Working on lights, I'm conceeding and just using a fixed array. I think it will be faster in the long run, as I won't have to rebind the lights when I add/remove one. Also wrestling with really lame compiler erros with these templated pointers

include/LightController.h

@@ -4,56 +4,55 @@
 #include "util.hpp"
 #include "Pub_Sub.h"
 #include "raycaster/RayCaster.h"
-#include "LightHandle.h"
+#include <list>
+#include "raycaster/Hardware_Caster.h"
 
+struct LightPrototype {
+	
+	sf::Vector3f position;
+	sf::Vector3f direction_cartesian;
+	sf::Vector4f rgbi;
+
+	sf::Vector3f movement;
+	float impulse = 1.0f;
+	float friction = 1.0f;
+
+};
+
+// Packed data structure for passing raw light data to the caster
+struct PackedData {
+	PackedData(sf::Vector3f position, sf::Vector3f direction_cartesian, sf::Vector4f rgbi) :
+		position(position), direction_cartesian(direction_cartesian), rgbi(rgbi) {
+	}
+	PackedData() {};
+	sf::Vector3f position;
+	sf::Vector3f direction_cartesian;
+	sf::Vector4f rgbi;
+};
+
+class LightHandle;
+class Hardware_Caster;
 
 class LightController : public VrEventSubscriber {
 public:
 
-	enum DIRECTION { FORWARD, REARWARD, LEFT, RIGHT, UP, DOWN };
-
-	// Packed data structure for passing raw light data to the caster
-	struct PackedData {
-		PackedData(sf::Vector3f position, sf::Vector3f direction_cartesian, sf::Vector4f rgbi) :
-			position(position), direction_cartesian(direction_cartesian), rgbi(rgbi) {
-		}
-		PackedData() {};
-		sf::Vector3f position;
-		sf::Vector3f direction_cartesian;
-		sf::Vector4f rgbi;
-	};
-
-//	LightController(std::shared_ptr<RayCaster> raycaster);
-	LightController();
+	LightController(std::shared_ptr<Hardware_Caster> raycaster);
 	~LightController();
 
-	//void create_light(LightController::PackedData light_data, std::string light_name);
-//	LightHandle get_light_handle(std::string light_name);
-
-	void set_position(sf::Vector3f position);
-
-
-	int update(double delta_time);
-
-	void look_at_center();
+	std::unique_ptr<LightHandle> create_light(LightPrototype light_prototype);
+	void remove_light(unsigned int light_index);
 
 	void recieve_event(VrEventPublisher* p, std::unique_ptr<vr::Event> event) override;
 
-	void erase_light();
-	//std::vector<LightController::PackedData>* get_lights();
 private:
 
+	// Set the static arrays size
+	int reserved_count = 8;
 
-	//// Need to allow N byte light class to be packed into 10 byte packets
-	//int packed_size = sizeof(PackedData);
-
+	// Indices available in the light array
+	std::list<unsigned int> open_list;
+	
 	std::vector<PackedData> packed_data_array;
-	//
-	//
-	std::unordered_map<std::string, LightHandle> light_map;
-	//
-	//std::shared_ptr<RayCaster> raycaster;
-
 
 };
 

include/LightHandle.h

@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 #include <util.hpp>
 #include <memory>
 
+
 // We need to be able to :
 //		- Allow lights to exist outside the context of a LightController
 //			- i.e we can have a prototype light or similar
@@ -12,21 +13,37 @@
 //			- But still allow classes of size Y bytes
 //			- Preserve X packed bytes in an array which are pointed to by an array of shared pointers
 
+struct LightPrototype;
+class LightController;
+struct PackedData;
 
 class LightHandle {
 
 public:
-	LightHandle();
-	//LightHandle(LightController light_controller, std::string light_name);
+
+	friend class LightController;
+
 	~LightHandle();
 
+	void set_friction(float friction);
+	void set_impulse(float impulse);
+	void set_movement(sf::Vector3f movement);
+	void add_movement(sf::Vector3f movement);
+
+	void set_position(sf::Vector3f position);
+	void set_direction(sf::Vector3f direction);
+	void set_rgbi(sf::Vector4f rgbi);
+
 private:
 
+	LightHandle(LightController *const light_controller, unsigned int light_id, LightPrototype light_prototype, std::unique_ptr<PackedData> data_reference);
+
+	LightController *const light_controller_ref;
+	unsigned int light_id;
+
 	float friction_coefficient = 0.1f;
 	float default_impulse = 1.0f;
 	sf::Vector3f movement;
 
-	std::shared_ptr<sf::Vector3f> position;
-	std::shared_ptr<sf::Vector3f> direction_cartesian;
-	std::shared_ptr<sf::Vector4f> rgbi;
+	std::unique_ptr<PackedData> data_reference;
 };

include/raycaster/Hardware_Caster.h

@@ -36,6 +36,8 @@ struct device {
 	cl_uint comp_units;
 };
 
+struct PackedData;
+
 class Hardware_Caster : public RayCaster
 {
 public:
@@ -50,7 +52,7 @@ public:
 	// Both will create the view matrix, view res buffer
 	void create_viewport(int width, int height, float v_fov, float h_fov) override;
 	
-	void assign_lights(std::vector<char> *data) override;
+	void assign_lights(std::vector<PackedData> *data) override;
 	void assign_map(Old_Map *map) override;
 	void assign_camera(Camera *camera) override;
 	void validate() override;

include/raycaster/RayCaster.h

@@ -4,7 +4,8 @@
 #include <Map.h>
 #include "Old_Map.h"
 #include "Camera.h"
-#include "LightController.h"
+
+struct PackedData;
 
 class RayCaster {
 public:
@@ -24,7 +25,7 @@ public:
 	virtual void assign_map(Old_Map *map) = 0;
 	virtual void assign_camera(Camera *camera) = 0;
 	virtual void create_viewport(int width, int height, float v_fov, float h_fov) = 0;
-	virtual void assign_lights(std::vector<char> *data) = 0;
+	virtual void assign_lights(std::vector<PackedData> *data) = 0;
 	virtual void validate() = 0;
 
 	// draw will abstract the gl sharing and software rendering

include/raycaster/Software_Caster.h

@@ -1,6 +1,9 @@
-#include "RayCaster.h"
+#pragma once
+#include "raycaster/RayCaster.h"
 #include <thread>
 
+struct PackedData;
+
 class Software_Caster : public RayCaster
 {
 public:
@@ -15,7 +18,7 @@ public:
 	// Both will create the view matrix, view res buffer
 	void create_viewport(int width, int height, float v_fov, float h_fov) override;
 
-	void assign_lights(std::vector<char> *data) override;
+	void assign_lights(std::vector<PackedData> *data) override;
 	void assign_map(Old_Map *map) override;
 	void assign_camera(Camera *camera) override;
 	void validate() override;