[vtkusers] VTK + Gtk

[Luca Pallozzi Lavorante]

Hi Vincent, thank you very much for replying.
I will start playing with Gtkmm.
 
   Luca

Vincent Nicolas wrote:

>Hi Luca,
>
>  
>
>>I am planning the development of an application using VTK and GTk on 
>>Linux.
>>    
>>
>
>I think Gtkmm is a better way than using directly Gtk. Gtkmm is a C++ wrapper on top of Gtk ( pure C ). As VTK is in c++, it's really easier to stay in the same language.
>
>  
>
>>I think I must use two separate threads as both VTK and Gtk own
>>specific main loops.
>>I wonder which communication method between VTK  and  Gtk  is  better,
>>as I  suppose  it is not possible  to exchange  data directly between 
>>them via global variables.
>>    
>>
>
>With Gtk(mm), you can create two separate threads, one for GUI and the second for every VTK pipeline you want. 
>Gtkmm uses signals (from libsigc++ library) which allows communication between Gtkmm events/methods synchroneously ... so this could run into problems when dealing with threads ... the solution come from Gtk(mm) which add a Dispatcher method, it's an asynchronous signal. Gtk(mm) also add some method for creating thread and managing them. 
>
>Gtkmm doc on threads:
>http://www.gtkmm.org/gtkmm2/docs/reference/html/group__Threads.html
>
>Gtkmm doc on dispatcher: 
>http://www.gtkmm.org/gtkmm2/docs/reference/html/classGlib_1_1Dispatcher.html
>
>  
>
>>I think this is a crucial issue, as the Gtk GUI should be able to modify 
>>several visualization aspects controlled by VTK.
>>    
>>
>
>You are right, it's a crucial issue, except if you don't need smooth GUI and real time interraction between GUI and visualisation windows.
>
>  
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>>Can somebody help me understand which would be the most efficient way to 
>>do that? Is the multi-threaded approach right?
>>    
>>
>
>I'm writing such an application, and use the main loop for GUI, and create new threads when needed by VTK pipelines. Gtk::Dispatcher allow me to manage progress bar, "real time" modification of actors on scenes (color, opacity, add new actors, ...), loading multiple datas concurently, ...
>
>  
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>>Thanks in advance
>>
>>  Luca P. Lavorante
>>    
>>
>
>
>Vincent Nicolas
>-----------------------------------------
>Communications and Remote Sensing Lab.
>Universite catholique de Louvain
>vincent.nicolas at tele.ucl.ac.be
>+32 (0)10 478555
>http://www.tele.ucl.ac.be
>
>
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