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The Engine The engine is available as a
C/C++ library that can be incorporated in to most game engines. The library provides a framework to
create and interact with GLO user interfaces elements.
Once it has been added to the game and the interface bindings filled out,
the application can create widgets and screens. A large assortment of ready to use
widgets is available for use such as buttons, checkboxes, text editing, windows,
and many others. A simple API to
create and manipulate all objects is available through the library. New widgets
are often added with each major release, and user-made widgets can be understood
and used by the engine just like system ones. Integration GLO is built to operate on
to a variety of platforms and graphics engines.
The UI engine can be compiled and functional on any platform with a
functional C++ compiler from embedded devices such as cell phones and PDA’s to
the latest PC video cards. To
achieve this level of compatibility, GLO does not implement any hardware or
graphics engine specific functionality.
It relies on the underlying systems to provide those services to it. This also allows GLO to easily take
advantage of your particular engines features without the need to be aware of
them. GLO has a user data pipeline built
through out the API to control any form of user added features. GLO defines a simple set of
function bindings that need to be filled out by the application. You only need to fill out the
interfaces for the features you plan to use.
For example if you’re not planning to use any animated 3D meshes, you won’t need
to fill out those functions. Transitions and Effects Many different dynamic
graphical effects including movement, color, and transitions can be applied to
all user interface elements. The
powerful effects creation API can be used to chain together various effects with
some basic logic handling. This allows the majority of transitions and simple
animations to be completely data driven.
If the GLO has been bound to 3D accelerated rendering functions, both 2D
and 3D elements will be driven through the 3D pipeline. Importers GLO supports the use of
importers, which allows the creation of all aspects of the user interface to be
driven from outside data. The
creation of an entire user interface can be pre-scripted without writing a
single line of code. The import
library processes data files and creates the corresponding internal data
structures to create the requested GUI. You are not required to use
an import library to use GLO. If you
wish, you can also define your entire interface in code. With any complex GUI, it is much more
flexible to define as much as possible as data files. An import library provides
a way for you to approach the user interface in a robust and flexible manner,
and its use is highly recommended.
A functionally complete XML data import library is available for
download. Everything needed to
define your entire user interface be data driven in XML format including
compound effects, and function callback binding. Exporters and Layout
Applications Data files are very flexible
but typing in text is not a very intuitive way to create user interfaces. Our
XML data file is in a fairly simple and open format. Exporters can easily be
created to allow for out side applications to visually create user interfaces. |