Thread: DrawDibDraw - Draw into back buffer instead of on screen

I figured I should just post my code:

Code:

void DrawScenery()
{
	DrawDibBegin(ImageHandle, HDCBack, 0, 0, BackBufferInfoPointer, 0, 0, DDF_BUFFER); // initiate to draw into back buffer
	DrawDibDraw(ImageHandle, HDCBack, 0, 0, BackgroundInfo.biWidth, BackgroundInfo.biHeight, BackgroundInfoPointer, BackgroundDataPointer, 0, 0, BackgroundInfo.biWidth, BackgroundInfo.biHeight, 0);
	DrawDibDraw(ImageHandle, HDCBack, Logo.XMain, Logo.YMain, LogoInfo.biWidth, LogoInfo.biHeight, LogoInfoPointer, LogoDataPointer, 0, 0, LogoInfo.biWidth, LogoInfo.biHeight, 0);
	DrawDibEnd(ImageHandle); // clear the flags
	
	if (DebugTest[0] == 0) // used for debugging
	{
		DebugTest[0] = 1; // so this test is processed only once
		DebugTest[1] = (int)BackBuffer[0]; // record the values, 255 means a fault with BitBlt, 0 means the back buffer remains unchanged - this gives 0
		DebugTest[2] = (int)BackBuffer[1439999]; // opposite corner to be sure on this - also gives 0
		// DebugTest[1] = HDCBack; // what is the value of the back buffer's HDC?  It shows a nonzero value - it's good
		// DebugTest[2] = BackBufferPointer; // What is the value of the back buffer's pointer?  It shows a nonzero value
		
		sprintf(DebugDetails, "The resulting values are %d and %d.", DebugTest[1], DebugTest[2]); // for debugging
		MessageBox(hwnd, DebugDetails, "Debug Results", MB_OK);
	}
	
	BitBlt(HDCScreen, 0, 0, WindowSizeBase.x, WindowSizeBase.y, HDCBack, 0, 0, SRCCOPY); // swaps the back and front buffers for displaying
	DrawDibBegin(ImageHandle, HDCScreen, 0, 0, ScreenBufferInfoPointer, 0, 0, 0); // initiate to draw into front buffer
	DrawDibDraw(ImageHandle, HDCScreen, 0, 0, ScreenBufferInfo.biWidth, ScreenBufferInfo.biHeight, ScreenBufferInfoPointer, ScreenBufferPointer, 0, 0, ScreenBufferInfo.biWidth, ScreenBufferInfo.biHeight, 0);
	DrawDibEnd(ImageHandle); // clear the flags
}

The pointers are good as they show a nonzero value, but what's happening is that the back buffer isn't being drawn into at all. The "background" one is an all-white image and the "logo" one is colorful. What shows up is an all-black display and from the debugging tests, this is because nothing is being drawn into the back buffer at all. Why is this? I suspect it has something to do with the flags or the improper use of DrawDibBegin. Any ideas?

The DrawDibDraw functions are good (returning 1), but the DrawDibBegin function, however, is failing, returning 0. Why is it failing?

I've tried everything I can come up with: swapping DrawDibDC's, using the DDF_BUFFER flag in the DrawDibDraw function itself, changed and updated the pointers, made sure the pointers are valid, everything. DrawDibBegin still fails for some reason and nothing draws into the back buffer (causing it to remain all black), both instances fail which causes DrawDibDraw to not work properly. Commenting out the DrawDibBegin and DrawDibEnd functions causes very strange artifacts to occur because the display is showing each image at different times (sometimes all black, then the bottom half of my test image, the top 1/4 next, all black, and so on). This is because two images are being drawn on screen at the same time. If I could get it to draw into a back buffer, it would display much more nicely. How do you get it to draw into the back buffer? At the top of my code, I have the buffers and things defined as follows, if that helps:

Code:

HDRAWDIB ImageHandle; // handle for the DrawDib DC
HDC HDCScreen; // pointer for front buffer, for rendering
BITMAPINFOHEADER ScreenBufferInfo;
LPBITMAPINFOHEADER ScreenBufferInfoPointer;
LPVOID ScreenBufferPointer;
unsigned char ScreenBuffer[1440000]; // front buffer, of which is to be displayed
HDC HDCBack; // pointer for buffer DC, for drawing into
BITMAPINFOHEADER BackBufferInfo;
LPBITMAPINFOHEADER BackBufferInfoPointer;
LPVOID BackBufferPointer;
unsigned char BackBuffer[1440000]; // back buffer, of which is to be drawn into

I checked the SDK documentation and I matched everything it stated, but nothing is working at all. Can anyone give any assistance to this?

