Algorithm animations

[Homestead]

Do you know any tutorials about this topic ? I would like to learn how to illustrate algorithms using animations...I actually dont know what sites there are, I searched the net but those links didnot give me much information...Do you know where ?

Thanks a lot for your kindness,

Regards,

Homestead

[mikedershowitz]

Wow, sounds like a pretty interesting topic.....I don't think you're going to find much along the lines of a tutorial, as I don't think the animations/illustrations of algorithms is a popular enough topic to motivate/require someone to put together a tutorial.

The best thing I can suggest is from a design standpoint.

1. Make sure your animation environment is setup and ready to accept programatic input.
2. code your algoirthm, and do so in such a way as to allow calls to objects that handle actions in the animations environment.
3. code your animations accordingly upon punch-out.

My company's primary priduct is a static source-code analyzer with a visualization front-end that manages complexity. We have used a similar approach as outlined above to produce representations like you are looking for, except we used a short-hand prietary lexicon that translates to visualizations. If you're further interested in our approach, please contact privately.

[Ejaz]

Well, would you like to describe what you exactely want to accomplish.

Like, you can use DirectX or OpenGL for basic animation stuff and if you are after some real exclusive stuff, then you can use 3D-Max to create objects (models) in them and create their animation in it, export it in .x file and use DirectX to display it and manupulate it, this will really create an outstanding thing, but still the point is, what exactely you want to do.

[Homestead]

Originally posted by Ejaz
Well, would you like to describe what you exactely want to accomplish.

Like, you can use DirectX or OpenGL for basic animation stuff and if you are after some real exclusive stuff, then you can use 3D-Max to create objects (models) in them and create their animation in it, export it in .x file and use DirectX to display it and manupulate it, this will really create an outstanding thing, but still the point is, what exactely you want to do.

Not yet, I am also thinking about what to do, I just wanted to know if there is any tutorial for me to learn, and that s all....
What You said sounds so complicated...I dont know...

Thank you very much for answering, I will come back and ask again about this...I am thinking what to do.

Regards,

Homestead

[nsh123]

Code you explain how your output will look like.

You can think of using an example algorithm to illustrate.

Warm Regards,

[Homestead]

Thanks nsh123 alot,

Regards,

Homestead

[Sam Hobbs]

I have also been interested in doing something such as that but I don't know much about graphics either. However note that you are combining two things into one; algorithms and their implementations is totally different from graphics. You should be able to find plenty of articles about each of the two topics separately but there probably is very little that combines the two. Instaed of looking for only material that combines the two, you should learn about the separate topics separately.

A couple of times I have asked what part of DirectX would be most useful but my questions have been ignored. It would help to know what part of DirectX I should learn; there is so much to learn. Isn't this a valid question? That is, what part of DirectX to learn? I don't want to spend a lot of time learning something just to determine that it is not useful. I have tried the sample programs provided in the DirectX SDK and based on that, DirectX is not useful. However perhaps they just don't provide a relevant sample.

Actually, I probably have found what we need, but I just have not found much that describes it the way we need it. Probably we could use DirectAnimation, as described in Adding Theatrical Effects to Everyday Web Pages with DirectAnimation, but that article seems to not describe the types of animations we need. However I would like to spend some time reading that article; it probably is a good start for what we need.

If you or anyone else finds anything like that and that is as useful or more useful, then I think many of us would be interested too. It would be fun to animate Windows messages and their affect on windows and the messages that windows effect (cause).

[Ejaz]

Well, althoug I'm not a very much expert on DirectX, but you if anyone is after DirectX, then Direct3D will be a good start.

In the latest DirectX 9.0, you can create 2D as well as 3D objects, it has support for 3D max files, you can even animate the complex shapes in max and export then in a .x format (for this purpose, you'll get converters easily from net), and then you can use it and render the object in real time motion.

For multiplayer network programming its DirectPlay.
For different input divices (keyboard, mouse, joystick, etc), its DirectInput.
For sound & music its DirectSound & DirectMusic.
DirectShow provides for high-quality capture and playback of multimedia streams.

