Frequently Asked Questions

  1. What is Titan?
  2. Do I have to use OpenPTC?
  3. Do I have to link all the file handlers if I just use one format?
  4. I can't get it to compile
  5. I've found a bug!
  6. Where can I get the latest version of Titan?
  7. Where can I get OpenPTC?
  8. Where can I get libJpeg?
  9. Where can I get libPNG?
  10. Where can I get libZ?
  11. What else is Titan going to be used for?

What is Titan?

Titan is an add-on library for OpenPTC. It allows images to be loaded onto an OpenPTC surface, or images to be saved from an OpenPTC surface.

Do I have to use OpenPTC?

Yes, at the moment at least. I'm going to remove the OpenPTC references from the core code soon, so people can choose which graphics system they use. Planned systems are -

  • PTC
  • Raw memory (for those of you who code your own graphics routines)
  • Allegro
  • Anything else I feel like trying (DirectDraw?)

    The library will use exactly the same syntax as it does now for current PTC/Titan users. So they need not worry about having to change their code. It shouldn't be much different for the other systems.

    If you still just can't wait, rip the source. Just mention that it is based on Titan, and include the web address (http://now.at/Titan) in your docs. But remember, if you distribute the source to your application/library, you MUST make the original, unmodified Titan archive available as well, or at least provide a link to it.

    Do I have to link all the file handlers if I just use one format?

    No.
    At the top of source/contents.h are a load of #define USE_*** lines. Just comment out any you don't want support for. If you want jpeg support, edit the projects/makefiles so that libjpeg gets linked in. If you want PNG support, put libPNG and libZ into the makefiles.

    I can't get it to compile

    Have you followed the instructions in the manual to set up Titan properly?

    I've found a bug!

    First of all, see if it's already known, check the BUGS file.
    If it isn't documented, mail Dan Brown

    Where can I get the latest version of Titan?

    http://now.at/Titan

    There are three versions of Titan normally available for download, the last full release, the last beta release, and the latest snapshot. The full release is pretty much bug-free and stable. The beta release will have new features, but won't be quite as well tested. The snapshot will have the latest version that the developers are working on, which should be ok most of the time, but new features will be almost untested and have very little up to date documentation.

    Where can I get PTC?

    http://www.gaffer.org

    Where can I get libJpeg?

    ftp://ftp.uu.net/graphics/jpeg/jpgsrc.v6b.tar.gz

    Where can I get libPNG?

    http://www.cdrom.com/pub/png/

    Where can I get libZ?

    http://www.cdrom.com/pub/infozip/zlib/

    What else is Titan going to be used for?

    I am going to write a PTC port, using Titan as an output medium. This means that instead of getting PTC for a specific platform (DOS/Windows/Linux) it will be portable, and instead of rendering to a screen, it will create an animation file. This means anyone who writes a demo or anything speed-critical with PTC can also link it to ptc-titan. A good example of this is the Mojo demo distributed with PTC, it looks great, but on my computer it is very slow. With ptc-titan, it can be generated as a .FLI and watched at 70 frames per second! I am certainly looking forward to that.

    This page © 1999 Dan Brown
    The latest version of Titan can be found at http://now.at/Titan