Edit: Here's more code related to it:

Code:

void DrawScenery()
{
	DebugTest[1] = DrawDibBegin(ImageHandle, HDCBack, 0, 0, BackBufferInfoPointer, 0, 0, DDF_BUFFER); // initiate to draw into back buffer // it fails, returning 0
	DrawDibDraw(ImageHandle, HDCBack, 0, 0, BackgroundInfo.biWidth, BackgroundInfo.biHeight, BackgroundInfoPointer, BackgroundDataPointer, 0, 0, BackgroundInfo.biWidth, BackgroundInfo.biHeight, 0);
	DrawDibDraw(ImageHandle, HDCBack, Logo.XMain, Logo.YMain, LogoInfo.biWidth, LogoInfo.biHeight, LogoInfoPointer, LogoDataPointer, 0, 0, LogoInfo.biWidth, LogoInfo.biHeight, 0);
	DrawDibEnd(ImageHandle); // clear the flags
	
	BitBlt(HDCScreen, 0, 0, WindowSizeBase.x, WindowSizeBase.y, HDCBack, 0, 0, SRCCOPY); // swaps the back and front buffers for displaying
	DebugTest[2] = DrawDibBegin(ImageHandle, HDCScreen, 0, 0, ScreenBufferInfoPointer, 0, 0, 0); // initiate to draw into front buffer // it also fails, returning 0
	DrawDibDraw(ImageHandle, HDCScreen, 0, 0, ScreenBufferInfo.biWidth, ScreenBufferInfo.biHeight, ScreenBufferInfoPointer, ScreenBufferPointer, 0, 0, ScreenBufferInfo.biWidth, ScreenBufferInfo.biHeight, 0);
	DrawDibEnd(ImageHandle); // clear the flags
	
	if (DebugTest[0] == 0)
	{
		DebugTest[0] = 1; // so this test is processed only once
		// DebugTest[1] = (int)BackBuffer[0]; // record the values, 255 means a fault with BitBlt, 0 means the back buffer remains unchanged // these report 0 and 0
		// DebugTest[2] = (int)BackBuffer[1439999]; // opposite corner to be sure on this
		// DebugTest[1] = HDCBack; // what is the value of the back buffer's HDC?  It shows a nonzero value - it's good
		// DebugTest[2] = BackBufferPointer; // What is the value of the back buffer's pointer?  It shows a nonzero value
		// DebugTest[1] = HDCScreen; // shows a nonzero value
		// DebugTest[2] = ScreenBufferPointer; // nonzero again
		
		sprintf(DebugDetails, "The resulting values are %d and %d.", DebugTest[1], DebugTest[2]); // for debugging
		MessageBox(hwnd, DebugDetails, "Debug Results", MB_OK);
	}
}

void InitializeDrawing()
{
	// this initializes handles and headers
	ImageHandle = DrawDibOpen(); // set the DrawDib DC handle
	
	ScreenBufferInfo.biSize = 40; // the size of the struct, always 40 in my case (due to true color being used)
	ScreenBufferInfo.biWidth = WindowSizeBase.x; // display matches window interior size // 800 pixels
	ScreenBufferInfo.biHeight = WindowSizeBase.y; // 600 pixels
	ScreenBufferInfo.biPlanes = 1; // always 1
	ScreenBufferInfo.biBitCount = 24; // number of bits per pixel, always to be 24 for the display
	ScreenBufferInfo.biCompression = BI_RGB; // no compression used
	ScreenBufferInfo.biSizeImage = ScreenBufferInfo.biWidth*ScreenBufferInfo.biHeight*3; // width times height times bitcount divided by 8 gives the image data size
	ScreenBufferInfo.biXPelsPerMeter = 2835; // resolution in pixels per meter
	ScreenBufferInfo.biYPelsPerMeter = 2835;
	ScreenBufferInfo.biClrUsed = 0; // always 0 in my case
	ScreenBufferInfo.biClrImportant = 0; // same here
	ScreenBufferInfoPointer = &ScreenBufferInfo; // set the pointers
	ScreenBufferPointer = &ScreenBuffer;
	
