is in src/viewer/ppeViewer.cxx
    esp. ppeViewer::init()
    =20
    Watch out for possible confusion of=20
    wxGLCanvas::SetCurrent()  and
    ssgContext::makeCurrent()
    =20
    MakeCurrent() !!! MUST !!! come after SetCurrent()
    =20
    Cheers
    =20
    Norman

Re: [Plib-users] wxWindows and SSG together?

[Steve B. <sjb...@ai...>]

> Ben Discoe wrote:
> 
> Has anyone on this list tried using wxWindows and PLIB/SSG together?  It seems like
> a good combination (open source GUI, open source 3D).

You'd use wxWindows *voluntarily* ?!?

I'm not aware of anyone trying this - but if you can wrestle wxWindows into doing *anything*
in the way of an OpenGL window, then SSG should work OK.

Good luck though - after my last "experiences" with wxWindows, I truly, deeply, advise you
to look at something else.  FLTK maybe?  GTK?

> It should work well since wxWindows can set up an OpenGL context, and SSG just draws
> into the current context.  However, my attempts so far to combine the small wxWindows
> OpenGL sample program with some SSG functions has not been successful - the SSG objects
> aren't appearing.

I can't imagine why not - but wxWindows is *so* strange, it may well have set up some really
wacky OpenGL modes before it draws.
 
-- 
Steve Baker   HomeEmail: <sjb...@ai...>
              WorkEmail: <sj...@li...>
              HomePage : http://web2.airmail.net/sjbaker1
              Projects : http://plib.sourceforge.net
                         http://tuxaqfh.sourceforge.net
                         http://tuxkart.sourceforge.net
                         http://prettypoly.sourceforge.net

Re: [Plib-users] wxWindows and SSG together?

[Ben D. <be...@wa...>]

I've been using wxWindows for a few months, including a large GUI for a 2d
application, and it's been fantastic.  It's a *lot* like MFC, only much
cleaner, simpler, and of course portable and open.

Also, i don't know of any alternative when developing Open software on both
Win32 and Linux.  Qt doesn't support Open software on Win32, GTK isn't quite
working yet on Win32, and to the best of my knowledge no other portable GUI
tolkits have a significant user base, interface-design utilities, etc.

That's why getting wxWindows and SSG working together is so important... and
technically, it really should work.

-Ben

----- Original Message -----
From: "Steve Baker" <sjb...@ai...>
To: <pli...@li...>
Sent: Saturday, October 14, 2000 8:38 PM
Subject: Re: [Plib-users] wxWindows and SSG together?


> > Ben Discoe wrote:
> >
> > Has anyone on this list tried using wxWindows and PLIB/SSG together?  It
seems like
> > a good combination (open source GUI, open source 3D).
>
> You'd use wxWindows *voluntarily* ?!?
>
> I'm not aware of anyone trying this - but if you can wrestle wxWindows
into doing *anything*
> in the way of an OpenGL window, then SSG should work OK.
>
> Good luck though - after my last "experiences" with wxWindows, I truly,
deeply, advise you
> to look at something else.  FLTK maybe?  GTK?
>
> > It should work well since wxWindows can set up an OpenGL context, and
SSG just draws
> > into the current context.  However, my attempts so far to combine the
small wxWindows
> > OpenGL sample program with some SSG functions has not been successful -
the SSG objects
> > aren't appearing.
>
> I can't imagine why not - but wxWindows is *so* strange, it may well have
set up some really
> wacky OpenGL modes before it draws.
>
> --
> Steve Baker

Re: [Plib-users] wxWindows and SSG together?

[Steve B. <sjb...@ai...>]

Ben Discoe wrote:
 
> I've been using wxWindows for a few months, including a large GUI for a 2d
> application, and it's been fantastic.  It's a *lot* like MFC

<shudder>

> only much cleaner, simpler, and of course portable and open.

Hmmm.  I disliked it intensely for the few months I was forced to work with
the damned thing - but that was before I knew it was a lot like MFC...   :-)

> Also, i don't know of any alternative when developing Open software on both
> Win32 and Linux.  Qt doesn't support Open software on Win32,

Is that *still* true?

The QPL license on their web site at http://doc.trolltech.com/license.html says
that the 'Qt Free Edition' is free to non-commercial software - but for commercial
use you have to get 'Qt Professional Edition' which costs $$$$.  There is no mention
(that I could find) about which OS you run it under - so it's STILL not *truly* free
(in both senses) under Linux - and it's no more and no less free under Windoze.

I thought they'd finally become truly "Open"....<sigh>

> GTK isn't quite working yet on Win32

Well, GIMP (which is the 'G' in 'GTK') seems to run pretty well under Windoze,
so I'd expect GTK to be pretty robust now...I could easily be wrong about that
though.  How recently did you check it out?

> and to the best of my knowledge no other portable GUI
> tolkits have a significant user base, interface-design utilities, etc.

FLTK is pretty good.  We've been using it for PrettyPoly (PPE) and it's GUI is
going together quite nicely.  It certainly has a significant user base, there
is 'FLUID' for interface design - and it's portable (we've been using it under
Windoze, Linux and various UNIXen).

There is also Tcl/Tk, Java...I'm sure there are LOTS of others.

> That's why getting wxWindows and SSG working together is so important... and
> technically, it really should work.

I'm not sure how important it is - but it *should* certainly work.

