Yet more debugging tips: 5) Set OSG_NOTIFY_LEVEL to either INFO or DEBUG and examine the output. OSG might be trying to well you why things are going wrong.
6) Run the osgUtil::Optimizer on your scene graph with the CHECK_GEOMETRY flag (to check for simple mistakes like not having enough colors in your color array when using BIND_PER_VERTEX). With OSG_NOTIFY_LEVEL set verbose enough, the Optimizer will display warnings if it encounters these types of issues. 7) Read the function comments in the header files for functions you use. This will help you avoid the accidental use of deprecated functions (like Geometry::setVertexIndices()) that are inefficient (but remain in OSG for compatibility reasons). Paul Martz Skew Matrix Software LLC http://www.skew-matrix.com +1 303 859 9466 -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Paul Martz Sent: Saturday, April 18, 2009 11:49 AM To: [email protected] Subject: [osg-users] OSG debugging tips Hi all -- It seems like there has been a rash of "help me debug my code"-type questions lately, so I thought I'd post a short list of debugging techniques and other aids to help people out. I hope people find this information to be useful. 1) You are a software engineer and you have the OSG source code. Use it. Step through it in a debugger. (Many of the posts I've seen lately indicate that the poster has not looked inside the OSG code at all. This is a great, free resource; learn to use it. The code doesn't lie.) 2) For simple rendering problems, use a tool like GLIntercept to capture the OpenGL calls. If you know OpenGL, this is a great way to track down why things don't render correctly. If you don't know OpenGL, buy the red book and learn it, otherwise you'll never be effective at coding OSG. 3) Here are a few ways to learn some basic OSG concepts that get covered in this email list very frequently: a) Buy/download the Quick Start Guide http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/openscenegraph-quick-start-guide/ 767629 There is a color version, b&w (which is cheaper), PDF (which is free), and a Chinese version. B) Search the mail list archives: http://groups.google.com/group/osg-users?hl=en If you're a beginner, your question has probably been discussed and answered multiple times. C) Get familiar with the OSG wiki: http://www.openscenegraph.org 4) If you really need professional help, consider purchasing a support contract from myself or Robert Osfield, or contracting with someone else on the list for support. You are more likely to get quality help if you pay for it. Paul Martz Skew Matrix Software LLC http://www.skew-matrix.com <http://www.skew-matrix.com/> +1 303 859 9466 _______________________________________________ osg-users mailing list [email protected] http://lists.openscenegraph.org/listinfo.cgi/osg-users-openscenegraph.org _______________________________________________ osg-users mailing list [email protected] http://lists.openscenegraph.org/listinfo.cgi/osg-users-openscenegraph.org
