scene_gap(3alleg4)

💖 scene_gap 💖

okay bestie, so you know how this is scene_gap from the Allegro manual — that iconic game programming library we all stan? yeah. she's a global float and she's lowkey the main character of your z-sorting drama. let's get into it 🫶

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

#include <allegro.h>

extern float scene_gap;

🌸 DESCRIPTION 🌸

so scene_gap is literally just a number — default value = 100.0 — and it controls the behaviour of the z-sorting algorithm. no cap, that's her whole job. 💅

here's the tea: when an edge is very close to another's polygon plane, there's this interval of uncertainty where you genuinely cannot tell which object is visible — like, which z is smaller?? nobody knows. 😭 and it's not your fault, bestie, it's because of cumulative numerical errors for edges that have undergone a lot of transformations and interpolations. the math gets a lil tired, okay?

so what does the default value actually mean? it means that if the 1/z values (in projected space) differ by only 1/100 — that's one percent, queen — they get considered equal, and then the x-slopes of the planes are used to figure out which plane is getting closer as we move to the right. it's giving tiebreaker energy. ⚖️✨

now for the vibe check on tuning her:

• Larger values means narrower margins, and that increases the chance of missing true adjacent edges/planes. 🙈
• Smaller values means larger margins, and that increases the chance of mistaking close polygons for adjacent ones. 💀

the value of 100 is close to the optimum. 👑 but heads up — the optimum shifts slightly with resolution, and it may be application-dependent. so yeah, it's not a one-size-fits-all situation. it's here for you to fine-tune. 🎀

ngl, don't just set it and forget it. she's sensitive. tune her with intention. 🦋

🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

• create_scene(3alleg4)
• clear_scene(3alleg4)
• destroy_scene(3alleg4)
• render_scene(3alleg4)
• scene_polygon3d(3alleg4)

and that's the whole page, bestie — go forth and sort those z's ✨💖

mwah 💋 this was Allegro, version 4.4.3, and yeah she's scene_gap(3alleg4) — periodt. 🎀