In DirectX 9.0, you'll find alot of new things like vertex shaders & pixel shaders & bla bla bla.

But still, as Sam mentioned, if you are trying to develop some animation algorithm, then I don't think it will have to do anything with DirectX or any other tech. like that.

[Sam Hobbs]

What would be the advantage of Direct3D compared to DirectAnimation? I assume that DirectAnimation has support of animation and that Direct3D would require more programming to do animation that is built into DirectAnimation.

Direct3D seems to be designed for highly graphic applications that must have the utmost performance possible. The problem I have with Direct3D is that when I try the samples:

• it does not work due to an inadequate screen resolution
• it does not work due to inadequate hardware emulation / acceleration
• lousy performance due to processor-intensive requirements
• it often must execute full-screen

Direct3D seems to be very innapropriate for this purpose but if I am wrong then it sure does help to be told it is by an expert.

[Homestead]

Thanks so much for all of your help,

I didnt say I am using Direct~, and I am also not going to use it...
Why do you guys just keep talking about it ? Is it only guess about what I am using ?
Thanks a lot anyway, OpenGL is my choice...

Regards,
Fiona

[Sam Hobbs]

Originally posted by Homestead
I didnt say I am using Direct~

Did you say you were not? Did you say anything indicating you were not interested in DirextX?

Originally posted by Homestead
Why do you guys just keep talking about it ? Is it only guess about what I am using ?

Sometimes people start a conversation in a thread that the person that started the thread is not interested in. It happens. I did not start a converstation that you are not interested in intentionally to make a conversation that you are not interested in.

Am I correct that you sometimes start a conversation in someone else's thread that the creator of the thread is not interested in?

[Homestead]

Originally posted by Sam Hobbs
Did you say you were not? Did you say anything indicating you were not interested in DirextX?

I didnt say that I was not as what you said that I was not, and I didnt say anything indicating I was not intersted in what you already mentioned that I wasnot interested in DirectX and I think you would be right if mentioning that I wasnot interested in DirectX...

Sometimes people start a conversation in a thread that the person that started the thread is not interested in. It happens. I did not start a converstation that you are not interested in intentionally to make a conversation that you are not interested in.

Yes I know people like to do that to me....and I also know you didnt start a conversation like that intentionally.
And you are correct now when to say that I am interested in. I wasnt but I am.

Am I correct that you sometimes start a conversation in someone else's thread that the creator of the thread is not interested in?

Yes, you are correct !! So go on !!!


As I already say in this post. I think again, and could you give me links to DirectX tutorials ? If you know DirectX is powerful, tell me its power...

I d be appreciate any help that I could get from you...

Regards,

Homestead

[Sam Hobbs]

I don't know where there are any good tutorials, I am interested in finding some myself. The article I referenced is everything I know about that might help. However there is a lot to learn about DirectX but as far as I know, we only need to learn about DirectAnimation for this. So if you are interested, you can look for articles about DirectAnimation only. The rest of DirectX probably is less useful for what you are trying to do.

I am sure OpenGL would be good too. I wonder if OpenGL could be used in a web page? I think I have not seen OpenGL used that way. I know that DirectAnimation can be used in a web page.

[Homestead]

Originally posted by Sam Hobbs
I don't know where there are any good tutorials, I am interested in finding some myself. The article I referenced is everything I know about that might help. However there is a lot to learn about DirectX but as far as I know, we only need to learn about DirectAnimation for this. So if you are interested, you can look for articles about DirectAnimation only. The rest of DirectX probably is less useful for what you are trying to do.

I am sure OpenGL would be good too. I wonder if OpenGL could be used in a web page? I think I have not seen OpenGL used that way. I know that DirectAnimation can be used in a web page.

Thanks Sam a lot, you also tried to help me so so so much,

Thank you,

Warm Regards

Homestead

[nsh123]

Originally posted by Homestead
As I already say in this post. I think again, and could you give me links to DirectX tutorials ? If you know DirectX is powerful, tell me its power...

Go ahead and install DirectX library ..
It comes with a lot of example codes and a real good help

Regards,