Cosmo(TM) Player 1.0
by Cosmo(TM) Software, a Division of Silicon Graphics
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Cosmo Player is a Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML) viewer.
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In Cosmo Player, you can move around and interact with
three-dimensional (3D) worlds.
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You can find many interesting worlds to visit at vrml.sgi.com.
The Short Version: How to Use Cosmo Player
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In a 3D world:
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Walk: Drag with the mouse in the world to move around.
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Slide: Alt-Drag to move straight up and down, or to slide left
and right.
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(You will
not be able to move up very far if gravity is on.)
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Look: Ctrl-Drag to look around without moving.
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Point: Shift-Click to get closer to an object in the world
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For an object or group of objects floating in space:
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Examine: Click on Examine, then drag in the world to spin the
object(s) in front of you.
Also see Keyboard Shortcuts.
Using Cosmo Player 1.0
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Overview:
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Dashboard Controls
Interacting with Objects
- Examine
Moving Around
- Walk
- Slide
- Look
- Gravity
- Point
- Straighten
- View
Right Mouse Menu
Keyboard Shortcuts
More Information
The dashboard is the black band with text items on it at the bottom of
the screen. Dashboard items are white when they are on, and blue when
they are off. Items have black stripes through them if they are
disabled. Items will be enabled and disabled based on the different
worlds that you visit, and the types of viewing that are appropriate
for those worlds.
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gravity - turn on gravity to move on the ground, turn off
gravity to fly in the air
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Walk - move through a world
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Slide - go straight up and down, or sidestep left and right
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Look - look around the world as if turning your head
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Examine - rotate an object in the center of the screen
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Point - move directly to an object by clicking on the object
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View - return to the current viewpoint
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Left arrow - previous viewpoint
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Right arrow - next viewpoint
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Straighten - return yourself to an upright / level position
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? - bring up this help page
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Cosmo Logo - go to cosmo.sgi.com
and get more information on Cosmo Player
When the cursor turns into a pointing hand, that means that it is over
an object in the world that will activate when you click or drag on it.
If text appears in the status bar, that means that the object contains
a link to a different page or world. Try clicking on objects that are
under the cursor when the hand appears. If nothing happens when you
click, that might mean that the object is activated by dragging it,
rather than clicking on it, so try dragging instead.
NOTE: When Point is highlighted, none of the touchable objects
in the world are active.
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WARNING: Examine is best used in worlds that have one or a few
objects floating in the middle of space. Using Examine in worlds
that have ground and sky, or floor and ceiling is not recommended.
Spinning an object:
- Highlight Examine by clicking on it.
- Make sure that the object you want to rotate is in the exact center
of your screen.
- Drag the mouse to tumble the object.
- If you want to move closer to or farther from the object, you can
use the up and down arrow keys.
- If the object you want to examine is also an active object, you can
hold down the SHIFT key to highlight Point and disable the
activation while you spin it.
When the cursor is over the world and looks like an arrow, that means
that you can move through the world by clicking and dragging in the
world. If you want to move but the cursor is a hand, you can hold down
the SHIFT key to highlight Point, and then you will be able to
navigate by dragging anywhere in the world. You can always use
the arrow keys to move.
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Moving forward or backward:
- Highlight Walk by clicking on it.
- Place the mouse cursor in the 3D world, hold down the left mouse
button and drag up to go forward.
- Drag the mouse down to go backward.
Turning right or left:
- While Walk is highlighted, drag the mouse to the right or left.
- You can move and turn at the same time by dragging diagonally.
Moving faster or slower:
- The farther you drag, the faster you will move or turn.
- If you hold down the SHIFT key on the keyboard while dragging, your
forward and backward speeds will increase.
- You can adjust your speed using the right mouse menu Speed
option.
- "-" and "=" on the keyboard ("-" and
"+" on the keypad) set your movement slower or faster.
Arrow keys:
- The up and down arrow keys on the keyboard will move you forward and
backward, and the left and right arrow keys will turn you left and
right.
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SLIDE (Alt-Drag)
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You can hold down the ALT key on the keyboard to highlight Slide,
or you can click on Slide. Note that if you hold down the ALT key,
Slide will not light up until
you drag the mouse in the world.
