Package org.lwjgl.openal

Class SOFTBufferSamples

java.lang.Object
org.lwjgl.openal.SOFTBufferSamples
public class SOFTBufferSamples extends Object
Native bindings to the SOFT_buffer_samples extension.

This extension provides a more flexible mechanism for loading buffer data, as well as a method to retrieve buffer data. Unextended OpenAL only provides a method to specify a single buffer format when loading data, which defines the data given by the application. The AL is given leeway in converting the data, so that it is possible or more efficient to use internally. However, there are some drawbacks to this approach:

  • The conversion done by the implementation is hidden from the app. This makes it difficult for the app to know what kind of precision it will have, and impossible to request a storage precision.
  • Conversion is not guaranteed, so the application can be restricted in the formats that can be loaded depending on the implementation.

If the application could specify the internal storage format, as well as use a separate format to specify the incoming data's format, it would allow to add more input formats (signed 8-bit, 32-bit int, and float, for example), with no undue burden placed on the implementation beyond needing some conversion routines. The application can then be assured that many different formats can be loaded, even if storage is restricted to a comparatively small subset.

In addition, unextended OpenAL does not have any methods for updating only a portion of a buffer, nor a method to retrieve the data from a buffer.