Can I use C++ code in my game?

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SNK1337
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Can I use C++ code in my game?

Post by SNK1337 »

Hi everyone,

I recently read a bit about how to write C++ code that is usable within Lua here. I know that LÖVE itself is an example of C++ code that is used in Lua, however I have a question: Can LÖVE only handle pure Lua code, or could I, for example, write a vector library in C++ and use it within my Lua code, which I then open with LÖVE? If so, how can I include and use this C++ code?

Note: I don't intend to call any of LÖVE's functions in the C++ code, only create new functions to be used in my Lua code.
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Plu
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Re: Can I use C++ code in my game?

Post by Plu »

Löve is merely a framework; in the end it's still running Lua, which means you have access to everything Lua can do. Including the option to run C++ code from libraries you make.
DelishusCake
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Re: Can I use C++ code in my game?

Post by DelishusCake »

Of course you can! Just grab the love c++ source from BitBucket and get coding! Build instructions are on the wiki if you need help with dependencies or whatever.
SNK1337
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Re: Can I use C++ code in my game?

Post by SNK1337 »

Plu wrote:Löve is merely a framework; in the end it's still running Lua, which means you have access to everything Lua can do. Including the option to run C++ code from libraries you make.
Alright! I'm very new to all this, so could you maybe give me a quick rundown of the whole process of writing a function in C++, getting it into the Lua code and running that with LÖVE?
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OmarShehata
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Re: Can I use C++ code in my game?

Post by OmarShehata »

SNK1337 wrote:
Plu wrote:Löve is merely a framework; in the end it's still running Lua, which means you have access to everything Lua can do. Including the option to run C++ code from libraries you make.
Alright! I'm very new to all this, so could you maybe give me a quick rundown of the whole process of writing a function in C++, getting it into the Lua code and running that with LÖVE?
That would be really nice to know, if everyone can write that up!
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bartbes
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Re: Can I use C++ code in my game?

Post by bartbes »

I'd suggest against modifying love unless you need to interface with love's internals. And if you don't modify love, it's no different than using normal lua.
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kikito
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Re: Can I use C++ code in my game?

Post by kikito »

This is slightly out of my knowledge zone, but since LuaJIT has FFI you can probably implement a vector library in C directly on the .lua source of your game, without having to recompile LÖVE.

Or maybe do a hybrid implementation where some methods are implemented in C and others in Lua, using a C structure (passing the Lua -> C -> Lua barrier has a cost).

In any case, give a look at vrld's vector-light.lua. It's a plain-lua implementation, but it should go pretty fast, especially in LuaJIT. At least use it as a benchmark for your implementation - multiply 10k vectors with both libs and see if yours is really faster.
When I write def I mean function.
SNK1337
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Re: Can I use C++ code in my game?

Post by SNK1337 »

kikito wrote:This is slightly out of my knowledge zone, but since LuaJIT has FFI you can probably implement a vector library in C directly on the .lua source of your game, without having to recompile LÖVE.

Or maybe do a hybrid implementation where some methods are implemented in C and others in Lua, using a C structure (passing the Lua -> C -> Lua barrier has a cost).

In any case, give a look at vrld's vector-light.lua. It's a plain-lua implementation, but it should go pretty fast, especially in LuaJIT. At least use it as a benchmark for your implementation - multiply 10k vectors with both libs and see if yours is really faster.
FFI looks interesting, thanks for the link. Some things are still a bit unclear to me though, so I'd love if someone could just briefly write up the whole process of making a C++ function and using it in Lua with FFI. Also, could you expand on the hybrid implementation? I'm very new to this, and I think that's what I'd like to do, but I'm not sure if I completely understand.

By the way, I've already written a vector library in Lua which I'm very happy with (I can even use operators with vector tables! :D). The vector library was just an example, and I'd mostly like to include some C++ for training, the potential performance boost is secondary.
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kikito
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Re: Can I use C++ code in my game?

Post by kikito »

All I know is on the FFI link I sent. I have personally never used it.

Note that this won't allow you to "use C++". It will allow you to use (a subset of) C, as far as I know, but that's it.
When I write def I mean function.
SNK1337
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Re: Can I use C++ code in my game?

Post by SNK1337 »

kikito wrote:All I know is on the FFI link I sent. I have personally never used it.

Note that this won't allow you to "use C++". It will allow you to use (a subset of) C, as far as I know, but that's it.
Oops, I mean C functions in the case of FFI. Regardless, could you go a bit into detail about the hybrid implementation you were talking about?
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