Sprite Animator

C++, QtCreator, Slots/Signals, Waterfall Process

April 2, 2024

CS 3505 - Software Practice II

Project Summary & Video Demonstration

A pixel art animation tool that enables users to bring static sprites to life, frame by frame. Whether you're crafting retro-inspired 8-bit designs or working on detailed character animations, this sprite animator offers the flexibility to animate at your own pace.

How it Works

Signals & Slots

Signals and slots form the core of Qt’s event-driven programming model. When an object’s state changes, it emits a signal. Slots are functions specifically designed to respond to these signals. In Qt, nearly everything in the GUI inherits from QWidget, and signals and slots are essential for managing interaction between those widgets and the underlying logic. They make it easy to connect user actions (like button clicks) to application behavior, keeping the interface responsive and modular.

Waterfall Process

This was the first project where I worked with more than just one programming partner. Our group of six was tasked with creating a simple sprite editor, and we followed the Waterfall process to manage the project from start to finish. Unlike more flexible development methods, Waterfall is very structured — each phase (like planning, design, coding, and testing) happens in order, and once you move on, there’s no going back. That meant we had to get things right the first time, which forced us to plan carefully and communicate clearly from the start.

Model-View

Qt Creator and Model–View Architecture Qt applications often follow the Model–View design pattern, which differs from traditional MVC by not requiring an explicit controller. Instead, Qt handles much of the interaction between model and view internally, using a combination of signals and slots and delegates. For example, a model can emit a signal like dataChanged, which a view automatically responds to by updating the display. Similarly, when the user edits data in the view, the delegate communicates the change back to the model. This architecture keeps data and presentation separate while simplifying event handling, and it’s the design we used to build this project.

`Show me the code...`

Next Project: Bar Blunder: Cocktail Creation Simulator

→