Question

I’m having some trouble compiling my code – it has to do with the types I’m passing in. Here is what the compiler says:

R3Mesh.cpp: In copy constructor 'R3Mesh::R3Mesh(const R3Mesh&)':
R3Mesh.cpp:79: error: no matching function for call to 'R3Mesh::CreateHalfEdge(R3MeshVertex*&, R3MeshFace*&, R3MeshHalfEdge*&, R3MeshHalfEdge*&)'
R3Mesh.h:178: note: candidates are: R3MeshHalfEdge* R3Mesh::CreateHalfEdge(const R3MeshVertex*&, const R3MeshFace*&, const R3MeshHalfEdge*&, const R3MeshHalfEdge*&)
R3Mesh.cpp: In constructor 'R3MeshHalfEdge::R3MeshHalfEdge(const R3MeshVertex*&, const R3MeshFace*&, const R3MeshHalfEdge*&, const R3MeshHalfEdge*&)':
R3Mesh.cpp:1477: error: invalid conversion from 'const R3MeshVertex*' to 'R3MeshVertex*'
R3Mesh.cpp:1477: error: invalid conversion from 'const R3MeshFace*' to 'R3MeshFace*'
R3Mesh.cpp:1477: error: invalid conversion from 'const R3MeshHalfEdge*' to 'R3MeshHalfEdge*'
R3Mesh.cpp:1477: error: invalid conversion from 'const R3MeshHalfEdge*' to 'R3MeshHalfEdge*'

Here is how I define my R3MeshHalfEdge:

struct R3MeshHalfEdge {
  // Constructors
  R3MeshHalfEdge(void);
  R3MeshHalfEdge(const R3MeshHalfEdge& half_edge);
  R3MeshHalfEdge(const R3MeshVertex*& vertex, const R3MeshFace*& face, 
                 const R3MeshHalfEdge*& opposite, const R3MeshHalfEdge*& next);


  R3MeshVertex *vertex;
  R3MeshFace *face;
  R3MeshHalfEdge *opposite;
  R3MeshHalfEdge *next;
  int id;
};

This is what the first error complains about:

R3MeshHalfEdge *R3Mesh::
CreateHalfEdge(const R3MeshVertex*& vertex, const R3MeshFace*& face,
               const R3MeshHalfEdge*& opposite, const R3MeshHalfEdge*& next)
{
  // Create half_edge
  R3MeshHalfEdge *half_edge = new R3MeshHalfEdge(vertex, face, opposite, next);

  // Set half_edge ID
  half_edge->id = half_edges.size();

  // Add to list
  half_edges.push_back(half_edge);

  // Return half_edge
  return half_edge;
}

This is what the second error complains about:

R3MeshHalfEdge::
R3MeshHalfEdge(const R3MeshVertex*& vertex, const R3MeshFace*& face,
                             const R3MeshHalfEdge*& opposite, const R3MeshHalfEdge*& next)
  : vertex(vertex),                    
    face(face),
    opposite(opposite),
    next(next),
    id(0)
{
}

Here is where I call the CreateHalfEdge function:

   for(int i=0; i<mesh.NFaces(); i++)
  {
    R3MeshFace *f = mesh.Face(i);
    vector<R3MeshVertex *> face_vertices; // assume vertices are stored in order around the perimeter of the face
    for(unsigned int j = 0; j<f->vertices.size(); j++)
    {
      R3MeshVertex *v1 = f->vertices[j];
      R3MeshVertex *v2;
      if(j==f->vertices.size()-1)
        v2 = f->vertices[0];
      else
        v2 = f->vertices[j+1];

      int v1_id = v1->id;
          int v2_id = v2->id;
          R3MeshHalfEdge *next = NULL;
          R3MeshHalfEdge *opposite = NULL;          
          R3MeshHalfEdge *half_edge = CreateHalfEdge(v1, f, opposite, next);  

        }

... }

Answer 1

The constructor is wrong:

  R3MeshHalfEdge(const R3MeshVertex*& vertex, const R3MeshFace*& face, 
                 const R3MeshHalfEdge*& opposite, const R3MeshHalfEdge*& next);

You pass pointers to const and assign them to pointers to non-const, which fails.

Correct it like so:

  R3MeshHalfEdge(R3MeshVertex* vertex, R3MeshFace* face, 
                 R3MeshHalfEdge* opposite, R3MeshHalfEdge* next);

As a remark:

• there are two level of const with pointers: pointers to const (const X*) and const pointers (X* const) the former can point to something else but cannot change the object pointed to while the latter cannot be rebound to another object but can change the object pointed. You can combine them to have a const pointer to const (const X* const)
• don’t pass pointers by reference (*&) unless you intend to modify the pointer itself, and not the object pointed.