What is the proper way to use Serum_ColorizeOrApplyRotations?

[jsm174]

To support serum rotations, libpinmame was recently updated to call OnDisplayUpdated on every cycle regardless of if the frame actually changed or not. To know if the frame changed, p_displayData will not be null.

So the new loop for OnDisplayUpdated in VPX Standalone is like this:

if (Serum_ColorizeOrApplyRotations(pController->m_pDmdData, p_displayLayout->width, p_displayLayout->height, pController->m_dmdPalette, NULL))
   pController->m_dmdUpdate = true;

if (pController->m_dmdUpdate)
   pController->m_zedmd.RenderColoredGray6(pController->m_pDmdData, pController->m_dmdPalette, p_displayLayout->width, p_displayLayout->height);

Upon calling Serum_ColorizeOrApplyRotations, if it is a new frame, I'm assuming m_pDmdData and m_dmdPalette get changed. If it is just a rotation, I'm guessing only m_dmdPalette should be changing?

I'm seeing this strange behavior where in Scared Stiff, the Press Start is getting a weird background. In Tron, I get a flickering box to the left of the Participate In Local Tournaments.

IMG_1261.mp4

trn.mp4

Should m_pDmdData, always be the non-changed frame from libpinmame or is Serum_ColorizeOrApplyRotations smart enough to just update the palette in these situations?

[jsm174]

Yesterday I noticed the flicker in SS, only happens when not having 1/2 credit:

flicker_short_3.mp4

In Tron I noticed I didn't get the flicker (but I don't get the stripe) if I built standalone with GCC as opposed to Clang. Whenever I've seen weird GCC / Clang differences, it was usually because a variable wasn't initialized??

trn_gcc.mp4

Just a thought.. @mkalkbrenner

[mkalkbrenner]

To support serum rotations, libpinmame was recently updated to call OnDisplayUpdated on every cycle regardless of if the frame actually changed or not. To know if the frame changed, p_displayData will not be null.

This makes sense if you want to render directly on the screen using libserum.
If you want to drive ZeDMD, this is the wrong way. ZeDMD handles the rotations on its own and should only receive a new frame if it changed.

[mkalkbrenner]

BTW with PPUC, color rotations work perfectly well on ZeDMD. But my local copy still uses an older libpinmame checkout.

[jsm174]

Take ZeDMD out of the equation.

https://github.com/vpinball/vpinball/blob/e032d19cdc97830803477a6f21b29c9a92d5a522/standalone/inc/serum/Serum.cpp#L44-L64

https://github.com/vpinball/vpinball/blob/e032d19cdc97830803477a6f21b29c9a92d5a522/standalone/inc/vpinmame/VPinMAMEController.cpp#L106-L134

[jsm174]

Here are the several different versions I have tried:

bool Serum::Convert(UINT8* frame, UINT8* dstFrame, UINT8* dstPalette)
{
   if (frame)
      memcpy(m_frame, frame, m_frameSize);

   unsigned int triggerId;

   if (Serum_ColorizeOrApplyRotations(m_frame, m_width, m_height, m_palette, &triggerId)) {
      memcpy(dstFrame, m_frame, m_frameSize);
      memcpy(dstPalette, m_palette, 192);

      return true;
   }

   return false;
}

Result: Flicker. Rotations seem to have correct timing

S1.mp4

bool Serum::Convert(UINT8* frame, UINT8* dstFrame, UINT8* dstPalette)
{
   if (!frame)
      return false;
   
   memcpy(m_frame, frame, m_frameSize);

   unsigned int triggerId;

   if (!Serum_Colorize(m_frame, m_width, m_height, m_palette, m_rotations, &triggerId))
      return false;

   memcpy(dstFrame, m_frame, m_frameSize);
   memcpy(dstPalette, m_palette, 192);

   return true;
}

Result: No flicker. No Rotation.

s2.mp4

bool Serum::Convert(UINT8* frame, UINT8* dstFrame, UINT8* dstPalette)
{
   if (frame)
      memcpy(m_frame, frame, m_frameSize);

   unsigned int triggerId;

   if (Serum_Colorize(m_frame, m_width, m_height, m_palette, m_rotations, &triggerId)) {
       memcpy(dstFrame, m_frame, m_frameSize);
       memcpy(dstPalette, m_palette, 192);

       return true;
   }

   return false;
}

Result: No flicker. No Rotation.

s3.mp4

bool Serum::Convert(UINT8* frame, UINT8* dstFrame, UINT8* dstPalette)
{
   bool update = false;

   if (frame) {
       memcpy(m_frame, frame, m_frameSize);

       unsigned int triggerId;

       update = Serum_Colorize(m_frame, m_width, m_height, m_palette, m_rotations, &triggerId);
   }
   else {
       update = Serum_ApplyRotations(m_palette, m_rotations);
   }

   if (update) {
      memcpy(dstFrame, m_frame, m_frameSize);
      memcpy(dstPalette, m_palette, 192);
   }

   return update;
}

Result: No flicker. Rotation at incorrect speed

s4.mp4

[mkalkbrenner]

I assume, we solved that issue

[jsm174]

yup, fixed with

40fb09c#diff-78c29ad0d127b90fa71e2834b6ddac5f31f30df50d80c64cac80b9eab1708a19R899

Thank you @mkalkbrenner and @zesinger for the countless questions and research on this.

Below is the correct way to use this function:

bool Serum::Convert(UINT8* frame, UINT8* dstFrame, UINT8* dstPalette)
{
   if (frame)
      memcpy(m_frame, frame, m_frameSize);

   unsigned int triggerId;

   bool update = Serum_ColorizeOrApplyRotations(frame ? m_frame : NULL, m_width, m_height, m_palette, &triggerId);

   if (update) {
      memcpy(dstFrame, m_frame, m_frameSize);
      memcpy(dstPalette, m_palette, 192);
   }

   return update;
}

[zesinger]

My pleasure, I'm happy I eventually fixed that issue!