Class window

Overview

Class window is a simple graphical interface based on Freeglut3 which allows the user to visualize an engine in a specific window.

The class executes the entire window instance into a separate thread, so that the requested drawing procedures do not interfere with the actual calculations.

Moreover, it offers the method wait_click for pausing the entire program until a mouse click is detected inside the window.

The entire class is wrapped into the namespace graphics, so that its helper structs do not interfere with the rest of the code.

Interface

Constructor

window()

Starts a GLUT window in a separate thread.

REMARK: you can only start one window at the time.

Public methods

• window()

  default construction for the window. It needs to be called in order to have the graphical thread started.

• static void draw(const engine & engine)

  draws all the elements of the simulation.

• static void draw(const engine & engine, const unit8_t & tag)

  draws only the elements of the simulation with the given tag.

• static void wait_click()

  blocks the execution until a mouse click is detected inside the window.

• static void close_window()

  closes the window properly.

Private Helper Classes and Methods

Helper structs

• struct vector

  gives a more simplified version of a 2D vector for drawing purposes.

• struct color

  gives a simple wrapper for managing colors for Freeglut.

• struct sphere

  allows the proper formulation and construction for a sphere to be drawn in the graphical context.

• struct line

  allows the proper formulation and construction for a line to be drawn in the graphical context.

Private static methods

• void start()

  starts properly the GLUT window instance inside the graphical thread.

• void renderer()

  renderer function called by the GlutMainLoop().

• void timer(int)

  standard GLUT timer function in order to have the renderer function called by the GlutMainLoop().

• static void thread_wait_click()

  Blocks the graphical thread (and therefore the entire program thanks to a mutex) until a mouse click inside the window is detected.

• void draw_line(__unused line l)

  Draws a given line with the various gl methods.

• void draw_circle(__unused sphere c)

  Draws a given sphere with the various gl methods.

• void list_sphere(const molecule & m)

  void list_sphere(const bumper & b)

  Given a molecule or a bumper, adds the spheres to be drawn to the corresponding shared sphere_buffer for the graphical thread.

• void grid(const engine & e)

  Given the NOCS engine, takes the fineness of the grid and fills the shared line_buffer with the proper lines in order to properly draw the grid.