2d non language specific optimization question

Hi,

I've managed to get dirty rects going in my software engine but I would like to create a system which optimises a linked list of rectangles so that there are as few rects as possible, and that they are as small as possible.

Does anyone have any source I can look at to achieve this on a list of already available rectangles? A kind of optimization pass.

This isn't an easy subject and my efforts have been fruitless.

Do you have a copy of the source code Reflexive used in their titles? From memory they had some pretty neat optimisation functions.

How are you optimising now? are you merging rects that overlap? Have you also considered Blitpooling? (http://members2.jcom.home.ne.jp/shirowmiura/BlitPool/index_en.html)

Tim.

My own boolean method of finding overlapping rects could be of great help!. Check the code arc's.

Currently I have no optimisations in place, because my own failed miserably. I will check out your suggestions - thanks :)

Tim, don't know about the reflexive stuff? Where can I find it?

Shag: do you mean rect collisions?

Nah this one!. :)

http://forums.indiegamer.com/showthread.php?t=2504&highlight=dirty+rects

Very interesting. Porting that is going to take up a weekend for me (I'm not technically a good coder). Going to try the james c smith technique.

My game is at an unacceptable 12fps on my min spec... need it to be 30 :)