Animating Custom Cursors
Can I animate my custom cursor by loading multiple images? How would I implement a cursor that changes appearance?
Creating an animated cursor requires managing multiple frames and handling animation timing. Here's a complete implementation:
#include <SDL.h>
#include <SDL_image.h>
#include <vector>
#include <string>
class AnimatedCursor {
public:
AnimatedCursor(
const std::vector<std::string>& imagePaths,
int frameDelay
) : FrameDelay{frameDelay} {
// Load all animation frames
for (const auto& path : imagePaths) {
SDL_Surface* surface{IMG_Load(path.c_str())};
if (!surface) {
continue;
}
SDL_Cursor* cursor{SDL_CreateColorCursor(
surface, 0, 0)};
SDL_FreeSurface(surface);
if (cursor) {
Frames.push_back(cursor);
}
}
LastUpdate = SDL_GetTicks();
}
~AnimatedCursor() {
for (auto cursor : Frames) {
SDL_FreeCursor(cursor);
}
}
void Update() {
if (Frames.empty()) {
return;
}
Uint32 now{SDL_GetTicks()};
if (now - LastUpdate >= FrameDelay) {
CurrentFrame = (CurrentFrame + 1) % Frames.size();
SDL_SetCursor(Frames[CurrentFrame]);
LastUpdate = now;
}
}
private:
std::vector<SDL_Cursor*> Frames;
size_t CurrentFrame{0};
Uint32 LastUpdate;
const int FrameDelay;
};Here's how to use it:
int main() {
SDL_Init(SDL_INIT_VIDEO);
// Create animated cursor with frame images
std::vector<std::string> frames{
"cursor_frame1.png",
"cursor_frame2.png",
"cursor_frame3.png",
"cursor_frame4.png"
};
AnimatedCursor cursor{frames, 100};// 100ms per frame
// Game loop
bool running{true};
while (running) {
SDL_Event event;
while (SDL_PollEvent(&event)) {
if (event.type == SDL_QUIT) {
running = false;
}
}
cursor.Update();
// Rest of game loop...
}
SDL_Quit();
return 0;
}This implementation provides a smooth animation by switching between cursor frames at regular intervals. The FrameDelay value controls animation speed - lower values create faster animations.
For better performance, consider using SDL's texture system for cursor animation if you're using the bespoke rendering approach from the lesson rather than SDL_CreateColorCursor().
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