OpenGL has a steep learning curve, but it’s the only truly 3D
framework out of all of these mentioned. Quartz is 2D-only, and only
wraps OpenGL as a matter of performance and/or convenience;
CoreAnimation is a really clever system for compositing 2D layers in
3D; managing the drawing yourself using NSBezierPath will quickly
become mind-numbing.
Fortunately, OpenGL is also one of the best-documented frameworks on
the system—once you’ve got past the initial bootstrapping and can draw
something, anything, in your NSOpenGLView, you’ll find that a Google
search can answer practically any question you might have about
drawing, projections, picking, optimizations (after you’ve profiled,
of course (: ), etc, because the vast majority of OpenGL knowledge
earned on SGI/Windows/Linux/anywhere else is applicable to OpenGL on
Mac OS X, too.
Sincerely,
Rob
On 31-Dec-08, at 10:19 PM, Adam Foltzer wrote:
Hello everyone,
I've been lurking here for a while as I've been learning the Cocoa
ropes,
and I'm at the point where I need to put the (excellent) Hillegass
theory
into practice. My app is an interactive particle swarm optimization (
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Particle_swarm_optimization for the
curious)
that generates N-dimensional coordinates representing individuals in
a very
compelling, organic way. For visualization, of course, I'm mainly
concerned
with two- and three-dimensional instances of these swarms.
My trouble is in deciding which graphics framework to pursue for the
visualization. Since all I need are representations of points, the
path of
least resistance for 2-D visualization seems to be using a simple
loop with
calls to [NSBezierPath fillrect:]. However, I suspect this pattern
would not
extend well to rendering a scene with 3-D instances of the swarms.
Beyond the use of Bezier paths, my knowledge falls short pretty
quickly. I
often hear people sing the praises of Core Animation, but the
emphasis on
layering in the documentation makes me doubt its capability to draw
such a
3-D scene.
I also see Quartz mentioned as a friendlier wrapper for OpenGL, but
again I
get the impression that it's more geared toward 2-D rendering than
anything
else. Is a straight dive into full OpenGL the way to go here? I
realize that
these frameworks have similarities, and that picking the "wrong" one
won't
at all be a waste of my time, but I'd be thrilled to hear thoughts
on their
comparative virtues before I take the plunge either way.
Cheers, and a Happy New Year to you all,
Adam
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