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Casting / Interfaces

Started by Dirk Gregorius 3 replies 800+ views
Original Post
Dirk Gregorius
Dirk Gregorius
Lets say I want to implement a skinning system. The system should be able to create a matrix palette with some simple function calls. Maybe I want to use this system later in an OpenGL application and even later with DirectX. When I use DirectX I will use the IMesh, ISkinInfo interfaces as well as the mathlib provided with the D3DX COMObject. With OpenGL I probably use my own classes. So internally I use my own math classes like Matrix4, Decomposer, Vector3, etc, but what is the best way to define the interface? Are there common techniques? What format should the matrix palette be? Maybe I decide that the client passes the palette to a function? Example: void UpdateScene(void) { pAnimator->AdvanceInTime(dt); pAnimator->GetMatrixPalette( /* What shall be here? */ ); } Lets say I pass a Matrix4 array reference. Then to use the palette with the ID3DXSkinInfo interface I have to cast the array to D3DXMATRIX. How expensive and dangerous is it to cast an array of 64 floats into an array of four matrices or a cast from Matrix4 array to D3DXMATRIX array? Are there any run-time penalties for such a cast? How do you handle type differences between subsystems? Maybe some of you gurus can give me some deeper inside into what happens behind the scene during a cast? Again references are very welcome! -Dirk
dcosborn
dcosborn
What happens during a cast depends on the type of cast and implementation of the caster and castee. There are 3 types of casts in C++:

static_cast
reinterpret_cast
dynamic_cast

If you're using C, then you can probably assume the cast will work in a similar manner to a static_cast. If you're using C-style casts in C++, then my sorrow for you knows no bounds .

The difference between a static_cast and a reinterpret_cast is that the static_cast actually performs a conversion. The reinterpret_cast just makes the compiler look at the data in a different way (at the binary level, it remains the same).

For your type of casting, you would probably use a static_cast. Depending on the implementation of your types, a constructor or a conversion operator may be called. In this case, how expensive a conversion is depends on the implementation of the constructor or the casting operator.

But for converting an array of 64 floats to an array of 4 4x4 float matrices, there shouldn't be any real conversion happening and the cast will be free. As for the Matrix4 to D3DXMATRIX casts, I don't know enough about Direct3D to comment on that. Try it out with a profiler if you care, but I doubt that it will be very expensive at all.

Edit: Added comment about C since language wasn't specified.

[edited by - dcosborn on February 29, 2004 9:35:22 PM]
Dirk Gregorius
Dirk Gregorius
You wrote:
>>The difference between a static_cast and a reinterpret_cast is >>that the static_cast actually performs a conversion. The >>reinterpret_cast just makes the compiler look at the data in a >>different way (at the binary level, it remains the same).

So if I use a static cast and there is no conversion defined (whether through a consructor or conversion operator) I will get a compile-time error, correct?

If I have two structures with the same binary representation I can use reinterpret_cast, so I can chose how I will "access" the struture, correct?

Thanx for your help!

-Dirk
dcosborn
dcosborn
quote:
There's also const_cast.

Doh you're right. I had a nagging feeling that I was forgetting one, but I waved it away.

quote:
So if I use a static cast and there is no conversion defined (whether through a consructor or conversion operator) I will get a compile-time error, correct?

You should. Try it and see.

quote:
If I have two structures with the same binary representation I can use reinterpret_cast, so I can chose how I will "access" the struture, correct?

Yes, depending on what you mean by "access".

[edited by - dcosborn on March 1, 2004 7:32:45 PM]

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