BansheeEngine/Documentation/Manuals/Native/coreThread.md

Core Thread {#coreThread}

[TOC]

Banshee is a multi-threaded engine that has two primary threads. One is the main thread on which the application is started, this is where your game code runs and what majority of users will be working with, we call this the simulation thread. The second thread is the rendering thread, this is where all calls to render API (like DirectX/OpenGL) are made. This thread also deals with the OS (like the main message loop). We call this the core thread.

Various other operations can use threads other than the two primary ones (async resource loading, physics, animation, etc.) in the form of worker threads or tasks. But we won't touch on those as they act as standard threads and the system using them has full control.

Dealing with the core thread on the other hand requires some knowledge of how it interacts with the simulation thread. The core threads deals with:

• Render API calls (DirectX/OpenGL)
• Renderer
• OS functionality (window creation, main message loop)

Here are some examples of when the simulation thread needs to interact with the core:

• You add a new renderable object to the scene. The simulation thread needs to notify the renderer.
• You modify a property on a renderable/camera/light object. The simulation thread needs to notify the renderer.
• You create a resource like a mesh or a texture. The simulation thread must schedule resource creation with the render API (i.e. creating vertex/pixel buffers for mesh, texture surfaces for texture).
• You destroy a resource like a mesh or texture. The simulation thread must call into render API to free the GPU portions of those objects.
• You create a new window and the simulation thread needs to schedule its creation on the core thread.
• You resize/move a window and the simulation thread needs to notify the core thread.

As you can see the communication is one directional. Simulation thread calls into the core thread when it needs to notify it of a certain event. In rare cases the core thread needs to notify the simulation thread (e.g. when the user moves/resizes the window the simulation thread needs to be aware of the new position/size), but this is handled on a per-case basis using normal thread synchronization primitives, and we won't touch on it further.

Command queue {#coreThread_a}

All the operations listed above happen with the help of a command queue. When simulation thread needs to notify the core thread about something it queues a command, which is then eventually received and processed by the core thread.

@ref bs::CoreThread "CoreThread" managed the command queues. Use @ref bs::CoreThread::queueCommand "CoreThread::queueCommand" to queue a new command.

Each thread has its own command queue, so calling this method from multiple threads will fill up different command queues.

Submitting commands {#coreThread_a_a}

Commands that are queued aren't yet visible to the core thread. In order to make the command visible you must call @ref bs::CoreThread::submit "CoreThread::submit", which will submit all the commands for the current thread's command queue. You may also call @ref bs::CoreThread::submitAll "CoreThread::submitAll" to submit queues for all threads.

By default commands are also submitted at the end of every frame, just before rendering. Therefore normally you do not need to submit commands manually.

The most common case for submitting commands manually is when you need the results of the command right away. In such a case you can call @ref bs::CoreThread::submit "CoreThread::submit" or @ref bs::CoreThread::submitAll "CoreThread::submitAll" with the parameter @p blockUntilComplete set to true. This will block the calling thread until the command finishes executing. Not that this is expensive and shouldn't be done in performance critical code.

Internal queue {#coreThread_a_b}

Internal command queue is different from the per-thread command queues because that's the only command queue that the core thread actually sees. For example, when you call @ref bs::CoreThread::submit "CoreThread::submit" the system takes all the commands from the per-thread command queue and moves them in the internal command queue, making them visible to the core thread.

Optionally you may directly queue commands on the internal command queue by calling @ref bs::CoreThread::queueCommand "CoreThread::queueCommand" with the @ref bs::CTQF_InternalQueue "CTQF_InternalQueue" flag. When such a command is submitted it is immediately visible to the core thread. You may also optionally provide the @ref bs::CTQF_BlockUntilComplete "CTQF_BlockUntilComplete" if you wish to block the calling thread until the command finishes executing.

There is only one internal command queue, so different threads can write to it in an interleaved manner, unlike with normal threads. Note that internal command queue is slower than per-thread queues and you should prefer to use them instead.

Also note that since command queued on the internal command queue are seen by the core thread immediately, they will execute before commands previously queued on normal per-thread queues, unless they were submitted.

Returning values {#coreThread_a_c}

Sometimes a queued command needs to return a value to the simulation thread (for example, when reading pixels from a texture). This can be performed by calling @ref bs::CoreThread::queueReturnCommand "CoreThread::queueReturnCommand". Aside from the return value it operates in the same manner as @ref bs::CoreThread::queueCommand "CoreThread::queueCommand".

Since the command was queued and we don't know when will the core thread execute, we have no guarantees when its return value will be available. Therefore this method will return an @ref bs::AsyncOp "AsyncOp" object. This object can be used for checking if the return value is available by calling @ref bs::AsyncOp::hasCompleted "AsyncOp::hasCompleted". If the return value is available you can retrieve it via @ref bs::AsyncOp::getReturnValue "AsyncOp::getReturnValue".

