diff options
Diffstat (limited to 'doc/src/platforms/emb-opengl.qdoc')
-rw-r--r-- | doc/src/platforms/emb-opengl.qdoc | 227 |
1 files changed, 227 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/doc/src/platforms/emb-opengl.qdoc b/doc/src/platforms/emb-opengl.qdoc new file mode 100644 index 0000000..e61ccde --- /dev/null +++ b/doc/src/platforms/emb-opengl.qdoc @@ -0,0 +1,227 @@ +/**************************************************************************** +** +** Copyright (C) 2009 Nokia Corporation and/or its subsidiary(-ies). +** Contact: Nokia Corporation (qt-info@nokia.com) +** +** This file is part of the documentation of the Qt Toolkit. +** +** $QT_BEGIN_LICENSE:LGPL$ +** No Commercial Usage +** This file contains pre-release code and may not be distributed. +** You may use this file in accordance with the terms and conditions +** contained in the either Technology Preview License Agreement or the +** Beta Release License Agreement. +** +** GNU Lesser General Public License Usage +** Alternatively, this file may be used under the terms of the GNU Lesser +** General Public License version 2.1 as published by the Free Software +** Foundation and appearing in the file LICENSE.LGPL included in the +** packaging of this file. Please review the following information to +** ensure the GNU Lesser General Public License version 2.1 requirements +** will be met: http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/lgpl-2.1.html. +** +** In addition, as a special exception, Nokia gives you certain +** additional rights. These rights are described in the Nokia Qt LGPL +** Exception version 1.0, included in the file LGPL_EXCEPTION.txt in this +** package. +** +** GNU General Public License Usage +** Alternatively, this file may be used under the terms of the GNU +** General Public License version 3.0 as published by the Free Software +** Foundation and appearing in the file LICENSE.GPL included in the +** packaging of this file. Please review the following information to +** ensure the GNU General Public License version 3.0 requirements will be +** met: http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html. +** +** If you are unsure which license is appropriate for your use, please +** contact the sales department at http://qt.nokia.com/contact. +** $QT_END_LICENSE$ +** +****************************************************************************/ + +/*! +\page qt-embedded-opengl.html + +\title Qt for Embedded Linux and OpenGL +\ingroup qt-embedded-linux + +\section1 Introduction + +\l {http://www.opengl.org}{OpenGL} is an industry standard API for +2D/3D graphics. It provides a powerful, low-level interface between +software and acceleration hardware, and it is operating system and +window system independent. + +\l {http://www.khronos.org/opengles}{OpenGL ES} is a subset +of the \l {http://www.opengl.org}{OpenGL} standard. +Because it is meant for use in embedded systems, it has a smaller, +more constrained API. + +For reference, Nokia provides a plugin which integrates \l +{http://www.khronos.org/opengles}{OpenGL ES} with Qt for Embedded Linux, +but Qt for Embedded Linux can be adapted to a wide range of OpenGL +versions. + +There are three ways to use OpenGL with Qt for Embedded Linux: +\list + \o Perform OpenGL 3D graphics operations in applications; + \o Accelerate normal 2D painting operations; + \o Implement window compositing and special effects. +\endlist + +Qt for Embedded Linux is shipped with a reference integration example +that demonstrates all three uses. + +\section2 Using OpenGL 3D Graphics in Applications + +The \l {QtOpenGL module} offers classes that make it easy to draw 3D +graphics in GUI applications. The module API is cross-platform, so it +is also available on Windows, X11, and Mac OS X. + +To use OpenGL-enabled widgets in a Qt for Embedded Linux application, +all that is required is to subclass the QGLWidget and draw into instances of +the subclass with standard OpenGL functions. + +\section2 Using OpenGL to Accelerate Normal 2D Painting + +Qt provides QOpenGLPaintEngine, a subclass of QPaintEngine that +translates QPainter operations into OpenGL calls. This specialized +paint engine can be used to improve 2D rendering performance on +appropriate hardware. It can also overlay controls and decorations +onto 3D scenes drawn using OpenGL. + +\section2 Using OpenGL to Implement Window Compositing and Effects + +Qt for Embedded Linux includes a complete windowing system, which implements +real transparency. The windowing system can be accelerated using +OpenGL to implement top level window compositing. This makes it easy +to add 3D effects to applications, for instance when windows are +minimized or maximized. + +\section1 Acceleration Architecture + +The diagram below shows the Qt for Embedded Linux painting architecture. + +\image qt-embedded-opengl3.png + +A client process widget uses a paint engine to draw into a window +surface. The server then combines the window surfaces and displays the +composition on the screen. This architecture lets you +control the steps of the painting process by