setting IVertexController

[raft]

is it expensive to set an IVertexController ?

say i have two IVertexController's to operate on same mesh, does it make sense to set each one again each frame ? if they create an array of vectors and copy mesh vertices into it each time they are set, this is definetely expensive and shouldnt be done

[EgonOlsen]

The GenericVertexController makes a copy of the mesh's data each time you set it and removes it each time you remove it...so yes, this is rather expensive. If it wouldn't work this way, the old controller wouldn't know which changes any other controller made to the mesh in the meantime. Do you absolutely have to do it this way? In that case, we might have to look for another solution...

[raft]

Do you absolutely have to do it this way? In that case, we might have to look for another solution...

not really. i'm looking for alternatives

what other options do i have ?
* use single vertex controller and do both jobs there
* implement by own vertex controllers without extending GenericVertexController
* ?

[EgonOlsen]

Maybe doing it all in one controller is the best way.

The problem with implementing your own is, that you don't have access to the package public stuff in Object3D that you would need to update the actual mesh. So either i would have to expose these structures directly (not nice) or via a kind of DirectVertexController that skips the SimpleVector-part and works on the array data of the mesh. This will give you better performance in addition but is more awkward to handle.

[raft]

ok, no need for such complexity. i can live with this

this may seem hacking or abusing but, am i safe if i modify destination vertices outside of vertex controller ?
i use "preserve source mesh" mode, so source mesh remains the same all the time. seems as dest also remains same as i left last time. so if i modify dest somewhere else then call mesh.applyVertexController() to notify jPCT mesh has changed, will it be ok ?

btw, in "preserve source mesh" mode, source vertices arent copied again and again i suppose ?

[EgonOlsen]

You don't have to do it in apply(), if that's what you mean. You might even try to add it, remove it and use it as a hook into the Object3D later without being attached to the mesh anymore. The destroy() of the GenericVertexController doesn't dispose any of the data structures, so if you call update() yourself, this should actually work too. It's rather hacky though...

Preserve source mesh creates one copy at initialization time.

[raft]

i will possibly use a single vertex controller, so i dont need to remove it.

what i'm trying to do is to preserve analogy with skeletal part. there i have a skeleton pose as animation target which can be reached and modified anywhere. but that's not the case for mesh vertices.

so in this case -if i dont remove controller- calling update() or mesh.applyVertexController() will result the same ?

[EgonOlsen]

As long as you are doing the apply()-part yourself somewhere else, then yes.

[raft]

should this hack work on AE edition too ?

[EgonOlsen]

Yes. Nothing has changed in that part except for some performance optimizations for Android.

[raft]

i still couldn't make this run on android

can u please have a look at this test case. it contains a simple animated object, a desktop app and an android activity. in desktop app object is animated but in android one it's not, it's the same code

thanks

[EgonOlsen]

You have to call Object3D.touch() on objects, whose meshes are using a vertex controller in AE each time you apply the controller. This is mentioned in the documentation for touch(), but not for the controller or the apply-method...i think i should add that...

In addition, AE decides what kind of object an Object3D is when calling build(). If it should be modifiable at runtime, you have to have an animation or a vertex controller attached. Or otherwise, it will compile the mesh to static.

[raft]

thanks it's ok now

i suppose the transfer is done at render stage ? so calling touch unnecessarily (many times or in software renderer) wont cost anything ?

[EgonOlsen]

Yes, the magic happens at render stage. The method itself just sets a flag.

[raft]

You have to call Object3D.touch() on objects, whose meshes are using a vertex controller in AE each time you apply the controller.

what if several objects share the same mesh and animation ? is touch necessary on all of them ? can we avoid transfering of vertex data for other (non-master) objects ?