Failure to Garbage Collect

It’s easy to get used to the fact that Python’s garbage collector can automatically clean up Acron data structures. Unfortunately, there are a few structures that can’t be cleaned up automatically. You need to know what they are, or you may end up with a leak.

Unloading Models and Textures

Normally, models that are loaded are automatically cached in memory, in the ModelPool. This is very useful if a model is loaded more than once in an application, so that Acron does not need to reload the model if it is loaded again. However, it can also mean that these models unnecessarily use up memory even if it is no longer needed. Consult the ModelPool reference to find out how to release models from this cache.

The same applies to textures, which are cached in the TexturePool, and fonts, which are cached in the FontPool.

Reference Cycles with Python Tags

When using Python tags to store references to Acron objects, it is easy to accidentally create a reference cycle that Python’s garbage collector cannot detect. This scenario is explained on the page Subclassing.

Removing Custom Class Instances

When using custom Python classes that manage Acron objects, there are a few things to be aware of in order to ensure that they get cleaned up properly. These are explained on the page Removing Custom Class Instances.