subclassing. + +Subclassing QPaintEngine allows you to implement the QPainter API +using accelerated hardware. Subclassing QWindowSurface lets you +decide the properties of the space your widgets will draw themselves +into, as well as which paint engine they should use to draw themselves +into that space. Subclassing QScreen lets you control the creation of +window surfaces and lets you decide how to implement window +compositing. Using subclassing, your implementation work is minimized +since you can reuse base class functionality you don't need to change. + +The elements of an accelerated Qt for Embedded Linux system are shown in the +diagram below. + +\image qt-embedded-opengl1.png + +The applications, using the Qt API, do not depend on the presence of +the acceleration plugin. The plugin uses the graphics hardware to +accelerate painting primitives. Any operations not accelerated by the +plugin are done in software by the software paint engine. + +To integrate an OpenGL implementation into Qt for Embedded Linux for a +particular platform, you use the same mechanisms you would use for +writing any other accelerated driver. Base classes, e.g., QGLScreen +and QWSGLWindowSurface, are provided to minimize the need for +reimplementing common functionality. + +\section1 The Reference Integration + +The \l{OpenGL for Embedded Systems Example} is the reference implementation +for integrating OpenGL ES and \l{http://www.khronos.org/egl/}{EGL} with +the graphics acceleration architecture of Qt for Embedded Linux. +(\l{http://www.khronos.org/egl/}{EGL} is a library that binds OpenGL ES to +native windowing systems.) + +The diagram below shows how OpenGL ES is used within the acceleration architecture: + +\image qt-embedded-opengl2.png + +The example implements a screen driver plugin that demonstrates all +three uses of OpenGL in Qt for Embedded Linux: 2D graphics acceleration, 3D +graphics operations using the \l {QtOpenGL module}, and top-level +window compositing and special effects. The applications still do +not talk directly to the accelerated plugin. + +For 2D graphics, applications use the normal Qt painting API. The example accelerates 2D +painting by using the QOpenGLPaintEngine, which is included in the \l {QtOpenGL module}. + +For 3D graphics applications use the OpenGL API directly, together with the functionality +in the Qt OpenGL support classes. The example supports this by creating a +QWSGLWindowSurface whenever a QGLWidget is instantiated. + +All access to the display is done through OpenGL. The example subclasses +QWSGLWindowSurface implementation and uses the \l +{http://oss.sgi.com/projects/ogl-sample/registry/EXT/framebuffer_object.txt} +{OpenGL Framebuffer Object extension} to draw windows into an offscreen buffer. This +lets the example use OpenGL to implement top level window compositing of opaque and +semi-transparent windows, and to provide a 3D animated transition effect as each new +window is shown. + +The specific OpenGL library being used by the example restricts all +OpenGL operations to occur in a single process. Hence the example +creates instances of QWSGLWindowSurface only in the server process. +Other processes then perform 2D graphics by creating instances +of the standard QWindowSurface classes for client processes. The +standard window surface performs software-based rendering into a +shared memory segment. The server then transfers the contents of this +shared memory into an OpenGL texture before they are drawn onto the +screen during window compositing. + +\omit + +\section1 Future Directions + +\section2 API Improvements + +Nokia is now working on enhancing the API for integrating OpenGL +with Qt for Embedded Linux. The current design plan includes the following +features: + +\list + + \o Provide convenience classes, e.g., QEGLScreen and + QWSEGLWindowSurface, which implement common uses of the EGL + API. These classes will simplify implementing an OpenGL ES + integration. + + \o Extend the screen driver API to provide more control over window + properties and animations, and provide a software-based integration + to enable testing on the desktop. + + \o Improve performance as opportunities arise. + +\endlist + +\section2 OpenVG Support + +\l {http://www.khronos.org/openvg} {OpenVG} is a dedicated API for 2D +graphics on mobile devices. It is therefore more likely to be a better +alternative for 2D acceleration than OpenGL. Until recently, no +OpenVG-capable hardware has been available, so Nokia has not yet +included an OpenVG solution in Qt for Embedded Linux. + +However, Nokia has done a feasibility study, implementing an +OpenVG paint engine on top of a software OpenVG implementation. +Assuming availability of the appropriate hardware, this OpenVG paint +engine can easily be completed and integrated using the existing +acceleration architecture. Since OpenVG shares the same EGL layer as +OpenGL ES, the work already done on the OpenGL integration can be +reused. + +Related technologies included in the \l +{http://www.khronos.org/openkode} {OpenKODE} API set will also be +considered. + +\endomit + +*/ |