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Course 3D_MDX: 3D-Graphics with Managed DirectX 9.0 Chapter C5: Comments to the "Read a Mesh from File.x" Project Copyright © by V. Miszalok, last update: 24-05-2006

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using System; //Home of the base class of all classes "System.Object" and of all primitive data types such as Int32, Int16, double, string.
using System.Windows.Forms; //Home of the "Form" class (base class of Form1) and its method Application.Run.
using System.Drawing; //Home of the "Graphics" class and its drawing methods such as DrawStirng, DrawLine, DrawRectangle, FillClosedCurve etc.
using Microsoft.DirectX; //Utilities including exception handling, simple helper methods, structures for matrix, clipping, and vector manipulation.
using Microsoft.DirectX.Direct3D; //Graphics application programming interface (API) with models of 3-D objects and hardware acceleration.
For DirectX see: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/default.aspx → Win32 and COM Development → Graphics and Multimedia → DirectX → SDK Documentation → DirectX SDK Managed → DirectX SDK → Namespaces.

//We derive our window Form1 from the class Form, which is contained in the System.Windows.Forms namespace.

[STAThread] static void Main() { Application.Run( new Form1() ); } //Create a single thread instance of Form1 and ask the operating system to start it as main window of our program.

static Device device = null; //The global device object must be static since we need it inside the static Timer event handler.

static float xAngle, yAngle, zAngle; //Global movements around the main 3 axes.

static Mesh mesh = null; //declaration of the mesh identifier

String myMeshFile = @"C:\DXSDK\Samples\Media\Tiger\tiger.x"; //The mesh file tiger.x is assumed to be found here.
String myTextureFile = @"C:\DXSDK\Samples\Media\Tiger\tiger.bmp"; //The texture image tiger.bmp is assumed to be found here.
//When You installed the DirectX SDK in the recommended directory C:\DXSDK, You will find tiger.x and tiger.bmp at this place, otherwise You have to adjust the path.
The character "@" in front of a string prevents the "\" characters inside the string to be interpreted as Escape-characters. Otherwise You would have to double them all: "C:\\DXSDK\Samples\\Media\\Tiger\\tiger.x".

BaseTexture texture; //BaseTexture is the base class of Texture, which could be used here too.
Bitmap myTexture; //Bitmap object to be filled by (Bitmap)Image.FromFile( myTextureFile ). (See last function void MenuFileRead( object obj, EventArgs ea ).)
Timer myTimer = new Timer(); //This Timer sends messages at fixed time intervals to Form1, that trigger Form1 to execute its OnTimer(..) method.
MenuItem miReadMesh; //Menu object used by the constructor public Form1() and by the last function void MenuFileRead( object obj, EventArgs ea ).

         miReadMesh    = new MenuItem( "Read Mesh"   , new EventHandler( MenuFileRead ) );
MenuItem miReadTexture = new MenuItem( "Read Texture", new EventHandler( MenuFileRead ) );
MenuItem miExit        = new MenuItem( "Exit"        , new EventHandler( MenuFileExit ) );
MenuItem miFile        = new MenuItem( "File"        , new MenuItem[] { miReadMesh, miReadTexture, miExit } );
Menu = new MainMenu( new MenuItem[] { miFile } );
//These lines define a drop down menu "File" with three entries: Read Mesh, Read Texture and Exit.

Text = "DirectX3DMesh"; //Title in the blue title bar of Form1.

myTexture = (Bitmap)Image.FromFile( myTextureFile ); //Read the first texture image from the hard disk.

myTimer.Tick += new EventHandler( OnTimer ); //Obligatory definition of an event handler for the Timer event.
myTimer.Interval = 1; //1 millisecond intervals means: as fast as possible. The operating system will raise as many events as possible (normally 1000[msec] divided by monitor refresh[≈80Hz] ≈ 13 msec).

ClientSize = new Size( 1024, 800 ); //Calls OnResize( ... ) //This statement raises an OnResize(...) event which leads to the first time initialization of a DirectX-Device.

myTimer.Stop(); //Stop the timer during initialization. It may disturb DirectX-initialization.

try //All the following things crash when DirectX is not properly installed. In this case the try-catch clause offers a civilized exit.

//Get information from the operating system about its current graphics properties.
PresentParameters presentParams = new PresentParameters(); //This structure is an obligatory parameter for creating a new Device. It carries several flags such as Windowed = true; and SwapEffect.Discard; = status flags controlling the behavior of the Device.
//we have to set four flags
presentParams.Windowed = true; //We want a program in a window not a full screen program.
presentParams.SwapEffect = SwapEffect.Discard; //This flag tells the graphic board how to handle the backbuffer(s) after front-back flipping. Many graphic boards need this flag, but I do not really know why. See: http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/.../D3DSWAPEFFECT.asp
presentParams.EnableAutoDepthStencil = true; //with depth buffer //We want a Z-buffer on the graphics board.
presentParams.AutoDepthStencilFormat = DepthFormat.D16; //16 bit depth //Z-buffer just needs limited resolution (short integers). Other possible formats see: http://msdn.microsoft.com/archive

