Direct3D Lock/Unlock...

[yaya]

I'm having a really hard time grasping these simple little things in D3D. Anywho, why does this work:

	WORD* k = 0;

	HR(mIB->Lock(0, 0, (void**)&k, 0));

	WORD* b = mesh.GetIndexList();

	// loop through and put in individually
	for ( UINT i = 0; i < mesh.GetIndexCount(); ++i )
		k[ i ] = b[ i ];

	HR(mIB->Unlock());

and this doesn't:

	WORD* k = 0;

	HR(mIB->Lock(0, 0, (void**)&k, 0));

	// put in all at once
	WORD* k = mesh.GetIndexList();

	HR(mIB->Unlock());

assuming mesh.GetIndexList() returns a WORD* to an already-prepared array index list. Aren't these doing the same thing or have I got something different wrong altogether?

Thanks.

[VirtualAce]

What exactly are you confused about? Since I do not know what GetIndexList() does it is impossible for me to help without more information.

I will say that the lock()/unlock() is essentially when the data is sent to the graphics card VRAM.

[yaya]

Hmm... I guess my question is, what does Lock and Unlock do?

	WORD* k = 0;

	HR(mIB->Lock(0, 0, (void**)&k, 0));

	k[0] = 0; k[0] = 1; k[2] = 2;

	HR(mIB->Unlock());

In this example here, does Lock (the 3rd parameter) change where "k" is pointing to from the RAM to the VRAM? And does this mean the Unlock de-points it back to the RAM?

[tabstop]

I guess the difference between your original a and b is that the first is more akin to a memcopy (in fact, I'm pretty sure it could just as easily be a memcopy, assuming there's not something hardware going on) while the second makes k point somewhere else. If k is pointing somewhere specific, then you've just destroyed all that. (I don't actually know anything specific about lock, but if you're passing k in as a **, then presumably at the end of the function, k points somewhere specific.)