al_set_new_bitmap_samples(3alleg5)

💖 al_set_new_bitmap_samples 💖

okay bestie, so this one is from the Allegro 5 API — like, the whole manual, the allegro5 set, and this page is specifically about al_set_new_bitmap_samples. yes it's a mouthful. we love her anyway. 🫶

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✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

#include <allegro5/allegro.h>

void al_set_new_bitmap_samples(int samples)

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🌸 DESCRIPTION 🌸

so this function sets the multi-sampling samples that brand-new bitmaps use — and important detail, it's on the current thread only, bestie. and this matters if those bitmaps get used with al_set_target_bitmap(3alleg5). okay? okay. 💅

let's talk numbers, because numbers are the whole vibe here:

• 0 — multi-sampling is not used when you're drawing into the bitmap. this is the default. yes, the default is zero. she's lowkey shy.
• 1 — multi-sampling is used, but only with a single sample per pixel. so basically there's usually no visual difference from not using multi-sampling at all. it's giving "I did the thing but the thing changed nothing" 😭

Note: some platforms have restrictions on when the multi-sampling buffer for a bitmap is realized — meaning down-scaled back to the actual bitmap dimensions. this may only happen after a call to al_set_target_bitmap(3alleg5). so like, for example:

al_set_target_bitmap(multisample);
al_clear_to_color(blue);
al_draw_line(0, 0, 100, 100, red, 1);
al_lock_bitmap(multisample, ...)
// ERROR: the contents of the bitmap will be undefined

al_set_target_bitmap(backbuffer);
al_lock_bitmap(multisample, ...)
// CORRECT: at this point, the bitmap contents are updated and
// there will be an anti-aliased line in it.

so the first one? undefined contents. not a vibe. the second one? anti-aliased line, correct contents, main character behavior. 👑

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⭐ SINCE ⭐

5.2.1 — periodt.

[Unstable API]: this is an experimental feature and currently only works for the OpenGL backend. so if you're on some other backend, bestie, this is not your moment yet. 🙈

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and that's the whole page!! this was the Allegro reference manual, 3alleg5 edition — the footer had no date on it, which is very mysterious of her, but the source and version are al_set_new_bitmap_samples(3alleg5) from the Allegro reference manual. slay, stay multi-sampled, mwah 💖✨🎀