Thread: What is the best way to do this data structure?

Originally I had;
struct Triangle {
float a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i;
}

Now I am trying to implement something like:
struct Triangle {

struct Vertex1 {
float X, Y, Z;
};

struct Vertex2 {
float X, Y, Z;
};

struct Vertex3 {
float X, Y, Z;
};
};

I am kind of new to this type of programming (OBJECT ORIENTED), what do you think would be the best way for setting up the scenario? I chose to use struct because there are no methods in this, just data.

I can think of a few other ways to do this, i.e using classes, or typedefine the vertex structure before putting it into the triangle struct, etc, etc.

Umm, I get errors when I try to access the variables
I am doing:

Code:

				TriangleVector[Index]->VertexA->X = XA;
				TriangleVector[Index]->VertexA->Y = YA;
				TriangleVector[Index]->VertexA->Z = ZA;

And my errors are:
--------------------Configuration: lesson1 - Win32 Debug--------------------
Compiling...
Lesson1.cpp
C:\Documents and Settings\04thibaultc\Desktop\re writing code!\10 - 2 02\Lesson1.cpp(865) : error C2273: 'function-style cast' : illegal as right side of '->' operator
C:\Documents and Settings\04thibaultc\Desktop\re writing code!\10 - 2 02\Lesson1.cpp(865) : error C2227: left of '->X' must point to class/struct/union
C:\Documents and Settings\04thibaultc\Desktop\re writing code!\10 - 2 02\Lesson1.cpp(866) : error C2273: 'function-style cast' : illegal as right side of '->' operator
C:\Documents and Settings\04thibaultc\Desktop\re writing code!\10 - 2 02\Lesson1.cpp(866) : error C2227: left of '->Y' must point to class/struct/union
C:\Documents and Settings\04thibaultc\Desktop\re writing code!\10 - 2 02\Lesson1.cpp(867) : error C2273: 'function-style cast' : illegal as right side of '->' operator
C:\Documents and Settings\04thibaultc\Desktop\re writing code!\10 - 2 02\Lesson1.cpp(867) : error C2227: left of '->Z' must point to class/struct/union
Error executing cl.exe.

lesson1.exe - 6 error(s), 0 warning(s)

3 ways.....

Public Inheritance - no good as triangle is not a vertex

Private Inheritance - no need to overload and vertex funcs...so no

Layering - Triangle has 3 vertex's so that's your boy!!!

Code:

struct Triangle {
VERTEXT V1,V2,V3;
}

And as each vertex has the same properties (just different values, use a single VERTEX data struct

<edit>damn - beaten.....</edit>

TriangleVector.push_back(new Triangle);

Its a pointer...

there must be another reason for that error because that's the only way i create vectors.

well anyway I'm at home now not at school and it is working here and that's all I really care about.

Okay I take that back this isn't working anymore, here is the code

Code:

        while(fin.good()) {
                TriangleVector.push_back(new Triangle);
                
                fin >> Dummy;

                fin >> XA;
                fin >> YA;
                fin >> ZA;

               
			

                fin >> Dummy;
                fin >> Dummy;

                fin >> XB;
                fin >> YB;
                fin >> ZB;               
           
                fin >> Dummy;
                fin >> Dummy;

                fin >> XC;
                fin >> YC;
                fin >> ZC;

				TriangleVector[Index]->VertexA->X = XA;
				TriangleVector[Index]->VertexA->Y = YA;
				TriangleVector[Index]->VertexA->Z = ZA;

Here is what I am actually using for the triangle struct:

Code:

struct Vertex {
	float X, Y, Z;
};
class Triangle{
	struct VertexA {
		float X, Y, Z;
	};
	struct VertexB {
		float X, Y, Z;
	};
	struct VertexC {
		float X, Y, Z;
	};
};
 vector<Triangle*>TriangleVector;

You can say it, I'm an idiot, but say that after you fix my problem

TriangleVector[Index]->VertexA->X = XA;

change to:

TriangleVector[Index]->VertexA.X = XA;