YetAnotherGameEngineQuestion
Author
I know that a game engine basically loads stuff from disk and passes it to some api like OpenGL to render a scene. But what i really want to know is how much work does the engine do and what is left to the api. Take the case of rendering a scene. If an api like OpenGL has all the functions to do the actual rendering then what part does the engine code play? The way i see it, the engine is just good enough to load stuff and feed it to the api. Then why call it engine ? wouldn''t "Loader" or "Feeder" be good enough ? Please clear this whole Engine deal for me.
OpenGL is a graphics API, not a scene management API. All it can do, basically, is draw triangles where you tell it to draw triangles. Also, keep in mind that a game is more than graphics; there''s sound, input, networking, etc. to consider.
From your post, it''s clear that you''re not really familiar with OpenGL. I suggest you take some time to learn its capabilities; that will probably best answer your questions.
How appropriate. You fight like a cow.
From your post, it''s clear that you''re not really familiar with OpenGL. I suggest you take some time to learn its capabilities; that will probably best answer your questions.
How appropriate. You fight like a cow.
OpenGL has no idea what a rocket is. Or a bullet. Or an armored marine. Or even a vicious, vermicious knid. The engine stands as a layer between OpenGL, which can in the end draw the polygons and fragments of said knid, and the user. The engine knows what a knid is (or at least understands the underlying attributes of a knid; the actual knid might be implemented in game content which is operated upon by the engine). Tell OpenGL to draw your knid, and it will laugh derisively at you. Tell your engine to draw a knid, and it will patiently hold OpenGL''s hand and guide it through the process, minus the mocking laughter.
There is a great deal more going on in a true engine than just loading a bunch of data and dumping it to OpenGL.
Note that there are a lot of projects out there that would pass themselves off as engines, when in truth they should much rather be called tech demos or some such. They, in truth, merely load data and feed it to OpenGL. I rather like your "Feeder" terminology in describing these.
Josh
vertexnormal AT email DOT com
Check out Golem at:
My cheapass website
There is a great deal more going on in a true engine than just loading a bunch of data and dumping it to OpenGL.
Note that there are a lot of projects out there that would pass themselves off as engines, when in truth they should much rather be called tech demos or some such. They, in truth, merely load data and feed it to OpenGL. I rather like your "Feeder" terminology in describing these.
Josh
vertexnormal AT email DOT com
Check out Golem at:
My cheapass website
quote:Original post by VertexNormal
Or even a vicious, vermicious knid.
I believe you''re forgetting the ARB_VERMICIOUS_KNID extension that''s going into OGL 1.5.
How appropriate. You fight like a cow.
a graphics engine takes on the role of data management (textures / models / meshes / levels) and the system of choosing what to render to the scene (BSP / Portal / ROAM / etc). While it doesn''t seem much, it is a large part of the game programming
quote:Original post by Sneftelquote:Original post by VertexNormal
Or even a vicious, vermicious knid.
I believe you''re forgetting the ARB_VERMICIOUS_KNID extension that''s going into OGL 1.5.
<hr>How appropriate. You fight like a cow.
Don''t forget to check for the extension and load it!
Otherwise the knid might eat your code!
-Jeff
quote:Original post by VertexNormal
OpenGL has no idea what a rocket is. Or a bullet. Or an armored marine. Or even a vicious, vermicious knid. The engine stands as a layer between OpenGL, which can in the end draw the polygons and fragments of said knid, and the user. The engine knows what a knid is (or at least understands the underlying attributes of a knid; the actual knid might be implemented in game content which is operated upon by the engine). Tell OpenGL to draw your knid, and it will laugh derisively at you. Tell your engine to draw a knid, and it will patiently hold OpenGL''s hand and guide it through the process, minus the mocking laughter.
Ah, but IIRC vermicious knids can change shape (that''s how they did the letters in the elevators, remember), so they could just turn into triangles and then OpenGL would know how to render them... no engine required
Superpig
- saving pigs from untimely fates, and when he''s not doing that, runs The Binary Refinery.
Enginuity1 | Enginuity2 | Enginuity3 | Enginuity4
quote:Original post by superpig
Ah, but IIRC vermicious knids can change shape (that''s how they did the letters in the elevators, remember), so they could just turn into triangles and then OpenGL would know how to render them... no engine required
Yes, you must be wary of those rotten knids. Change into triangles, they may, but trust them, I do not. They might decide instead to change into a trojan. Then, of course, you are left with the question of what to do about the awful Wangdoodles, and the Snozzwangers, and even the Hornswogglers, if you are so inclined to include them.
Josh
vertexnormal AT email DOT com
Check out Golem at:
My cheapass website
This topic is closed to new replies.
Advertisement
Popular Topics
Advertisement
