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- FOR A QUICK START
- To start a collision select either ╘New╒ under the ╘File╒ menu and click
- either of the first four buttons then select ╘Configure╒ under the ╘Galaxy╒
- menu and then click the ╘OK╒ button, after a short wait the window will
- disappear. Now select ╘Plot╒ from the ╘Galaxy╒ menu and the plotting at
- each time unit will now occur. The collision that occurs depends on the
- button selected. By going straight to selecting ╘Configure╒ under the
- ╘Galaxy╒ menu and then click the ╘OK╒ button, waiting, then selecting ╘Plot╒
- from the ╘Galaxy╒ menu a standard ring galaxy collision is started. If while
- under configure you change any of the data in the edit fields you can change
- to a non standard collision.
-
- APPLE MENU
- ╘About Galaxy Collisions...╒ reshows the screen you had to cancel, by
- clicking the ╘Continue╒ button or pressing the <Return> key.
-
- FILE MENU
- ╘New╒ displays a dialog window for selecting various types of final
- galaxy types; Ring, Bridge & Whirlpool. The fourth type is for an unknown
- finish. Clicking any of the four radio buttons closes the ╘New╒ window. To
- be able to repeat the results of a good random start, but only during a single
- startup of ╘3D Galaxy Collisions╒, a check box is provided. Just click this
- box if you want to have repeatable random galaxy results. The edit field for
- softening factor is preset with 2. This ensures that gravitational effects
- don╒t get out of had. Experiment with this number at your own risk, try
- lower numbers, but suggest 1.5 as low as you should go. The softening
- factor makes use of the inverse squared law of gravitation to reduce the
- effects of garvity when the galaxies are in close to each other.
- ╘Open...╒ will open a standard dialog which allows you to choose ╘3D
- Galaxy Collision╒ type files.
- ╘Close╒ will close an open file.
- ╘Save╒ will save an already ╘Save As...╒ file.
- ╘Save As...╒ will open a standard dialog which allows you to save ╘3D
- Galaxy Collision╒ type files.
- ╘Help╒ provides this help advice window.
- ╘Page Setup...╒ brings up the standard page setup dialog for the particular
- printer selected with ╘Chooser╒ under the ╘Apple Menu╒.
- ╘Print...╒ brings up the standard printer dialog for the particular printer
- selected with ╘Chooser╒ under the ╘Apple Menu╒. Note printing will make
- black stars on a white background, to reduce ribbon useage.
- ╘Transfer...╒ allows transfer to another application.
- ╘Quit╒ takes you back to the ╘Finder╒.
-
- EDIT MENU
- Not yet functional between applications, but will work with edit fields
- and desk accessories.
-
- GALAXY MENU
- ╘Configure╒ lets you make changes to standard data, such as change the
- number of stars and rings, to a maximum of 500 stars. You can also change
- the INTRUDER galaxy╒s mass, start position and velocity through space.
- Change to the number of itterations can also be edited, once maximum
- itterations is reach you will have to step through each time period (see
- below for ╘Plot╒). If you ╘Open...╒ an existing file ╘Configure╒ is skipped.
- ╘Plot╒ will automatically commence stepping through the number of
- itterations set with ╘Configure╒. Use <Stop> button to stop and <Step> to
- single step one time period at a time and <Continue> to resume automatic
- time itterations again. Note on a 512k Mac it will take 68 secs. between
- time itterations, that is why the watch cursor is displayed, a Mac Plus
- takes secs. and a Mac SE takes 57 secs. To get printouts or save an
- intermediate result use the <Stop> button to regain normal menu, dialog,
- etc. event processing.
-