This is an exclusive, screen saver version of the VB Snow program! I have been testing it as my default screen saver for a couple days now, and it works great! There is no config screen for it, but it works just like a normal screen saver should!
I added full screen support (640x480), real time rotating snowflakes (done with calculations, not different pictures, real-time mask generation, and all sorts of nifty stuff!
I fixed the full screen support to work much better, and added in multiple background support! You can add your own backgrounds in, just edit the backgrnd.dat file! Make sure they are 640x480 also, or it doesn't work well.
This new version also adds in support to make this program work as a screen saver! You can right click the .SCR file included in this zip, hit Install, and it works just like a normal screen saver! (Minus the password protection)
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nice work! Question: what function does the SRCAND bitblit perform? since you are redrawing the whole image at every iteration you don't really need to put a mask down. I commented it out and it still worked. The only reason I ask is that i've had similar probs animating with a BitBlt and could never quite get my head around when to use the "masking" and SRCAND RasterOp.
When I suggested rotating snow, I meant it as a *joke*!
Way to go! This is some very, very cool stuff. That rotation routine is worth its weight in gold. Congrats!
Now if you could just make a 3-D robotic snowman come out from behind the mountain and catch snowflakes on his tongue... (If this comment was disrespectful, please report it.)
Hmmm... 3D robots. That might take a little while. I'll save that for version 5. :)
As far as Bruce's question - I have no idea. I've always done the SRCAND and then the SRCPAINT, but it does work without the SRCAND... It really doesn't make much of a performance drop unless you have 5000 flakes going (which is too slow anyways... about 4fps here...)
Most of the rendering time is spent in the dots, since I guess MS spent more time optimizing BITBLT than SetPixel...
Glad everyone likes it!
Zane (If this comment was disrespectful, please report it.)
!!! I clicked the "Full Screen" button and it changed the display settings. I closed the program after that and it "restored" them. But my start menu was floating in the air!!! I don't know if it was just my computer doing that or if it is a bug. Thought I would just tell you that :) (If this comment was disrespectful, please report it.)
The full screen feature wasn't very well implemented in this version, I may post a new one in a day or so, that remembers which screen setting you used, etc...
This new version makes a dcecent screen saver, provided you turn off your normal one.
Zane (If this comment was disrespectful, please report it.)
I'm running windows 95 and using vb5, after unzipping the file, right clicking the .scr file, and trying to open it I get an error message that reads; required .dll file MSVBVM60.DLL was not found. Even trying to run the exe file gave me this message, any solutions. Grateful (If this comment was disrespectful, please report it.)
This program was written in VB6 - you need the VB Runtime files for this to work properly. They are available at just about any download site on the net. Try www.download.com and search for VB 6 runtime files.
You might try opening the .VBP file in notepad, remove the line which says RETAINED=? (0 or 1, I'm not sure) and then open it in VB5. It -might- work then, but I have no way of testing it.
Zane
(If this comment was disrespectful, please report it.)
Quality Code. I'm jealous :o) There's just 1 very slight problem that could make the whole lot end in tears:
The refresh rate is not restored when the app is terminated. Things could get very nasty if the one it defaults to is not suported by the monitor (I tested this on NT4sp6a btw). Prehaps using
'GetDeviceCaps(ByVal hdc As Long, ByVal nIndex As Long) as Long'
may be a more preferable method of retrieving the display information.
Anyway, fantastic :o)
Chris (If this comment was disrespectful, please report it.)
Very nice but I find it messes up my Desktop layout. I have a Restore Desktop program but that wouldn't work properly after running the scr. I had to restart so that I could reorder the Desktop icons.
(If this comment was disrespectful, please report it.)
contestwinner? mmm... I should start to write screensavers :-/ (If this comment was disrespectful, please report it.)
4/21/2005 10:11:48 PM:
It was written nearly 6 years ago, you didn't have to write a per pixel lighting 3d engine screensaver to win a contest back then :p
The stuff I write in VB now I couldn't post here, but it takes 8 high end PC systems to run one application, which is for military training. And it's all done in VB. (If this comment was disrespectful, please report it.)
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