AvengerDr
01-19-2004, 09:04 AM
Hello there! I'm developing a Java based OpenGL app (using JOGL) for my university. It is a Association Rules (graphs) viewer.. So I have to deal mainly with nodes (rendered as spheres) and edges linking two nodes together (rendered as cylinders with cone pointers)..
When the user selects a node or an edge I would like to highlight the selected object so that it would be easily recognizable (in a average graph there can be hundreds of nodes). I have already implemented a ray-casting engine for collision detection.
My problem is that I don't know (It's my first OpenGL project) what could be the best way to highlight an object.
Right now I have implemented an old-fashioned Quake 1 glow effect. (Remember the Rocket glow explosion that was rendered as an expanding yellowish transparent hemisphere?).. When the user clicks on a sphere I currently render a semi-transparent pulsating sphere that gets bigger and smaller... But this is so 20th century http://www.opengl.org/discussion_boards/ubb/smile.gif
Is there a better and easier way? The project should run on average PCs so I won't be able to use advanced features..
Any ideas?
When the user selects a node or an edge I would like to highlight the selected object so that it would be easily recognizable (in a average graph there can be hundreds of nodes). I have already implemented a ray-casting engine for collision detection.
My problem is that I don't know (It's my first OpenGL project) what could be the best way to highlight an object.
Right now I have implemented an old-fashioned Quake 1 glow effect. (Remember the Rocket glow explosion that was rendered as an expanding yellowish transparent hemisphere?).. When the user clicks on a sphere I currently render a semi-transparent pulsating sphere that gets bigger and smaller... But this is so 20th century http://www.opengl.org/discussion_boards/ubb/smile.gif
Is there a better and easier way? The project should run on average PCs so I won't be able to use advanced features..
Any ideas?