Hardware images

Hardware Images

• QB64 can create hardware images using _LOADIMAGE files or _COPYIMAGE with mode 33 as the second parameter.
• Hardware images can be displayed using _PUTIMAGE or _MAPTRIANGLE with special texture properties.
• _COPYIMAGE mode 33 can convert images created by _NEWIMAGE, _LOADIMAGE or _SCREENIMAGE to hardware images.

Demonstration of the Advantages of Using Hardware Images

_{Examples by Johny B.}

The first example uses software images while using between 20 - 30% processor power:

SCREEN _NEWIMAGE(640, 480, 32)

'create some software screens
scr_bg = _NEWIMAGE(640, 480, 32)
scr_fg = _NEWIMAGE(50, 50, 32)

'draw to the background one, and make a nice pattern
_DEST scr_bg
FOR i = 1 TO 100
    LINE (RND * 640, RND * 480)-(RND * 640, RND * 480), _RGBA32(RND * 255, RND * 255, RND * 255, RND * 255), BF
NEXT i

'then do the same thing for the foreground
_DEST scr_fg
LINE (0, 0)-(50, 50), _RGBA32(255, 255, 255, 200), BF   

'set image destination to main screen
_DEST 0
DO
    CLS
    _PUTIMAGE , scr_bg
    _PUTIMAGE (x, y), scr_fg
    k = _KEYHIT
    SELECT CASE k
        CASE ASC("w"): y = y - 1
        CASE ASC("a"): x = x - 1
        CASE ASC("s"): y = y + 1
        CASE ASC("d"): x = x + 1
    END SELECT
    _DISPLAY 'render image after changes
    _LIMIT 30 'we're doing all this at 30 cycles/second
LOOP

The second example converts the foreground and background software screens to hardware using 6-7% processor power:

SCREEN _NEWIMAGE(640, 480, 32)

'create some software screens
scr_bg = _NEWIMAGE(640, 480, 32)
scr_fg = _NEWIMAGE(50, 50, 32)

'draw to the background one, and make a nice pattern
_DEST scr_bg
FOR i = 1 TO 100
    LINE (RND * 640, RND * 480)-(RND * 640, RND * 480), _RGBA32(RND * 255, RND * 255, RND * 255, RND * 255), BF
NEXT i
'create a hardware screen version of the background
scrh_bg = _COPYIMAGE(scr_bg, 33)
_FREEIMAGE scr_bg 'we no longer need the software version in memory

'then do the same thing for the foreground
_DEST scr_fg
LINE (0, 0)-(50, 50), _RGBA32(255, 255, 255, 200), BF   
'copy to hardware screen
scrh_fg = _COPYIMAGE(scr_fg, 33)
_FREEIMAGE scr_fg 'and free software screen from memory

'set image destination to main screen
_DEST 0
_DISPLAYORDER _HARDWARE 'do not even render the software layer, just the hardware one.
DO 'main program loop
    '_putimage knows these are hardware screens, so destination of 0 is taken as hardware layer
    _PUTIMAGE , scrh_bg
    _PUTIMAGE (x, y), scrh_fg
    'just some input processing
    k = _KEYHIT
    SELECT CASE k
        CASE ASC("w"): y = y - 1
        CASE ASC("a"): x = x - 1
        CASE ASC("s"): y = y + 1
        CASE ASC("d"): x = x + 1
    END SELECT
    _DISPLAY 'render image after changes
    _LIMIT 30 'we're doing all this at 30 cycles/second
LOOP

See Also

• _LOADIMAGE, _COPYIMAGE
• _PUTIMAGE, _MAPTRIANGLE
• _DISPLAYORDER
• _FREEIMAGE