Best way to add scene nodes when using geometry primitives?

[itzjac]

I created a new geometry primitive CConeSceneNode, based on the CCubeSceneNode.

I used the code from CGeometryCreator::createCubeMesh(...) to generate the mesh buffer, vertices and indices, basically it uses:

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SMeshBuffer* buffer = new SMeshBuffer();
Vertices = new video::S3DVertex[TotalVertices];
indices = new u16[TotalIndices];
...
buffer->Indices.set_used(TotalIndices);
buffer->Vertices.reallocate(TotalVertices);
buffer->BoundingBox.reset(0,0,0);
 
SMesh* Mesh = new SMesh;
Mesh->addMeshBuffer(buffer);
buffer->drop();
 
Mesh->recalculateBoundingBox();
...
 

Didn't change anything from the render method copied from the cube:

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video::IVideoDriver* driver = SceneManager->getVideoDriver();
    driver->setTransform(video::ETS_WORLD, AbsoluteTransformation);
 
    // for debug purposes only:
    video::SMaterial mat = Mesh->getMeshBuffer(0)->getMaterial();
 
    // overwrite half transparency
    if (DebugDataVisible & scene::EDS_HALF_TRANSPARENCY)
        mat.MaterialType = video::EMT_TRANSPARENT_ADD_COLOR;
    else
        driver->setMaterial(Mesh->getMeshBuffer(0)->getMaterial());
    driver->setMaterial(mat);
    driver->drawMeshBuffer(Mesh->getMeshBuffer(0));
 
...
// rest of the debugging code
 

The way this is added to the scene is:

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scene::IMeshSceneNode *mesh = smgr->addConeSceneNode(0, -1, 
                36, 0, 5, 5, video::SColor(0,255,0,255));
 

Those parameters are using o create a more or less tessellated version of a cone, height, etc.

Am planing to add thousands of this nodes to a scene, create a random movement for each. I wonder what will be the best way for this to work, maybe changing the calls for the render method or giving a hint to use a vertex buffer or whatever serves performance wise. What would you recommend?

I added this line

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mesh->getMesh()->getMeshBuffer(0)->setHardwareMappingHint(scene::EHM_STATIC);
 

But 10,000 of this entities are slowing the application.

[hybrid]

Yes, cones are just like cubes, only worse. So make yourself a favor and search for minecraft clones in the forum and check what is suggested there to handle thius amount of scene nodes (well, there is none actually, so better how to handle this amount of objects). Since you want arbitrary movement for each cone, your job might be a little trickier than for simple block worlds. Not even sure how, e.g., instancing would behave in these cases. But for a first test, batching is the way to go.
EHM_STATIC is not helping much here, because it's merely the scene node handling and not the geometry that is using up performance.