Scene vs. World Buffer

[TMKeys]

Hello everyone. I apologize if this question has been asked before, and please direct me to the appropriate topic if so.

I am new to Play Basic but a seasoned VB programmer. The PB help files are certainly helpful but I am having trouble understanding the difference between the Scene and the World buffers, in an applied sense. Can anyone shed some light on these features?

[kevin]

Here's a quick flow chart.

[TMKeys]

I'll be darned, I drew this same chart up last night while reading through the helps. I wasn't sure if I was thinking about it correctly but it looks like it. Thanks.

[kevin]

The scene is nothing more than a dynamic list of gfx elements that have been captured this frame.    When the camera draws, it translates what ever is currently in the scene buffer to it's output surface.   So to use the camera we need to feed the scene buffer with items from some place.  

 When the camera renders, it automatically clips, sorts and translates the capture gfx elements from world space coords into screen space coordinates.  In other words, it works out what's in view for us.

  Worlds on the other hand should be considered as static database once their built (partitioned).  While you can toggle the visibility of a any capture element, that's about all you can do at this point.    

   How worlds fit into the picture, is they allow us to lay out a world of static gfx items (or collision worlds), then be able to feed  portion(s) of this directly into the scene buffer at will.  Once the elements are in the scene buffer, we can mix and match world elements with dynamically captured elements at will.  

 While it's a bit clumsier than i'd like, it does allow you blend everything together.

[TMKeys]

Very good, I appreciate your clarification. I have to thank you for your quick response; it's good to see such a supportive administration for this kind of endeavor.