

#Bit mac and raster graphic how to
In order to keep the pace brisk, we'll assume that you already know what a GWorld is, how to manipulate PixMaps, and the basics of display modes. We'll talk about assembly language, cache issues, line-skip blitting, and how to customize QuickDraw without patching any traps (among other subjects). In this article, we won't shy away from direct-device writing or treat it as a taboo subject in fact, we'll concentrate on it, with a view toward optimizing our code for the G3 (and soon, G4) chip architecture. But there are still times when writing directly to video memory makes sense, particularly in game programming, where anything goes when it comes to user interface design. QuickDraw was invented to save us from having to resort to such low-level techniques. Providing the user with cinematic animation at full screen resolution remains a formidable challenge.īecause of human interface concerns, writing direct-to-screen has always been treated as something of a taboo in the Mac world. But as CPU and bus speeds have increased, so has monitor resolution - and pixel throughput. With the advent of 100 MHz bus speeds, built-in hardware support for 2D/3D graphics acceleration, megabyte-sized backside caches, and superior floating-point performance, you'd think screen refresh rates would no longer be an issue.

Ironically, the main performance bottleneck for game programmers today - as ten years ago - is getting pixels up on the screen. Educational Institution and Student DiscountsĬolumn Tag: Programming Techniques Fast Blit Strategies: A Mac Programmer's Guideīy Kas Thomas Getting better video performance out of the Mac isn't hard to do - if you follow a few rules Introduction.