-- 
Steve Baker   HomeEmail: <sjb...@ai...>
              WorkEmail: <sj...@li...>
              HomePage : http://web2.airmail.net/sjbaker1
              Projects : http://plib.sourceforge.net
                         http://tuxaqfh.sourceforge.net
                         http://tuxkart.sourceforge.net
                         http://prettypoly.sourceforge.net

Re: [Plib-users] wxWindows and SSG together?

[<Va...@t-...>]

Steve Baker wrote:
> 
> The QPL license on their web site at http://doc.trolltech.com/license.html says
> that the 'Qt Free Edition' is free to non-commercial software - but for commercial
> use you have to get 'Qt Professional Edition' which costs $$$$.  There is no mention
> (that I could find) about which OS you run it under - so it's STILL not *truly* free
> (in both senses) under Linux - and it's no more and no less free under Windoze.

I understood that the Linux version of Qt is open (even licenced under
GPL). But that's just the Linux version and *not* the Windows one.

I didn't investigate it any further.

CU,
Christian

Re: [Plib-users] wxWindows and SSG together?

[Steve B. <sjb...@ai...>]

Christian Mayer wrote:
> 
> Steve Baker wrote:
> >
> > The QPL license on their web site at http://doc.trolltech.com/license.html says
> > that the 'Qt Free Edition' is free to non-commercial software - but for commercial
> > use you have to get 'Qt Professional Edition' which costs $$$$.  There is no mention
> > (that I could find) about which OS you run it under - so it's STILL not *truly* free
> > (in both senses) under Linux - and it's no more and no less free under Windoze.
> 
> I understood that the Linux version of Qt is open (even licenced under
> GPL). But that's just the Linux version and *not* the Windows one.

...I wonder if Windoze users have considered porting the GPL'ed version
of Qt onto Windoze?  If it's GPL'ed (rather than QPL'ed) then there is
nothing to stop people from using it commercially (within the constraints
of GPL-as-opposed-to-LGPL - which are considerable).

-- 
Steve Baker   HomeEmail: <sjb...@ai...>
              WorkEmail: <sj...@li...>
              HomePage : http://web2.airmail.net/sjbaker1
              Projects : http://plib.sourceforge.net
                         http://tuxaqfh.sourceforge.net
                         http://tuxkart.sourceforge.net
                         http://prettypoly.sourceforge.net

RE: [Plib-users] wxWindows and SSG together?

[Norman V. <nh...@ca...>]

>> Steve Baker wrote:

>>...I wonder if Windoze users have considered porting the GPL'ed version
>of Qt onto Windoze?  If it's GPL'ed (rather than QPL'ed) then there is
>nothing to stop people from using it commercially (within the 
>constraints
>of GPL-as-opposed-to-LGPL - which are considerable).

I have ported the free version of QT 1.42 with Cygwin if
anyone wants it.

Most QT stuff being written is all 2.0 however 
and I haven't tried to port this yet.

Norman

RE: [Plib-users] wxWindows and SSG together?

[Jon A. <jan...@on...>]

> >>...I wonder if Windoze users have considered porting the GPL'ed version
> >of Qt onto Windoze?  If it's GPL'ed (rather than QPL'ed) then there is
> >nothing to stop people from using it commercially (within the
> >constraints
> >of GPL-as-opposed-to-LGPL - which are considerable).
>
>I have ported the free version of QT 1.42 with Cygwin if
>anyone wants it.


I'd be interested in hearing the steps you used to do it.  My project uses 
QT 2.0, and I briefly tried compiling it with cygwin, but failed.  But 
windows isn't really my domain...

Jon

[Plib-users] FreeFD plib conversion

[Don L. <laf...@cn...>]

Well Steve,  I converted my project to use Plib's FNT class and I'm happy with
the results.

Speed doubled under acceleration (As you said) (PII/450 w/TNT2m64/32Meg 90 fps
vs. 44 fps)
Speed more than doubled without acceleration. (PII/366 w/C&T chipset 12 fps vs.
5 fps)

Plib beats GLF hands down.  And fonts are nice and clear without smoothing.

Now my project is back on track with both the Linux and Windoze versions.

Thanks!!

Don.
http://www.avsim.com/hangar/utils/freefd

Re: [Plib-users] wxWindows and SSG together?

[Ben D. <be...@wa...>]

> > Qt doesn't support Open software on Win32,
>
> Is that *still* true?

I'm afraid so.

> The QPL license on their web site at http://doc.trolltech.com/license.html
says
> that the 'Qt Free Edition' is free to non-commercial software - but for
commercial
> use you have to get 'Qt Professional Edition' which costs $$$$.  There is
no mention
> (that I could find) about which OS you run it under

If you dig around, you'll find that the "Qt Free Edition" is a linux
distribution.

> FLTK is pretty good.

I just took a quick look at it, and it does look reasonable for light-weight
tasks, though with a heavy Motif-flavor and of course lacking a lot of what
wxWindows has: a source-independent dialog format, common dialogs, a Mac
version, etc.

> There is also Tcl/Tk, Java...I'm sure there are LOTS of others.

Not really.  Tcl/Tk and Java aren't means for creating GUIs for standard
C/C++ programs.  There are several commercial toolkits, but Qt and wxWindows
are the only full-fledged free ones, and Qt isn't free for Win32.  That
leaves wxWindows.

-Ben