Direct Draw

[!shira!]

I am coding a game in direct draw.
Since 8 bit color is pretty cruddy (for games) I wish to use 32 bit (24 is not an option since it doesn't work for me)

how do you set up a palette for 32 bit color
(all the tutorials use 8 bit, no higher



note: I am using C++

[!shira!]

please anyone

[!shira!]

There has got to be one of the 22000 members who programs direct draw in C++ with more than 265 color


PLEASE HELP ME (within a couple days would work)

[DarkAvenger]

Did you check out the link I posted in my thread, Ironblayde's tutorials? They're quite good and deal with 16-bit towards the middle and end (I assume 16-bit is OK too because you said you didn't want 8-bit).

What specifically do you want, BTW? There are no palettes in 32-bit (AFAIK), so I don't know what exactly you're looking for when you say 'setting up a palette'.

[!shira!]

all the examples of DDraw are in 8 bit color (which does need a palatte)
now that I want to code in 32 I don't know what to do
do I even need to attach a palette to the surfaces for just go for it and start the blting

[DarkAvenger]

Nope, no palettes or anything, just create the surfaces and blit.

[!shira!]

Originally posted by DarkAvenger
Nope, no palettes or anything, just create the surfaces and blit.

YAY thank you

man that makes my job SOOOO much easier

thanks for you help

if you have you code posted somewhere (the 16 bit color stuff) I would like to see it, I am still relativly new with C++/DDraw

[DarkAvenger]

Well, this is basically what I do in normal circumstances for loading 16-bit bitmaps, it's the same as in the tutorials I linked to.

int LoadBitmapFile(LPDIRECTDRAWSURFACE7   
lpdds, int xDest, int yDest)
{
    HDC hSrcDC;           // source DC - memory device context
    HDC hDestDC;          // destination DC - surface device context
    HBITMAP hbitmap;      // handle to the bitmap resource
    BITMAP bmp;           // structure for bitmap info
    int nHeight, nWidth;  // bitmap dimensions

    // first load the bitmap
    if ((hbitmap = (HBITMAP)LoadImage(hinstance,"C:\pic.bmp",
IMAGE_BITMAP,
0, 0, LR_LOADFROMFILE|LR_CREATEDIBSECTION)) 
== NULL)        

return(FALSE);

    // create a DC for the bitmap to use
    if ((hSrcDC = CreateCompatibleDC(NULL)) == NULL)
        return(FALSE);

    // select the bitmap into the DC
    if (SelectObject(hSrcDC, hbitmap) == NULL)
    {
        DeleteDC(hSrcDC);
        return(FALSE);
    }

    // get image dimensions
    if (GetObject(hbitmap, sizeof(BITMAP), &bmp) == 0)
    {
        DeleteDC(hSrcDC);
        return(FALSE);
    }

    nWidth = bmp.bmWidth;
    nHeight = bmp.bmHeight;

    // retrieve surface DC
    if (FAILED(lpdds->GetDC(&hDestDC)))
    {
        DeleteDC(hSrcDC);
        return(FALSE);
    }

    // copy image from one DC to the other
    if (BitBlt(hDestDC, xDest, yDest,      
               nWidth, nHeight, hSrcDC, 
               0, 0, SRCCOPY) == NULL)
    {
        lpdds->ReleaseDC(hDestDC);
        DeleteDC(hSrcDC);
        return(FALSE);
    }

    // kill the device contexts
    lpdds->ReleaseDC(hDestDC);
    DeleteDC(hSrcDC);

    // return success
    return(TRUE);
}

That ought to work.

Is that the code you were looking for, or do you want stuff on creating surfaces etc.

IIRC there isn't anything special in 16-bit as opposed to 8-bit, just no palette attaching. Come to think of it I've completely forgotten palettes !

[EDIT]Oops, wrong function name and obsolete argument!

[!shira!]

thanks for the code

do you know if using DCs is slower than loading the bitmap yourself and using bltfast

[DarkAvenger]

By bitmap loading yourself you mean actually opening the file and manually reading in all the data? I think that method is what many people use, but I haven't had any need to use it just yet, because bitmap loading is fast enough for me.

BltFast() is definitely the way to go, unless you need to use any special effects via the DDBLTFX structure.

[!shira!]

Originally posted by DarkAvenger
unless you need to use any special effects via the DDBLTFX structure.

like clipped sprites

[DarkAvenger]

I don't think clipping is via the DDBLTFX structure (I've never studied them in detail), IIRC it's through the LPDIRECTDRAWCLIPPER structure. DDBLTFX is mainly used for filling surfaces with a colour, or even for rotation. I only use Blt() when I want to fill my surfaces, everywhere else it's BltFast().