JIT Compiler¶

Overview¶

The JIT Compiler (Just-In-Time Compiler) is an asset server that can be connected to multiple asset clients. It converts assets to game-ready compiled assets as soon as they are edited and saved to disk.

BWClient, World Editor, Model Editor, NavGen, and Particle Editor are all asset clients. You can also create your own.

The JIT Compiler is designed to run in the background on a developer’s machine. On startup, it scans all resource directories looking for assets to convert and queues them for conversion. After scanning, it monitors those directories for file changes, and queues any asset that has changed for reconversion.

To ensure that multiple compilers aren’t attempting to operate on the same assets, only one asset server can be run per resource path.

Configuration¶

Setting the Default Asset Server¶

When an asset client starts it will attempt to connect to an executing asset server. If there aren’t any asset servers running, the client will launch the default asset server defined in game/res/bigworld/resources.xml. To specify the default asset server, set the assetServer tag in resources.xml.

Setting Up Converters¶

Before running the JIT Compiler, ensure that all of the converter plugins you wish to use exist in a reachable folder (preferably in the same folder as the JIT Compiler executable), and that they are listed in the jit_compiler_plugins.txt file.

Setting Up Asset Rules¶

The JIT Compiler uses asset rules to determine what files on disk are assets, and how to convert them. For information on setting up asset rules, see Asset Rules.

Asset Client Mode¶

Asset clients can only communicate with asset servers when running in debug or hybrid mode. In consumer release it is assumed that all assets are already converted and ready for use. You can disable asset client communication in debug and hybrid mode by running the asset client (for example, bw_client, world_editor or model_editor) with the command line argument “-noConversion”.

JIT Compiler Options Dialog¶

To open the JIT Compiler Options dialog:

Open the JIT Compiler dialog (click the JIT Compiler icon in the Windows notification area).
Select File > Options.

The following options are available:

Balloon Notifications of warnings and errors — Enables or disables the appearance of the balloon notifications that occur when a task completes with a warning or error.
Threads — Sets the number of threads used to process assets. For optimal performance we recommend matching the number of threads to the number of cores on your local machine.
Output Path — Specifies where to save converted resources. By default, the param “-outputPath” specified in game/res/bigworld/resources.xml is used. If no output path is specified, the converted resources will be saved in the same location as their corresponding source input files.
Intermediate Path — Specifies where to save asset pipeline intermediate files. By default, the param “-intermediatePath” specified in game/res/bigworld/resources.xml is used, if not specified, then the intermediate files will be saved in the same location as their corresponding source input file.
Cache Path — The path to the asset cache. Typically, this cache is on a network machine and is shared by all users. If no path is specified, the JIT compiler will not use a cache (even if you select the “Enable reading from the cache” and “Enable writing to the cache” options).
Enable reading from the cache — If this option is selected and a required asset cannot be found on your local machine, the JIT compiler will attempt to copy it from the cache instead of building it.
Enable writing to the cache — Enables writing converted files to the cache.
Force Rebuild of Assets — Forces every asset to be rebuilt even if it is found on your local machine or in the cache.

Note: If you modify the Output Path or Intermediate Path, you will need to restart the JIT compiler in order for your changes to be applied.

Viewing the Current Configuration¶

To view information about the current configuration, select Help > Current Config.

The following configuration information is displayed:

Directories used by the JIT Compiler (for example, the cache path)
The options specified in the Options dialog
The plugins that are loaded

This information can be copied and pasted into a bug report if needed.

Using the JIT Compiler¶

Starting the Compiler¶

The JIT Compiler automatically starts running in the background when an asset client needs to convert assets. You can also start it manually by running the JIT Compiler executable (game\bin\tools\\asset_pipeline\\jit_compiler.exe).

The JIT Compiler dialog¶

To open the JIT Compiler dialog, click the JIT Compiler icon in the Windows notification area.

The main dialog of the JIT Compiler has the followings sections.

Requested Assets — shows tasks that have been requested by a client.

Current Assets — shows tasks that are currently being processed.

Completed Assets — shows completed tasks.

Sorting Modes — you can select one of the following Sort modes to sort the list of completed tasks:

Completed — Sort by order of completion.
File Name — Sort by filename in alphabetical order.
Converter — Sort by the converter used to compile the asset.
Result — Sort by order of importance (tasks with errors first, then warnings, and then the rest).

Filtering Buttons¶

The three coloured buttons above the Completed Tasks list can be toggled on or off to filter the list as follows:

Blue — Show successfully completed tasks (tasks with no errors or warnings).
Yellow — Show tasks with warnings but no errors.
Red — Show tasks with errors.
Blue and Yellow — Show tasks with no errors.
Yellow and Red — Show tasks with warnings and/or errors.
Blue, Yellow and Red — Show all tasks.

By default the yellow (warnings) and red (errors) options are enabled.

To display the conversion log for an asset¶

Double-click the asset (or right-click it and select Details).

To open an asset in its default editing application¶

Right-click the asset and select Open.

To navigate to the location of an asset in Windows¶

Right-click it and select Open Folder.

JIT Compiler Status Icon¶

When the JIT Compiler is running, the JIT Compiler icon appears in the Windows notification area. The colour of the icon indicates the status of the compiler, as follows:

Red — An asset failed to build.
Yellow — All assets built successfully but warnings were detected.
Blue — No warnings were detected.

Exiting the JIT Compiler¶

To close the JIT Compiler and leave it running in the background, simply close the JIT Compiler dialog.

To terminate the JIT Compiler, do either of the following:

Right-click the JIT Compiler icon and select Quit, or
Select File > Quit.

Note: if an application needs to convert assets it will automatically start the JIT Compiler.