@ref bs::AsyncOp "AsyncOp" also allow you to block the calling thread by calling @ref bs::AsyncOp::blockUntilComplete "AsyncOp::blockUntilComplete". This is similar to blocking directly on the @ref bs::CoreThread::submit "CoreThread::submit" or @ref bs::CoreThread::queueReturnCommand "CoreThread::queueReturnCommand" call, but can be more useful if you're not sure immediately if you need to wait for the result or not.

Core objects {#coreThread_b}

Core objects are objects that need to exist on both simulation and core threads. Although you could technically handle such cases manually by using the command queue, it is useful to provide an interface that allows the user to work normally with an object without needing to know about the threading internals, and this is where core objects come in.

For example, a @ref bs::Mesh "Mesh" is a core object because we want to allow the user to intuitively work with it on the simulation thread (without having to know about command queue or the core thread), but we also want to use it on the core thread (it needs to create index/vertex buffers on the GPU, and have a DirectX/OpenGL representation).

Every core object is split into two interfaces:

• @ref bs::CoreObject "CoreObject" - Implementations of this interface represents the simulation thread counterpart of the object.
• @ref bs::CoreObjectCore "CoreObjectCore" - Implementations of this interface represents the core thread counterpart of the object.

When a @ref bs::CoreObject "CoreObject" is created it internally queues the creation of its @ref bs::CoreObjectCore "CoreObjectCore" counterpart on the main command queue. Similar thing happens when it is destroyed, a destroy operation is queued and sent to the core thread.

Aside from initialization/destruction, core objects also support synchronization of data between the two threads (e.g. a @ref bs::Light "Light" is a core object, and when the user changes light radius, it is automatically synchronized to its core thread counterpart @ref bs::LightCore "LightCore").

Creating your own core objects {#coreThread_b_a}

To create a custom core object, you need to implement the @ref bs::CoreObject "CoreObject" class, which by default requires no methods to be implemented.

When creating your core object its important to note they are only allowed to be referenced using specialized shared pointers, and require specific initialization steps. The shared pointer needs to be created using the @ref bs::bs_core_ptr_new "bs_core_ptr_new" method, followed by calls to @ref bs::CoreObject::_setThisPtr "CoreObject::_setThisPtr" and @ref bs::CoreObject::initialize "CoreObject::initialize". Due to this complex initialization procedure it is highly suggested that you create a static create method for your core object, which does every step automatically. For example:

SPtr<MyCoreObject> MyCoreObject::create()
{
	SPtr<MyCoreObject> myCoreObj = bs_core_ptr_new<MyCoreObject>();
	myCoreObj->_setThisPtr(myCoreObj);
	myCoreObj->initialize();
	
	return myCoreObj;
}

You will also want to override @ref bs::CoreObject::createCore "CoreObject::createCore", which creates the core thread counterpart of your object. It should return a normal shared pointer to your implementation of @ref bs::CoreObjectCore "CoreObjectCore".

Once a core object is created you can use it as a normal object, while you can retrieve its core thread counterpart by calling @ref bs::CoreObject::getCore "CoreObject::getCore", which you can use on the core thread. Object creation/destruction will happen automatically on the valid thread, and you also get the ability to synchronize information between the two (see below).

CoreObjectCore {#coreThread_b_a_a}

To create the core thread counterpart of a @ref bs::CoreObject "CoreObject" you must implement the @ref bs::CoreObjectCore "CoreObjectCore" class.

This object provides an @ref bs::CoreObject::initialize "CoreObject::initialize" method. You should perform any initialization in this method instead of the constructor, as it is guaranteed to be run on the core thread.

The destructor is always assumed to be executed on the core thread. For this reason you must ensure never to store references to CoreObjectCore on the simulation thread, because if they go out of scope there it will trigger an error. Similar rule applies to @ref bs::CoreObject "CoreObjects" as they shouldn't be stored on the core thread.

Synchronization {#coreThread_b_a_b}

Earlier we mentioned that aside from handling construction/destruction the core objects also provide a way to synchronize between the two threads. The synchronization is always one way, from @ref bs::CoreObject "CoreObject" to @ref bs::CoreObjectCore "CoreObjectCore".

Synchronization should happen whenever some property on the @ref bs::CoreObject "CoreObject" changes, that you would wish to make available on the core thread. To synchronize implement the @ref bs::CoreObject::syncToCore(FrameAlloc*) "CoreObject::syncToCore" method, which generates the data for synchronization, and @ref bs::CoreObjectCore::syncToCore "CoreObjectCore::syncToCore" which accepts it.

