Delphi Graphics and Game Programming Exposed! with DirectX For versions 5.0-7.0:Force Feedback                       Search Tips   Advanced Search        Title Author Publisher ISBN    Please Select ----------- Artificial Intel Business & Mgmt Components Content Mgmt Certification Databases Enterprise Mgmt Fun/Games Groupware Hardware IBM Redbooks Intranet Dev Middleware Multimedia Networks OS Productivity Apps Programming Langs Security Soft Engineering UI Web Services Webmaster Y2K ----------- New Arrivals









Delphi Graphics and Game Programming Exposed with DirectX 7.0

by John Ayres

Wordware Publishing, Inc.

ISBN: 1556226373   Pub Date: 12/01/99














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Previous Table of Contents Next Listing 8-4: Changing effect parameters at run time var . . . {tracks the direction in degrees} EffectDir: Integer; implementation . . . procedure TfrmJoyTestBed.FormActivate(Sender: TObject); var . . . AxisArray: array[0..1] of DWORD; DirArray: array[0..1] of longint; EffectInfo: TDIEffect; PeriodicInfo: TDIPeriodic; begin . . . {this effect plays on the X and Y axis} AxisArray[0] := DIJOFS_X; AxisArray[1] := DIJOFS_Y; {initialize the direction} EffectDir := 1; DirArray[0] := EffectDir*DI_DEGREES; DirArray[1] := 0; {initialize a periodic effect} PeriodicInfo.dwMagnitude := DI_FFNOMINALMAX; PeriodicInfo.lOffset := 0; PeriodicInfo.dwPhase := 0; PeriodicInfo.dwPeriod := DI_SECONDS;; {initialize the global effect parameters} EffectInfo.dwSize := SizeOf(TDIEffect); EffectInfo.dwFlags := DIEFF_OBJECTOFFSETS or DIEFF_POLAR; EffectInfo.dwDuration := INFINITE; // infinite duration EffectInfo.dwSamplePeriod := 0; EffectInfo.dwGain := DI_FFNOMINALMAX; EffectInfo.dwTriggerButton := DIEB_NOTRIGGER; // no trigger EffectInfo.dwTriggerRepeatInterval := 0; EffectInfo.cAxes := 2; EffectInfo.rgdwAxes := @AxisArray; EffectInfo.rglDirection := @DirArray; EffectInfo.lpEnvelope := nil; EffectInfo.cbTypeSpecificParams := SizeOf(TDIPeriodic); EffectInfo.lpvTypeSpecificParams := @PeriodicInfo; {create a sine wave periodic effect} FDirectInputDevice.CreateEffect(GUID_sine, @EffectInfo, PeriodicEffect, nil); {start the effect, suppressing all other effects on the device} PeriodicEffect.Start(1, DIES_SOLO); {enable the timer that changes the effect direction} tmrDirChanger.Enabled := TRUE; end; procedure TfrmJoyTestBed.tmrDirChangerTimer(Sender: TObject); var DirArray: array[0..1] of longint; EffectInfo: TDIEffect; begin {increase the effect direction angle} Inc(EffectDir, 2); {roll the angle over nicely} if EffectDir > 360 then EffectDir := 1; {display the new angle} lblAngle.Caption := Effect Angle: +IntToStr(EffectDir); {indicate the new direction} DirArray[0] := EffectDir*DI_DEGREES; DirArray[1] := 0; {set up the effect parameters} FillChar(EffectInfo, SizeOf(TDIEffect), 0); EffectInfo.dwFlags := DIEFF_POLAR; EffectInfo.dwSize := SizeOf(TDIEffect); EffectInfo.rglDirection := @DirArray; EffectInfo.cAxes := 2; {dynamically change the parameters, indicating that the effect should not restart. if the device doesn’t support this, the change will fail, but the effect will continue to play} PeriodicEffect.SetParameters(EffectInfo, DIEP_DIRECTION or DIEP_NORESTART); end; Envelopes The basic effect types give the developer a wide range of possibilities for creating tactile feedback. Indeed, using custom forces or modifying a force at run time gives us even greater control over the “feel” of the feedback. We can further customize an effect by using an envelope. An envelope is a method by which a force can be shaped, and is very similar in concept to envelopes in musical terms. Specifically, an envelope describes the starting magnitude for an effect and the amount of time it takes for the magnitude to go from this initial starting point to the magnitude defined by the type-specific parameters of the specific effect. This is known as the attack. Similarly, the envelope also describes the final magnitude of the effect and the amount of time it takes for the magnitude to go from the effect-defined magnitude to this final level. This is known as the fade. These times take place during the entire duration of the effect, so the sum of both times should not exceed this duration. Any remaining time indicates the sustain, and determines how much time the effect is played at the defined magnitude. A visual illustration of an envelope is shown in Figure 8-7. envelope: A series of values that shape a force at the beginning and end of playback. Figure 8-7:  An envelope shaping an effect Note: Envelopes do not apply to condition effects. Envelopes are defined by a TDIEnvelope structure. A pointer to this structure is placed in the lpEnvelope member of the TDIEffect structure when an effect is defined. The TDIEnvelope structure is defined as: TDIEnvelope = packed record dwSize : DWORD; // the size of the structure in bytes dwAttackLevel : DWORD; // the initial magnitude dwAttackTime : DWORD; // the attack duration dwFadeLevel : DWORD; // the ending magnitude dwFadeTime : DWORD; // the fade duration end; As usual with so many DirectX structures, the dwSize member must be set to SizeOf(TDIEnvelope). The dwAttackLevel member defines the starting magnitude for the effect. Actually, this defines a percentage, in hundredths of a percent, of the maximum available force in the direction of the effect, and thus can be a value between 0 and 10,000. The dwFadeLevel member is very similar, except that it defines the percentage of maximum available force at the end of effect playback. Both dwAttackTime and dwFadeTime define the duration of the attack and fade in microseconds. Note: Neither the attack nor fade levels need to be less than the sustain level. If they are defined greater than the sustain level, the effect will start at a greater level than the sustain and will fall down to it (or vice versa in the case of fade level). The following example demonstrates applying an envelope to a sine wave periodic force. 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