A Retarded Idea...

How come Mark doesnt just compile the B3D source code into BlitzMax so we can use it as a module?

Because BlitzMax is platform independent and also needs to work on a Mac & Linux?

Yeah I know that, but Windows is most probably the larger uberbase, and it would give people something to do while waiting... and plus, nearly everyone has Windows™

uberbase? what's it?

Max3D...don't know anything currently, only "in development"

Basically it means a very large user base of something. Not a proper word though. I didnt mean Max3D. I meant compiling Blitz3D C source under Blitzmax so you can use the Blitz3D engine as a module.

You know what? I think if that was possible, it would have been done- :)

Although with all the commands, it probrably isnt as simple as it sounds.

Not simple for us, but for Mark I bet its a piece of cake :P

No, no, this sucker's electrical. We'd need a nuclear reaction to generate the 1.21 jigowatts of electricity necessary to compile B3D source into BMax.

It would probably do more harm than good in the long run. Aside from the significant amount of work involved (BMax's core is entirely different than the B3D framework), he would still have to develop a Mac/Linux version to maintain the cross-platform deal which is one of the big selling points.

It would set back the release date of the cross-platform stuff significantly, it would lead to TWO 'official' modules, a lot more long-term support headaches for BRL, etc.

I would be very surprised if they would even seriously consider this.

I guess there isn't really any reason to do it then, because making it cross platform would mean B3D would have to be ported to OpenGL which basically means a complete rewrite, in which case it would run on less hardware, and be able to do more advanced stuff than DX7 which basically defies the point of having the Max3D engine. What a pickle...

HAHAHAHAAHAH ROTFLMAO!!!!

since it was written primarily in C++ (I think) it is feasible but I cannot pundit on weather that is what is actually happening OR if there is some NEW content there. I suspect there is NEW content there to allow for greater DX versions. I also suppose the problem lies with agreement between MAC and LINUX OGL and DX modules...

what would make more sense would be to release an SDK for Blitz3D, so we could interface to the Blitz3D api via BlitzMax or c++...

--Mike

Uh, that's Gigawatts. Doc just doesn't pronounce it correctly (or at least not the 'normal' way). Have you ever heard anyone refer to their harddrive as a 80 jigobyte drive?

What would make even more sense would to be shut up, keep quiet and wait patiently. Hahaha, likes that's ever gonna happen. :)

Besides, then Mark would have to put up with people winging about B3d's lack of DX9 support for even longer than he already will!

Well it's pretty much guaranteed fact that B3D will never go DX9.

Time and effort will go into BMax3D instead,

What ENAY said.

The trouble is that Mark did, at one time (I believe), state that Blitz3D would support DX9. Bet he regrets saying that. :P

even if it didn't support dx9, who would care... direct access to the exisiting Blitz3D api would serve as 1- an interim solution to those who want to code in c++ or blitzmax 2- immediately broaden the potential audience...

of course this would be only available to those who've licensed Blitz3D...

--Mike

I'm well aware of that, WolRon. "Jiggawatts" would probably be closer to how Doc (mis)pronounces the word.

Oh, hey, and back on topic:

Can we get at DirectX API calls from BlitzMax? If so, the community should be able to write their own Direct3D module based off the design of Blitz3D's API. Would this be possible?

Stupid question time: How is access to the Blitz3D 'API' from a language like C++, be better than just using Blitz3D?

Because you have TEH POWAR!

not such a stupid a question 'Duck... just a lil shortsighted... if anything...

my answer is, it would give us the ability to code with an OOP language... that would be the first, best reason i can think of...

--Mike

funny: mega sounds cool, giga sounds cool, tera sounds coolish, peta sounds gay, exa sounds hmm, zetta sounds like a women on the coucil of blah in Buck Rogers, and yotta sounds like some kind of hippy health drink.

For once, Red Ocktober is right.

..well, i think its raining here...huhh..

> Stupid question time

To quote Mr Garrison from South Park:-

"Stanley there are never stupid questions, just stupid people"

:)

While I can certainly appreciate that, wouldn't it require that the Blitz3D SDK is OO (which I doubt it is, since Blitz3D isn't). In order to use the Blitz3D API in an OO language, you would probably have to write wrapper classes for everything, somewhat defeating the purpose of it in the first place, no?

you would simply wrap straight Blitz3D function calls inside class definitions... (like what you alluded to above)


i don't follow you... you still get to encapsulate each classes functionality within the class definition... you still get to inherit from base classes... you still get all the good stuff that makes OOP worthwhile...

... how is this defeating the purpose... i don't follow you on this 'Duck.


--Mike