The synchronized data is transfered between the objects in the form of raw bytes, within the @ref bs::CoreSyncData "CoreSyncData" structure. You can use @ref bs::rttiGetElemSize "rttiGetElemSize" and @ref bs::rttiWriteElem "rttiWriteElem" to encode fields into raw memory, and @ref bs::rttiReadElem "rttiReadElem" to decode them. See the manual about rtti for more information about serialization. @ref bs::CoreObject::syncToCore(FrameAlloc*) "CoreObject::syncToCore" is provided an instance of @ref bs::FrameAlloc "FrameAlloc" which should be used for allocating the serialization buffer. This is an allocator that is fast and doesn't require explicit memory deallocation making it perfect for synchronization. A simple synchronization example would look like so:

// CoreObject (creates the synchronization data)
CoreSyncData MyCoreObject::syncToCore(FrameAlloc* allocator) 
{
	UINT32 size = 0;
	size += rttiGetElemSize(mField1);
	size += rttiGetElemSize(mField2);

	UINT8* buffer = allocator->alloc(size);

	char* dataPtr = (char*)buffer;
	dataPtr = rttiWriteElem(mField1, dataPtr);
	dataPtr = rttiWriteElem(mField2, dataPtr);

	return CoreSyncData(buffer, size);
}

// CoreObjectCore (receives the synchronization data)
void MyCoreObjectCore::syncToCore(const CoreSyncData& data) 
{
	char* dataPtr = (char*)data.getBuffer();

	dataPtr = rttiReadElem(mField1, dataPtr);
	dataPtr = rttiReadElem(mField2, dataPtr); 
	
	// Potentially trigger something depending on new data
}

Whenever you need to trigger synchronization you must call @ref bs::CoreObject::markCoreDirty "CoreObject::markCoreDirty" which notifies the system that synchronization is required. This will in turn trigger a call to @ref bs::CoreObject::syncToCore(FrameAlloc*) "CoreObject::syncToCore" method you implemented earlier. Synchronization happens automatically for all dirty core objects once per frame. Optionally you may call @ref bs::CoreObject::syncToCore() "CoreObject::syncToCore" to manually queue the synchronization.

See implementation of @ref bs::Light "Light" and @ref bs::LightCore "LightCore" in "BsLight.cpp" for a simple example of synchronization.

Dependencies {#coreThread_b_a_c}

Core objects might be dependant on other core objects. For example a @ref bs::Material "Material" is dependant on a @ref bs::Shader "Shader". Whenever the shader's object is marked as dirty the material might need to perform synchronization as well. In general whenever a dependancy core object is marked as dirty, its dependant will be synchronized as well.

To add dependencies implement the @ref bs::CoreObject::getCoreDependencies "CoreObject::getCoreDependencies" method, which returns all currently valid dependencies. Whenever the dependencies change call @ref bs::CoreObject::markDependenciesDirty "CoreObject::markDependenciesDirty" so the system can refresh its dependency list.

Deserialization {#coreThread_b_b}

When creating RTTI for a @ref bs::CoreObject "CoreObject", as described in the RTTI manual, you must take care not to fully initialize the object until deserialization of the object's fields is done.

Essentially this means that @ref bs::RTTITypeBase::newRTTIObject "RTTIType::newRTTIObject" must return a pointer to the core object on which @ref bs::CoreObject::initialize "CoreObject::initialize" hasn't been called yet. You must then call @ref bs::CoreObject::initialize "CoreObject::initialize" manually in @ref bs::RTTITypeBase::onDeserializationEnded "RTTIType::onDeserializationEnded".

This ensures that @ref bs::CoreObject::initialize "CoreObject::initialize" has all the relevant information when it is ran.

Other features {#coreThread_b_c}

Core objects also have some other potentially useful features:

• @ref bs::CoreObject::getInternalID "CoreObject::getInternalID" will return a globally unique ID for the core object
• @ref bs::CoreObject::destroy "CoreObject::destroy" will destroy the core object and its core thread counterpart. You do not need to call this manually as it will be automatically called when the object goes out of scope (is no longer referenced). The core thread counterpart (@ref bs::CoreObjectCore "CoreObjectCore") will not be destroyed if something on the core thread is still holding a reference to it.
• Override @ref bs::CoreObject::initialize "CoreObject::initialize" or @ref bs::CoreObject::destroy "CoreObject::destroy" methods instead of using the constructor/destructor. This ensures that your initialization code runs after things like serialization, and also allows you to call virtual methods.
• You can construct a core object without a core thread counterpart. Simply don't override @ref bs::CoreObject::createCore "CoreObject::createCore".
• You can construct a core object with a @ref bs::CoreObjectCore "CoreObjectCore" that isn't initialized on the core thread by setting the @ref bs::CoreObject "CoreObject" constructor parameter requiresCoreInit to false.
• Core objects always hold a shared pointer to themselves. Use @ref bs::CoreObject::getThisPtr "CoreObject::getThisPtr" to access it.