text alignment with TextRenderer / VTextRenderer ?

Programming Questions

danielseg..

text alignment with TextRenderer / VTextRenderer ?

in Programming Questions • 3 years ago

How would you go about controlling the alignment of the text when using the OpenGL TextRenderer Class? (this is what the VTextRenderer uses)

http://download.java.net/media/jogl/jogl-2.x-docs/com/sun/opengl/util/awt/TextRenderer.html

The class doesn't offer any members dealing with this (that I can see). Do you think I will need to create a custom String formattor to replicate the typical textAlign(RIGHT) kind of field? But I can't believe there isn't already an easy way somewhere in the bowels of java.

thanks for your help
daniel

Replies(15)

danielseg..

Re: text alignment with TextRenderer / VTextRenderer ?

3 years ago

Update:

Actually a custom String formatter is a lot easier than I thought:
Adding this to the VTextRenderer class seems to do the trick, at least for LEFT and RIGHT.

void print( String str, int x, int y, String alignment){
if(alignment=="RIGHT"){
    int w = str.length();
    print(str, x - int(w * _fontSize * .5), y);
} else if(alignment=="LEFT"){
    print(str, x, y);
}

jeff_g

Re: text alignment with TextRenderer / VTextRenderer ?

3 years ago

Does TextRenderer provide better performance or better font rendering? Just wondering what the use case is...

danielseg..

Re: text alignment with TextRenderer / VTextRenderer ?

3 years ago

It creates much smoother, anti-aliased, OpenGL text.
I may have overlooked it, but I never found a way to get processing to anti-alias text. If the standard processing text doesn't bother you than there's no use. But the pixelized, fuzzy look, especially at small font sizes, really bothered me.

Some more comment on TextRender here:
http://weblogs.java.net/blog/2007/01/23/java-2d-and-jogl-flip-side

jeff_g

Re: text alignment with TextRenderer / VTextRenderer ?

3 years ago

That's awesome! Think you might be able to post a quick little example code for us? I'd like to give it a try.

I tried to do a quick " import com.sun.opengl.util.awt.TextRenderer;" but it couldn't find it.

danielseg..

Re: text alignment with TextRenderer / VTextRenderer ?

3 years ago

Sure, it's all in this class by Victor Martins
http://www.pixelnerve.com/v/2009/03/08/text-render-for-javaprocessing-using-opengl/

You import the library 'com.sun.opengl.util.* , but 'TextRenderer' is a class within that library that you call later, which is documented in the link I put in the first post (with constructors, fields, methods - just like any other class). The VTextRenderer takes care of all that for you though.

And you can throw in the code I posted, as another method, if you want RIGHT alignment.

jeff_g

Re: text alignment with TextRenderer / VTextRenderer ?

3 years ago

When I try to run it, it says "The constructor TextRenderer(Font, boolean, boolean, null, boolean) is undefined".

danielseg..

Re: text alignment with TextRenderer / VTextRenderer ?

3 years ago

I guess it won't let you input 'null' for the 'TextRender.RenderDelegate' field. Try one of the constructors that doesn't ask for that (the first three- see below : from the documentation). Or you can just use the VTextRenderer, which handles all of this for you.

TextRenderer(Font font)
Creates a new TextRenderer with the given font, using no antialiasing or fractional metrics, and the default RenderDelegate.

TextRenderer(Font font, boolean mipmap)
Creates a new TextRenderer with the given font, using no antialiasing or fractional metrics, and the default RenderDelegate.

TextRenderer(Font font, boolean antialiased, boolean useFractionalMetrics)
Creates a new TextRenderer with the given Font, specified font properties, and default RenderDelegate.

TextRenderer(Font font, boolean antialiased, boolean useFractionalMetrics, TextRenderer.RenderDelegate renderDelegate)

Creates a new TextRenderer with the given Font, specified font properties, and given RenderDelegate.

TextRenderer(Font font, boolean antialiased, boolean useFractionalMetrics, TextRenderer.RenderDelegate renderDelegate, boolean mipmap)

Creates a new TextRenderer with the given Font, specified font properties, and given RenderDelegate.

danielseg..

Re: text alignment with TextRenderer / VTextRenderer ?

3 years ago

Oh, I see- you ARE using the VTextRenderer. Hmmm, I don't remember having that issue. Can't imagine why it would work differently. Well, you can still modify the class as I described above. Change this line (it occurs twice):

_textRender = new TextRenderer( new Font(fontName, Font.TRUETYPE_FONT, size), true, true, null, true );

_textRender = new TextRenderer( new Font(fontName, Font.TRUETYPE_FONT, size), true, true);

jeff_g

Re: text alignment with TextRenderer / VTextRenderer ?

3 years ago

Should have mentioned that I tried that... no luck, same error.

danielseg..

Re: text alignment with TextRenderer / VTextRenderer ?

3 years ago

I guess the other option is that there is something going wrong with importing the library (which is why it can't find the class at all). I would double-check that you have these:

import java.text.*;
import com.sun.opengl.util.*;
import com.sun.opengl.util.j2d.*;

And also this, before setup():

import processing.opengl.*;

And that you're using OpenGL:

size(screenW..,screenH...., OPENGL);

Or maybe those are obvious, but I can't think of any other reason.

pixelnerve

Re: text alignment with TextRenderer / VTextRenderer ?

3 years ago

Hi, glad someone found vtext useful and is improving it.

jeff, as for not being able to compile it. maybe you're missing a import to Font. i had that problem when i tried new versions of processing where you actually need to import everything yourself so give this a try:

import java.awt.Font;
import com.sun.opengl.util.j2d.TextRenderer;

jeff_g

Re: text alignment with TextRenderer / VTextRenderer ?

3 years ago

Thanks, That fixed it! :-)

jeff_g

Re: text alignment with TextRenderer / VTextRenderer ?

3 years ago

Quick test showed they look good, but a PFont is faster. I need speed, so I'll have to pass. Very cool though.

guess

Re: text alignment with TextRenderer / VTextRenderer ?

2 years ago

I'm curious to know the speed difference between PFont and the nifty VTextRenderer?
How did you test it exactly?

jeff_g

Re: text alignment with TextRenderer / VTextRenderer ?

2 years ago

Pretty sure I just observed the framerate while rendering a bunch of text.

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