//Create a new D3D-device that serves as canvas.
if ( device != null ) device.Dispose(); //Free the old canvas if any.
device = new Device( 0, DeviceType.Hardware, this, CreateFlags.SoftwareVertexProcessing, presentParams );
//1. parameter = 0 = default device. (The computer can have different devices f.i. two graphic boards.)
//2. parameter = DeviceType.Hardware allows rasterization by the graphic board (HAL=first choice), software (HEL) or mixed.
//3. parameter = this Pointer to our Form1-Control being the target of any graphical output.
//4. parameter = CreateFlags.SoftwareVertexProcessing is a flag that switches off the vector graphics part of the graphic board to avoid any risk from old graphic boards and/or old DirectX-drivers = all vector graphics via HEL. Disadvantage: Waste of the powerful HAL vector pipelines of a modern graphic board.
//5. parameter = presentParams is a structure of status flags describing the behavior of a graphic board.
//see: ../../Lectures/L05_OpenGL_DirectX

if ( mesh != null ) mesh.Dispose(); //free the old mesh if any
mesh = Mesh.FromFile( myMeshFile, MeshFlags.SystemMemory, device ); //Read an .x-file from the hard disk.
//1. parameter = String that specifies the file name.
//2. parameter = One or more flags from the MeshFlags enumeration that specify creation options for the mesh. See: msdn.microsoft.com.
//3. parameter = The current Device object.

if ( texture != null ) texture.Dispose(); //free the old texture if any
texture = new Texture( device, myTexture, 0, Pool.Managed );
//1. parameter = The current Device object.
//2. parameter = myTexture = (Bitmap)Image.FromFile( myTextureFile ); //Inside constructor Form1().
//3. parameter = Usage enumeration that specify creation options for the mesh. See: msdn.microsoft.com.
//4. parameter = Pool Memory class that holds buffers for a resource. See: msdn.microsoft.com.
device.SetTexture( 0, texture ); //See: msdn.microsoft.com.

Material myMaterial = new Material();
myMaterial.Diffuse = myMaterial.Ambient = Color.White; //Since all material properties are white, the meshes will reflect any sort of light.
device.Material = myMaterial; //Copy the material properties to the device.

//turn on some white ambient light that scatters the object evenly
device.RenderState.Ambient = Color.White;

//set up the transformation of world coordinates into camera or view space
device.Transform.View = Matrix.LookAtLH(
  new Vector3( 0f, 0f,-5f ), // eye point 5.0 in front of the canvas
  new Vector3( 0f, 0f, 0f ), // camera looks at point 0,0,0
  new Vector3( 0f, 1f, 0f ) ); // worlds up direction is the y-axis. //See: http://msdn.microsoft.com

//set up the projection transformation using 4 parameters:
//1.: field of view = 45 degrees; 2.: aspect ratio = width / height = 1 = square window;
//3.: near clipping distance = 0; 4.: far clipping distance = 10;
device.Transform.Projection = Matrix.PerspectiveFovLH((float)Math.PI/4, 1f, 1f, 100f );.
//Describe the truncated viewing pyramid = frustum:
1. is the viewing angle in radians (PI/4=45^o),
2. is the ratio height / width,
3. is the z-value of the front plane of the viewing volume and
4. the z-value of its back plane.
//See: http://msdn.microsoft.com/archive
//See: www.lighthouse3d.com/opengl/viewfrustum/ Please mail me if this link is dead.
Experiment 1: Enlarge Math.PI/4 to Math.PI/2 = 90^o. The scene will appear shifted away.
Experiment 2: Distort the ratio to a) 0.5 and b) to 2.0.
Experiment 3: Shift the front plane away from You towards the cylinder in steps of 0.5.

device.RenderState.CullMode = Cull.None; //Culling is a method to accelerate rendering by excluding (mostly back-) surfaces from the render process.

device.RenderState.Lighting = true; //Switch on the ambient light.

xAngle = yAngle = zAngle = 0f; //start angles //You can start with any arbitrary angle.

myTimer.Start(); //start the timer again //It has been stopped by the first statement of this function

catch (DirectXException) { MessageBox.Show( "Could not initialize Direct3D." ); return; } //Emergency exit when DirectX 9.0 was not found and/or new Device crashed. End of the try-clause = 2nd statement of this function.

if (device == null) return; //Emergency exit if the DirectX initialization has gone wrong.

//throw the old image away
device.Clear( ClearFlags.Target | ClearFlags.ZBuffer, Color.Gray, 1f, 0 ); //Erase any former content from the canvas and the Z-buffer.
Recommended experiment: Kick out this Clear-statement and observe what happens.

//rotate with 3 angular velocities //The meshes rotate around three main axes with the same velocity of 0.02/step ≈ 3.6^o/step.
Matrix m = Matrix.RotationYawPitchRoll( yAngle += 0.02f, xAngle += 0.02f, zAngle += 0.02f ); //

device.BeginScene(); //Open the render clause
mesh.DrawSubset( 0 ); //Render the mesh. If the Mesh has more than one subset, You will just see the first.
device.EndScene(); //Close the render clause
device.Present(); //show the canvas // = Command to flip the front and the back buffer of the graphic board.

OpenFileDialog dlg = new OpenFileDialog(); //A file select dialog box appers in front of Form1
dlg.InitialDirectory = @"C:\DXSDK\Samples\Media";"; //default directory to start with.
if ( (MenuItem)obj == miReadMesh ) dlg.Filter = "meshes (*.x)|*.x| All files (*.*)|*.*"; //If the function has been started by the "ReadMesh" menu item, the dialog box looks for *.x-files.
else dlg.Filter = "Bitmaps (*.bmp)|*.bmp| All files (*.*)|*.*"; //If the function has been started by the "ReadTexture" menu item, the dialog box looks for *.bmp-files.
if ( dlg.ShowDialog() != DialogResult.OK ) return; //Forget everything if no file has been selected.
if ( (MenuItem)obj == miReadMesh ) myMeshFile = dlg.FileName; //Remember the name of the new mesh file.
else myTexture = (Bitmap)Image.FromFile( dlg.FileName ); //Read a new texture image.
OnResize(null);//Initialize everything

Application.Exit(); //Exit of Form1

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