[Marble-devel] Ideas about dynamic textures

[Miguel A. Vilariño]

Hello list;

I'm developing a browser for a meteorological database, and I I'm using the
marble widget for displaying meteorological data. With the render plugin
system I can draw vectorial graphics without any problem.

Now I would want to be able to draw textures like the ones provided as
sample maps with marble (temperature in december) but allowing the user to
select the time, date and altitude from the GUI and then generating the
texture from the meteorological data in my database. I would need to update
the map's texture at the user request, and I need to generate the tile image
on the fly because my meteorological database is rather big and I cannot
store all my data to render in jpg.

For all this to work I am thinking on doing the following:
- Use the server layout LatLonBoxServerLayout, in order to send in the URL
the box that needs updating.
- Create a network plugin in order to capture the Http jobs, and instead of
getting the data by Http, generate the image from the data in my database on
request.
- When the user changes the time or altitude displayed, refresh the tiles
cleaning the tiles cache or maybe only the visible tiles (I don't know if
there is a specific method in the map or widget to do this) and forcing
marble to "download" the tiles using my network plugin.

I just wanted to explain the solution I'm thinking. Maybe it is too
convoluted and there is an easier way of doing all this stuff without the
hack of creating a network plugin. I'm also thinking in modifying marble
widget's interface in order to easily swap the textures when needed as an
alternative.

Now it would be very helpful to me if some marble expert in the list can
give me some insight on this or other possible approach.

Anyway, thanks to all marble devs, it's a fantastic piece of software.

Regards,

Miguel A.
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