Rendering Guide

bRenderer & bWindow Tutorial and Documentation

The bRenderer and bWindow classes are designed to simplify the process of rendering graphics and managing windows using SDL. This tutorial aims to guide you through the essential features of these classes.

Creating a Window

To create a window, instantiate the bWindow class and call its createWindow() method.

bWindow* window = new bWindow("My Window", 0, 0, 800, 600);
bRenderer* renderer = window->createWindow();

Optional Window Flags

window->toggleResizable(); // Makes the window resizable.
window->toggleHighDPI(); // Enables high DPI mode.

Initializing the Renderer

The renderer is automatically initialized when you create a window. You can set the background color using the background() method.

renderer->background(255, 255, 255, 255);

The Rendering Process in bRenderer

Before continue I would like to describing the process of how rendering should be done using this library.

In the bRenderer class, a buffer serves as a hidden stage where all the drawing takes place. This buffer is an SDL texture, and it's where textures, sprites, and other graphical elements are rendered before being shown on the screen.

When you call methods like drawTexture or drawSprite, you're essentially drawing these elements onto this hidden buffer. They are not immediately visible on the screen.

bTexture texture = renderer->initTexture("path/to/texture.png", {0, 0, 128, 128});
bRect dest = {10, 10, 128, 128};
renderer->drawTexture(texture, dest);  // This draws onto the buffer, not directly to the screen.

Clearing the Buffer:

Before each new frame, it's crucial to clear the buffer to remove the remnants of the previous frame. This is done using the clearBuffer() method.

renderer->clearBuffer();  // Clears the buffer for the next frame.

Presenting the Buffer:

The presentBuffer() method is the final part. It takes everything that has been drawn onto the buffer and presents it onto the actual screen. This is when the you finally gets to see the visual elements.

renderer->presentBuffer();  // Presents the buffer onto the screen.

The Full Sequence:

Here's how a typical rendering sequence might look:

// Clear the buffer
renderer->clearBuffer();

// Draw textures, sprites, etc.
renderer->drawTexture(texture, dest);

// Present the buffer
renderer->presentBuffer();

Drawing Textures and Sprites

To draw a texture or sprite, you first need to initialize it.

bTexture texture = renderer->initTexture("path/to/texture.png", {0, 0, 128, 128});

Drawing the Texture

bRect dest = {10, 10, 128, 128};
renderer->drawTexture(texture, dest);

Camera Transformations

You can set the camera's position, scale, and angle using the setCameraTransformations() method.

renderer->setCameraTransformations({0, 0}, {1.0, 1.0}, 0.0);

Resizing the Canvas

To resize the canvas, you can use the setCanvasSize() or resizeToWindow() methods.

renderer->setCanvasSize({1024, 768});
renderer->resizeToWindow();