Moving up (off the ground):
- Click gravity to turn it off (blue is off), then highlight Slide.
- Place the mouse cursor in the 3D world, hold down the left mouse
button, and drag up.
- You will not be able to move up off the ground very far if gravity
is on.
Moving down:
- To move straight down, drag the mouse down while Slide is
highlighted.
- You will not be able to move down if the ground or other objects are
below you.
Moving sideways (slide or sidestep):
- Highlight Slide, place the mouse in the 3D world, and drag to
the left or right.
Arrow keys:
- While Slide is highlighted, the up and down arrow keys on the
keyboard will move you up and down, and the left and right arrow keys
will move you left and right.
CAUTION: Using ALT plus the left and right arrow keys will NOT slide
you. These are the Netscape shortcuts for Back and Forward. To use the
left and right arrow keys to slide, click on Slide on the
dashboard to highlight it.
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LOOK (Ctrl-Drag)
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You can hold down the CTRL key on the keyboard to highlight Look,
or you can click on Look.
Looking around without moving:
- Highlight Look and drag in the direction that you want to
look.
- You can not turn yourself upside down by looking around.
Arrow keys:
- While Look is highlighted, the up and down arrow keys on the
keyboard will tilt you up and down, and the left and right arrow keys
will turn you left and right.
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Gravity On:
- When gravity is on (white), you cannot move up off the ground
very far.
- If you walk along an uneven surface, you will follow the ups and
downs of that surface.
- If you are up in the air, and you turn gravity on, then you will
fall to the ground if there is a surface beneath you.
Gravity Off:
- When gravity is off (blue), you can fly up off the ground.
- You can use Slide to move straight upward.
- You can use Look to tilt up or down, and then when you walk,
you will move in the direction you are looking.
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POINT (Shift-Click)
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You can hold down the SHIFT key on the keyboard to highlight Point,
or you can click on Point.
Moving to a object:
- Highlight Point and click on the object in the world that you
want to move closer to.
- As long as Point is highlighted, a single click on an object
will move you up to that object.
- Dragging while Point is highlighted will behave like Walk, Slide, Look,
or Examine, depending on which is highlighted at the same time
(see note below).
- While Point is highlighted, objects in the world that respond
to the mouse are not active, so you can move by dragging anywhere in
the world.
NOTE: The SHIFT key also adds a "turbo boost" to your
movement in the world, so you will move faster while you are holding it
down.
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Click on Straighten to set your view upright and straight ahead,
on a plane level with the ground.
Pressing and releasing the END key on the keyboard will also activate Straighten.
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Viewpoints are interesting places in the world. Clicking on the arrow
to the right of View will take you to the next viewpoint in the
list of viewpoints in the world. Clicking on the left arrow will take
you to the previous viewpoint. If you go to a viewpoint, and then use
other controls (like Walk) to move around, clicking on View
will bring you back to the viewpoint.
You can get a list of all the viewpoints in the world by clicking and
releasing the right mouse button and selecting the first item in the
right mouse menu.. Select a viewpoint from the list in order to go
there.
Pressing and releasing the HOME key on the keyboard will also activate View.
Click and release the right mouse button to bring up the right mouse
menu.
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Viewpoints - list all available viewpoints; select a
viewpoint to go there
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Speed - change the speed at which you move through the world
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Straighten - return yourself to an upright / level position
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Gravity - turn gravity on or off (also available from the
dashboard)
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Headlight - turn on or off a light that shines ahead of you
in the world
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Show Dashboard - show or hide the dashboard buttons along the bottom
of the screen
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Collision Detection - turn on or off the ability to collide
with objects in the world
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Cosmo Player Info
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About Cosmo Player 1.0 - get product information
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Get Latest Cosmo Player - go to cosmo.sgi.com
to download the latest version
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Show Release Notes - get the latest behind-the-scenes info
on Cosmo Player
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Help - bring up this page
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CTRL: Look
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ALT: Slide
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SHIFT: Point, "turbo boost"
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"-" on the keyboard,
"-" on the keypad: Move
speed down one notch on the Speed menu
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"=" on the keyboard,
"+" on the keypad: Move
speed up one notch on the Speed menu
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PgUp: Previous viewpoint
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PgDn: Next viewpoint
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Home: View - return to current viewpoint
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End: Straighten