Subject: R386 menus

From: [email-masked]
Date: Thu, 14 Oct 93 10:00:05 +0100

I think r386 should implement menus this way:

FIRST it should implement an idea that I suggested to Dave and Bernie quite
a while ago; Surface polygons. Surface polygons would always be drawn after
some other polygon was drawn (would never need sorting) and ONLY if that 
other polygon WAS drawn, sort of a sub-list of object for an object that
is drawn in the order they appear in the list, AFTER the "master" object
and only IF the master object is on-screen they are even considered.
This could be used to implement markings and other "surface" or "texure"
like polygons like e.g. make something look like wood with a bunch of
brown 2 vertex polygons (lines) made as "Surface polygons" to the main
big polygon that is e.g. the table top....?

To simplify this these "Surface polygons" should perhaps be defined in 2d,
to save space and transformations adding speed? (but requiring more code
in R386 than today though - a 3d version would require neraly NO code
additions in R386 except that some objects are not sorted!).

Well, over to text. In AutoCAD there is a file format known as SHX (shape)
files. These are a pretty quick-n-efficient storage for text (relative
vectors and such junk bit 'n byte padded e.t.c.) To come up with a similar
fast-interpreted 2D drawing language would be trivial. Then give R386 the
ability to draw text via this functionallity....

Well, just some random ideas....

/Z