<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

merge_filter(display) Display Classes merge_filter(display)

NAME

merge_filter -- merges components from several display_data objects into one.

DESCRIPTION

merge_filter takes multiple display_data sources and combines various components of each into on display_data object. For example, it can extract the points, lines, and triangle strips of one, with the normals, scalars, and vectors of another. This is useful, for example, if you want to provide artificial scalar data (from another display_data object) to a display data object for which scalar values are undefined. Yes, one could hardcode an assignment to a single component of a display_data object (dd1 scalars=[dd2 scalars?]), but sometimes one doesn't want to have to access the dispay_data object in question. (For example, the display_data object may be the data_out of a filter in a long chain of filters. Accessing the data_out of one of those filters in the middle of a chain of generate_data messages would require breaking the filter hierarchy.)

SUPERCLASS

filter

INSTANCE VARIABLES

points_data_in, normals_data_in, scalars_data_in, vectors_data_in,
lines_data_in, triangle_strips_data_in, quad_meshes_data_in,

polygons_data_in String variables indicating the names of display_data objects from which to extract the corresponding component. For any component not specified, that component is extracted from the display_data object specified by the "data_in" instance variable by default.

MESSAGES

generate_data! Combines the components from the appropriate display_data objects and sends the output to the display_data object named by the "data_out" instance variable.

EXAMPLE

merge_filter new:mf1 data_in=dd1 scalars_data_in=sdd; ribbon_filter new:rf1 data_in= mf1 generate_data!;