CD ROM Paradise Collection 4/CD ROM Paradise Collection 4 1995 Nov.iso/graphics/poly3d.zip/README

Text File | 1989-06-04 | 6KB | 108 lines

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    A group of polygonal based, graphical programs where written and
includes:

1. DRAWFUNC - a program to display 2D functions of the form y = F(x) and/or
   parametrics of the form x = F(t), y = F(t).
1. DRAWFN3D - a program to display 3D parametric surfaces of the form:
   x = X(u,v), y = Y(u,v), z = Z(u,v) ( note the surface can easily be
   explicit of the form Z = F(x, y) by x = u, y = v... ). A polygonal
   approximation of these surface can be created to be used by IRIT or any
   other polygon input based program.
2. IRIT - a polygonal CSG (Constructive Solid Geometry) solid modeler
   was developed and support the primitives: box, generalized box, sphere,
   cylinder, cone and torus in any orientation. Also accept free form surfaces
   (open!) as created by DRAWFN3D program.
3. POLY3D - viewer for the polygonal data, the above programs can create.
4. POLY3D-H - hidden line removal for the polygonal data, the above programs
   create.

  As the size of the programs is quite big, I am releasing (only executables
this time) only POLY3D with some data files created by DRAWFN3D & IRIT. If the
interest will be big enough I will release the executables of the other
programs as well. Please send mail directly to me: [e-mail]
(make subject 'IRIT and DRAWFN3D interest' please), If you have any
remark/bug you thing might interest me, please send me mail to same address,
subject 'IRIT and DRAWFN3D remark/bug'. Note the different subject, as if the
number of interests will be too high, I would probably count them only. Lets
limit the time you can express your interest to one month only, from the day
it appears in CBIP.

  All the programs were written using Turbo C 2.0 by me, if this is of some
important to anyone...

  The data files are divided into two archive files - one for DRAWFN3D
surfaces (called drawdemo.arc), and one for IRIT models (called iritdemo.arc).
To see them all, unarchive everything and simply execute the batch files
included (drawdemo.bat && iritdemo.bat). If you want to dive in,
read the following paragraph, which gives some hints on POLY3D, otherwise
you can skip till the usage section below, and enjoy the batch files.

  And yes, one more thing: if you have XT type machine without
math-coprocessor, better look for another machine to run this demo on, unless
you have nothing else to do, in the next hour.

**************************************************************************

Now some hints on using POLY3D:

command line options (type 'poly3d -z' for some info & help):

-m : More - give some more information on the data file(s) parsed.
-i : Internal edges (created by IRIT) - default is not to display them, and
     this option will force displaying them also.
-e n : # Edges to use from each given polygon (default all). Very handy to do
     '-e 2' on data created from DRAWFN3D.
-o Object(s) : Objects to display (all by default). Object is the name as
     appears after the OBJECT key word the data files
     (do 'grep OBJECT datafile'...).
-v ViewFile : View file - file of the view matrix transformation
-z : Print version number and current defaults.

  Some other (more permanent) defaults can be set using the poly3d.cfg
configuration file. This is a plain ascii file you can edit directly and
set the parameters according to the comments there. Execute 'poly3d -z' to
see the current configuration as read from the config. file. This file can be
in any directory which is in your path - the same place as poly3d.exe is
probably a good choice.
  The program supports EGA/VGA, CGA & HERCULES graphics card, and uses the
Turbo C autodetect feature. If this fails you can always coerce it to a
specific card - see the poly3d.cfg file. For EGA/VGA users only: the program
was tested for 10 minutes only on EGA 64k color machine, so dont blame me
on the odd colors that where picked almost at random on my Hercules machine...
also the VGA cards are actually coerced to work in EGA mode, so if the auto
detect fails for you, try to coerce it manually to EGA in the '.cfg' file.
  The program will use 80?87 if it detects one - again uses the Turbo C 80?87
autodetect, or will run (much!) slower without it...
  The program will use the mouse, if detected. If this detection fails you can
coerce it (to TRUE - exists, or FALSE) in the poly3d.cfg configuration file.

Usage:

  The control of the program is performed by moving the graphical cursor along
the menu and performing EXECUTE operation (see below). Moving the cursor can
be made using the numerical keypad/arrows (shifted for faster movement) or
if mouse is available, using the mouse. Two operation are defined and allowed:
  EXECUTE - the <Return> key on the keyboard, or left  mouse button if exists.
  ABORT   - the <Space>  key on the keyboard, or right mouse button if exists.
The EXECUTE operation is used to request performing the selected menu item.
The ABORT operation is used to request abortion of current operation (handy
for big data files).
  The EXECUTE operation performed on a menu item which has a vertical bar
in its middle (such as the rotation, translation & scaling) has a quantity
effect: selection performed on the vertical bar, has no effect at all while
selecting the leftmost or rightmost menu item end has the maximal (but
opposite!) one.
  The menu items speak for themselves, and the only one that might need
some explanation is the top one - Screen/Object coords: in Screen coords.
X & Y are the screen coords. while Z goes into it. In Object coords., the
object local system is used instead (used in all transformations).
  ALT-Q can be used, at any time the cursor is displayed, for program abortion
exactly as 'Quit' menu item.

Have Fun

Gershon Elber
[e-mail]