Features

This is a brief list with some of the most important features of GTI-Framework:

• Windowing system independent

The applications developed with the framework can run in Windows and UNIX-based windowing systems (Linux distributions). The windowing system independency is achieved using external libraries. Currently you can develop applications using either the Simple DirectMedia Layer or the OpenGL Utility Library Toolkit.

• Multiplatform

The applications developed with the framework are big-endian and little-endian compatible. The binary file importers of the framework resolve all 2-byte word conversions. This is done in the mesh binary file format, in the Direct Draw Surface? importer and in the Targa (TGA) importer.

• Hardware-accelerated

The applications developed with the framework take advantage of the graphics hardware present in the system. The graphics programming API used is OpenGL 2.0. The extensions are extracted with OpenGL Extension Wrangler Library. The framework is designed to work with the fastest techniques (vertex buffer objects, geometry, vertex and pixel shaders, render to texture) in order to get the best visual performance. Besides, the framework never uses hardware manufacturer extensions so you can be sure that you will be able to run your applications in most systems.

• Completely programmable pipeline

The applications developed with the framework can define the full rendering equation of their triangles' meshes. There are no restrictions in any sense about the rendering passes and the shaders used for rendering your triangles' meshes. Note that the framework itself uses nothing of the traditional fixed pipeline so the portability of the rendering of the applications developed with the framework is guaranteed. All through text files without the need to recompile the source code.

• Easy integration with 3D Modeling Applications

To resolve the exchange of 3D information from any commercial 3D Modeling Tool to the GTI-Framework applications it includes an FBX Importer. FBX is a standard file format supported by almost every 3D Software. Thanks to that it is easy to export meshes, animations, materials or whole scenes.

• Stereoscopic rendering

Applications programmed with the GTI-Framework can work in stereoscopic environments with fewer changes. Indeed we provide a whole pipeline with stereoscopic support.

• Most of the state of the art graphics components and utils

In addition to Compressed Textures, Shaders, Render to Texture and Vertex Buffers, the framework comes with classes designed to solve most of the 3D common problems as dealing with cameras, matrices, frustrum, meshes, etc.

• Cluster environment seamless integration

The applications developed with the framework are ready to work in cluster environments in a transparent manner. Thanks to a synchronization system you can have several variables sharing the exact same values in different applications. This has been tested in multi-display environments.

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What the framework does and what does not?

• The framework does not impose the structure of the scene database (but provides one)
• The framework does not impose to work with a scene graph.

The framework lets to import and export a scene database. You can convert this database to a representation more useful for your application (bsp, pvs, quadtree, octree, portals, etc).

• The framework does not perform automatic frustum culling (but provides all the tools needed).
• The framework does not perform automatic collision detection and response.

This is because the framework does not impose the structure of the scene database. However if you do not want to use a specific structure of the scene database you can have your application working with simple frustum culling with minimum effort with only a few framework calls.

• The framework does not perform automatic rendering of the scene (although it comes with a rendering pipeline bundled that makes render a scene easy).

The framework lets to render triangle meshes with different transformations and rendering equations through high level interfaces. The developer of the application can use these interfaces to render the triangle meshes with ease.

• The framework does not define display styles for your triangle meshes.

The framework lets to define the full rendering equation for each instance of your triangle meshes. The developer of the application must write so many vertex and pixel shaders as he needs and render the mesh instances with them.