[gameprogrammer] Re: DirectX9 running in Internet Explorer / My apologies

First off, thank you all, particularly Kevin and Paulo, for your links and
advice... 

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to start another IE vs Firefox... IMHO Opera kicks
the crap out of both these browsers - FF has got its place though :)

The project I would be using this for would be running on Windows ONLY. Not
only that but it is not exactly for a website, the 'site' that currently
uses QTVR + Flash (inside the QT aarrrggh!) is to be installed on the hard
disk of a specific number of computers - I do not need to worry too much
about security as I'll probably be running the pages in a WebBrowser control
or in a HTA. The reason I wanted to run DX in the browser is because the
QTVR is dodgy, is a big file size, crashes QT intermittently, has dodgy
authoring software, is very limited etc etc etc... I just don't like it.
In my (recent) experience Shockwave 3D has been buggy and a pain in the bum,
so I started looking at alternatives. I spent a few hours playing with C#
and DirectX9 the other and was amazed at how easy it was to recreate a lot
of the functionality I was after plus have so many options for expansion. I
figured writing an ActiveX control for a webpage (or HTA) would take a
little more time than finding alternative software, purchasing, learning,
fixing etc etc etc... and the benefits of doing it myself would be that I
had all the say in what we could and couldn't do.

The ideal solution to my problem would be to have an exe file that opens up
a full screen directx window that has the pseudo QTVR (actually just an
image on a sphere) loaded up where you can click on hotspots and a 'webpage'
comes up with information, the webpage will include text, pictures,
navigation/links, Flash animations and activities. Can you render a
WebBrowser control on to a directx surface?

If I go the AX control working I'm positive we would end up doing some
proper 3D stuff in this project and we would definitely re-use it in the
future.

So... they were my reasons for asking and once again sorry for all the
firefox vs ie crap. Firefox is clearly better and more and more people are
starting to use it. Its really nice to be able to develop a webpage with
some Javascript that actually works across all modern browsers without a
whole bunch of if's.

Thanks for listening :)
Triston.


> -----Original Message-----
> From: gameprogrammer-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:gameprogrammer-
> bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Kevin Jenkins
> Sent: Wednesday, 10 August 2005 2:16 AM
> To: gameprogrammer@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: [gameprogrammer] Re: DirectX9 running in Internet Explorer
> 
> You can use any Microsoft supported language actually since Active X is
> a specification and not a language or code in itself.  I'm not sure if
> you can do Active X as an exe or not.  You can use DirectX, but you'll
> have to write your own renderer or find a totally open source solution.
> 
> I haven't found any good resources on the net.  Most of my information
> comes from the windows help context.  The most comprehensive link I've
> found so far is
> http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/malmobcode/chapter/ch11.html
> 
> You'll need these links before you publish
> Licensing ActiveX Controls
> http://msdn.microsoft.com/workshop/components/activex/licensing.asp
> 
> Packing ActiveX Controls
> http://msdn.microsoft.com/workshop/components/activex/packaging.asp
> 
> My blog is at http://www.rakkar.org/blog .  I didn't intend to write a
> blog of nothing but complaints but that's what it's turned out to be as
> a result of working with MFC :)
> 
> Triston O'Connor wrote:
> 
> > So I have to code it in C++, would I have to do everything in C++? Or
> could
> > I... err yeah reading from your last few emails I gather I could write a
> dll
> > (in say C#) or even exe that uses directx and renders to the ActiveX
> > control's window? I'll have a bit of a play around with it.
> >
> > Do you know any good resources for creating ActiveX MFC Controls, I've
> never
> > done it before?
> >
> > Where is your blog?
> >
> > Thanks
> > Triston.
> >
> >
> >>-----Original Message-----
> >>From: gameprogrammer-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:gameprogrammer-
> >>bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Kevin Jenkins
> >>Sent: Tuesday, 9 August 2005 12:28 PM
> >>To: gameprogrammer@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> >>Subject: [gameprogrammer] Re: DirectX9 running in Internet Explorer
> >>
> >>It's hard as hell to be frank.  If you were to read my blog you would
> >>see just how much I've been complaining about this.
> >>
> >>Basically, you create an Active X MFC control.  Then you take the
> >>output, package it in a cab, pay $100-$400 to get a digital signature,
> >>and lastly embed it in the webpage.
> >>
> >>Triston O'Connor wrote:
> >>
> >>
> >>>Hey all,
> >>>
> >>>I'm wondering how hard it would be to write some sort of plugin
> (ActiveX
> >>>control?) for IE 6 that runs much like the WMP or QT ones do. I'd like
> >>
> >>to be
> >>
> >>>able to use the <object> tags to plonk some 3D stuff right in the
> middle
> >>
> >>of
> >>
> >>>a page.
> >>>
> >>>I've been looking in to ActiveX controls a bit but am not sure how to
> >>
> >>get
> >>
> >>>these to run inside of IE. Can I write them in C#? How?
> >>>
> >>>*ANY* help would be appreciated.
> >>>
> >>>Thanks
> >>>Triston.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
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> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>
> >>
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> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
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