Status update - What to expect, when you are expecting OpenGL ES 2.

Nascode

@zoolax you could mask those render target, since it is a texture

Cool

OZApps

@zoolax, renderToTexture in 2D means that you can create custom bitmaps or even dynamic bitmaps. This thereby eliminated the issue of having pre-rendered bitmaps (which can be quite large). If we can have odd shaped textures (non rectangular) then we could do things like the slash it games. Which at this moment can be achieved by using series of draw and fill texture with shapes.

moopf

Would be great if we could easily save out the texture to storage as well.

atilim

While talking with @ar2rsawseen, he had recommended the same thing and therefore we've added this idea to the roadmap.

Nascode

@atilim how about LuaJIT? Will it make it on Next release?

Mells

Can anyone give specific examples where Render to texture will make our lives much easier?
For example :

Before Render to texture, if we wanted to $result we had to $steps.
Now that Render to texture is available, we can just $newSteps.

That would be really helpful.
@OZApps thanks for the explanation and I get the idea, but not yet exactly how useful it is (concretely).

I think my question is similar to @zoolax 's one because we probably understand things the same way (visually, from examples).

moopf

@Mells The use I've found for it before (and I have an app in the app store that uses it extensively) is in the pre-creation of composited images that can then be re-used in the app, being called from storage rather than created on the fly from a multitude of pieces each time. In my app it allows the player to create the pieces that are then used in games.

However it only becomes really useful if you have (a) masking and (b) an ability to save to storage - neither of which we do. Not sure how useful it would be for most people at the moment, unless they use it as part of a loading process to do some compositing that makes sense, rather than having pre-composited images delivered with the app.

SinisterSoft

@Mells - you could create the game panel line as one object (faster than multiple objects) - then only change the bits that change when you want to. The score, lives doesn't usually change at 60hz.

paul_k_clark

I assume you could having a single large image that you scale once at the beginning of the game, render to a texture and use the texture throughout the game without the need to having multiple images of varying sizes.

Mells

@moopf, @sinisersoft, @paul_k_clark
thanks, now I get it.

So... for example I would be able to give the option to the player to customize his avatar : store the image of a tee shirt, a cap, and shoes all in a default color.
The user would then be able to chose which color he likes (I would tint live) for each item, and once he has made his choice I can save the composited image so I can use it wherever its needed.
Inventory menu, etc...

Only default items in a default color are required to make this happen.
Does that make sense?

krisis

Still sounds like something you could do without render to texture though. Does it offer any new functionality that we couldn't already do? Or is it mainly an improvement to make this kind of task easier?

Mells

@krisis
Oh really? I think I might not be aware of that, I don't see how I would be able to save a composited image (a group of sprites) currently?
I have a sprite with a car.
I have several sprites containing stickers.
The user puts stickers wherever he wants to customize his car. He wants to send a picture of his car to his friend because it's so cool. I want to tint the whole car with a bit of sepia to give it a sunset mood.

Can I do it currently? (now that I think about it "yes" I can)

But back to my previous example, currently things look really hard to setup if I want xx number of default items in xx colors and save the final result without render to texture (without storing the id of each item, and each color) and then play with the final image.

ar2rsawseen

Imagine you would want to create a jigsaw puzzle. Ok you would have an image which you could slice into puzzle pieces and let the user to combined them in one picture.

But imagine you don't have one image, but many small (I don't know lets say), animal images and you want to generate the combined puzzle image dynamically, so every time it's a different combination of positions of animals.

With render to texture it's easy, add them to one Sprite hierarchy, get texture, slice it and display as it was single image.

Without render to texture, well, that would be such a pain

zoolax

@ar2rsawseen
I guess the best way to understand the potential ,when we get to do testing with it.
It has been mentioned the new version will be available very soon,should we expect it shortly?

ar2rsawseen

@zoolax, ehm, ahm, actually I had a graduation party yesterday, so I took a day off and been out of the loop
I thought I have done everything that was needed from me, but today received a note from @atilim to fix couple of things needed for release, I've fixed them and notified @atilim so he should hopefully start packaging soon

zoolax

@ar2rsawseen
Happy graduation.What were you graduated from?computer science?

ar2rsawseen

@zoolax yes, masters degree in computer science

phongtt

@ar2rsawseen: wow, master \m/ congrats!

SinisterSoft

@ar2rsawseen Congratulations.

hgvyas123

@ar2rsawseen :- KongoRatz

By the way i am still waiting for the first party

ar2rsawseen

@hgvyas123 you mean skype party with beer

vitalitymobile

@ar2rsawseen don't drink beer when fix important bugs
Just kidding, KongoRatz!

hgvyas123

yup that one however i can wait till next release

atilim

congoratz! >-

techdojo

Congrats from me as well - I know how hard studying for exams can be, especially if you have a full time job, so well done!

ar2rsawseen

Thanks guys

@techdojo yes it is hard, but it is a must if you want to achieve more then preparing a coffee for an old time developers, right?

paul_k_clark

@ar2rsawseen congoratz

ArtLeeApps

@ar2rsawseen well done :-)

Nascode

@ar2rsawseen wow congratulation!

techdojo

Thanks guys

@techdojo yes it is hard, but it is a must if you want to achieve more then preparing a coffee for an old time developers, right?

Too true