[GEM-dev] Feature Requests (all together)

[B. Bogart]

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*  Support for loading video clips and still images with alpha channels intact!
~   (PNG loader for stills, no idea what video formats contain alpha channels?)
~   pix_mask is not so important per-se as long as one can actually use graphics
~   with alpha channels. I've only even used pix_mask for loading images with
~   custom-made masks. Mind you using the RGB channels of one video stream as the
~   alpha of another stream could be very interesting. The most obvious example
~   of this I can think of is using nice pre-rendered Gaussian blurred
~   drop-shadows that still work no matter what is behind them.

*  I've made a little test of using the gem-win as an interactive interface
~   surface. Each object calculates its own bounds, taking into consideration
~   position and scaling. Then I convert the pixel coords of the mouse to
~   gemcoords and each object tests if the mouse is on it and then acts
~   accordingly. I've got scale-up rollovers and drag and drop stuff working.
~   This is really ugly though, so I propose an object that returns the bounds
~   (in gem units) in 3D no matter what scaling and rotation objects may be
~   present to mess up the bounding-box. Bounding-box is the first step but
~   ideally I would like to be able to test if a certain coordinate overlaps some
~   part of an object in 3D space. Since a bounding-box does not actually
~   correspond to the surface of an object unless it is a rectangle that can only
~   be rotated by 90 degree increments. I would imagine that the more complex the
~   geo the harder to calculate if a point overlaps? This object could grow into
~   a number of comparison objects for collision detection, testing if objects
~   occlude one and other etc..

*  Higher level operations for vertex arrays. It would be great to have
~   operations that effect each vertex differently, like "twist" would rotate the
~   vertices at the top of the model, and the lower the vertex is the less it
~   would be rotated. This maybe solved with some kind of smooth selection of
~   vertexes, where say vertex 1-100 is chosen, but the transformation is
~   strongest on vertex 1 and tapers off when you get to vertex 100. Also I would
~   really like to be able to specify a transformation that is treated by each
~   vertex locally as relative. For exable offset all vertices 0.5 units along
~   its normal to "expand" a model. It would be nice if you could select not just
~   a range but say every third vertex and translate that along its normal to
~   make a spiky shape.

*  Target a pix_texture (pbuffer) rather than a gem-window for rendering.
~   (Already in the works)

That is all that is in my head thus far.

I'll post this stuff to the gem feature tracker as well.

Thanks,
B.
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