	// Back buffer is identical in every way
	BackBufferInfo.biSize = 40; // the size of the struct, always 40 in my case (due to true color being used)
	BackBufferInfo.biWidth = WindowSizeBase.x; // display matches window interior size // 800 pixels
	BackBufferInfo.biHeight = WindowSizeBase.y; // 600 pixels
	BackBufferInfo.biPlanes = 1; // always 1
	BackBufferInfo.biBitCount = 24; // number of bits per pixel, always to be 24 for the display
	BackBufferInfo.biCompression = BI_RGB; // no compression used
	BackBufferInfo.biSizeImage = BackBufferInfo.biWidth*BackBufferInfo.biHeight*3; // width times height times bitcount divided by 8 gives the image data size
	BackBufferInfo.biXPelsPerMeter = 2835; // resolution in pixels per meter
	BackBufferInfo.biYPelsPerMeter = 2835;
	BackBufferInfo.biClrUsed = 0; // always 0 in my case
	BackBufferInfo.biClrImportant = 0; // same here
	BackBufferInfoPointer = &BackBufferInfo; // set the pointers
	BackBufferPointer = &BackBuffer;
}

These two functions are called from within the main function.

What do you mean by "native Win32 functions"? DrawDibDraw is the fastest of the image drawing functions that I've seen with only DirectX being faster, of which I want to avoid using. The SDK mentions it is possible to draw into a back buffer, but it doesn't explain at all how you do it. DrawDibBegin has the DDF_BUFFER flag that allows DrawDib to draw into a back buffer, but it fails no matter how I set it up and it's this that prevents it from working. I've searched Google and that's not getting me anywhere (the formatting I have is correct, the pointers are valid (nonzero), everything I can come up with. Just recently, I've spent 4 hours messing around with various configurations and settings but nothing works at all. DrawDibDraw uses so little CPU that it hardly shows anything in Windows Task Manager.

All I'm after is trying to get DrawDibDraw to draw into a back buffer. That's all I'm asking and this has been getting on my nerves for 3 or 4 days by now. It's either I use DrawDibDraw to draw the scenes, or, I use my custom-made function that really strains the CPU (40% usage for just 800x600 24-bit color and 512x384 24-bit color images being drawn at 60 fps). My 2D game that I made (and released in August of 2006), The Supernatural Olympics, has far, far more detail than my test program as it is (over 30 times as many pixels to draw, and even then, it still only uses 3% of the CPU and it's poorly designed) and it runs very smoothly (it was created with another tool, but that tool is full of limitations and annoyances, of which lead to the poor programming design). By drawing into a back buffer, I can BitBlt this to the screen buffer to be drawn then redraw the scene in the back buffer. I only need to get it to draw into the back buffer. It's all I'm asking.

Edit: DrawDibDraw and DrawDibBegin are explained here, but it doesn't explain how to use these to draw into a back buffer (and why DrawDibBegin is failing to begin with).

First in Windows GDI you are certainly going to strain the CPU. It was not designed with speed in mind - rather robustness.

To perform double buffering I setup two DC's and two bitmap's. This is really odd on the half of MS but a DC is NOT a drawing surface. A DC is a device context. In order to do anything with it you must select a bitmap object into it to use as a scratchpad. Now you can bitblt a bitmap with graphic information into a DC and everything works. In other words you cannot perform any type of drawing on a DC without a bitmap being selected into it. However you can bitblt a pre-loaded bitmap into the DC and it will display correctly. After this point you can also draw to the bitmap via the DC.

What you need to do is setup a memory DC with the same params as your OnPaint() DC. Instead of using the Window DC in your graphic functions you would use the memory DC. Then at the end of the drawing you would use a BitBlt from the memory DC to the Window DC and use SRC_COPY.

I have no idea what your functions do or how they operate but I can show you code (albeit MFC code) that does double buffering.

Here is a very small snippet from my setup code for my GDI based tile render class.

Code:

  m_pMemoryDC=new CDC();
  m_pMemoryDC->CreateCompatibleDC(GetDC());
  
  
  m_pMemoryBitmap=new CBitmap();
  m_pMemoryBitmap->CreateCompatibleBitmap(GetDC(),rect.Width(),rect.Height());

The memory bitmap is selected into the memory DC later in the code.
This is MFC code, but you should be able to port quite easily.