Sprite Animation

Abstract

All the Windows 98 facilities needed to produce a graphics application have now been discussed — this chapter starts to look at methods of utilizing these building blocks. In particular the chapter discusses the 2D images known as ‘sprites’ which move independently about the screen — later chapters will develop techniques for generating the computer representation of an entire 3D virtual world. Nonetheless, the essential animation techniques covered here are common to both 2D and 3D applications. The main topics include:

• the SPRITE class

• basic computer animation

• avoiding flicker with a back buffer

• transparent pixels

• manipulating bitmap image bits directly

• driving an animation with a timer

• accepting user input from the keyboard

• thread synchronization techniques