Amiga Computing 66/ac066b.adf/OM.DMS/OM.adf/3D_Read_Me_Now

Text File | 1992-10-30 | 14KB | 357 lines

                      AMOS 3D Read Me file I1.3 31/10/1992
                      ------------------------------------

Manual Update
-------------

The following is a list of changes and extra features added since the
AMOS 3D manual went to press.  Voodoo/Europress will continue to upgrade
this product.  Let us know about any problems you have and any suggestions.
We can't guarentee to implement everything you suggest but we will seriously
consider popular additions and of course fix bugs.

Undocumented Td Commands
------------------------

   TD PRIORITY (Define order in which objects are drawn)

   Td Priority n,p

   n - Object number
   p - Object drawing priority

   This allows you to specify the order in which objects are drawn by
   the 3D system. Objects that are drawn first appear in front of other
   objects.

   The command allows you to get round the problems outlined on page 89
   of the User Guide.  It also makes many special effects possible.

     Priority,p                   Object drawing order
     ----------                   --------------------

         0      Draw the object in the normal way (by depth)
        >0      Draw the object in front of all other objects
                with a lower priority
        <0      Draw the object behind all other objects with a
                higher priority.

   By default all objects have a priority of 0. Note that if two objects
   have non-zero priority the one with the highest priority will be drawn
   first (in front).


   TD SET COLOUR (Set a specified object block's colour combination)

   Td Set Colour n,b,c

   n - Object number
   b - Block number
   c - Colour combination code of the block (same as in OM)


   This command is the language equivalent of OM's colour combination tool
   described on page 36/37 of the 3D manual. It sets the colour combination
   code of the specified block.
   Valid colour numbers range from 0 to 16, colour combinations 0 to 12 are
   the same as in OM, colour combinations 13-15 are new. An out of range
   colour code will be truncated to the nearest valid code without causing
   an error.


                          OM Issue 1.1 1.2 and 1.3
                          ------------------------

Issue 1.1 added many improvements over 1.0. In particular there is
more numeric output, making it easier to get objects accurate.  None of
the Issue 1.0 functions have been changed but in some cases the right mouse
button now invokes a new feature where previously it would have had the
same effect as the left.
The differences between I1.1 and I1.2 are

1) 1.2 works on more Amiga types
2) 1.2 includes better example objects

Issue 1.3 is a maintainance release.  There are no major changes
but the software is now compatible with a wider range of machines.

You can check the Issue number of OM from within the program by clicking
on the [?] button with the right mouse button.


Workbench's Exchange program: Autopoint
---------------------------------------

Some versions of Workbench highlight windows as the mouse pointer moves
across the screen, even without a mouse button being pressed.  This
mode of operation confuses OM.  If you are running a version of WB that
does this it is best to run OM from a CLI window that completly covers
the screen, or, better still, disable the autopoint option.

Non English Keyboards
---------------------

OM does not respond to Amiga system keymaps.  However there is a file
'keymap' in the OM directory which defines the effect of the keys.
To redefine the keyboard simply edit the file which contains instructions
for doing so.


OM Issue 1.3 assumes an English keyboard.  Since the only use for the
keyboard under OM is in the file dialog, we hope you can manage with this
design flaw. If you redefine the keymap to your own country then please send
a copy of the file to us - we can then include it on future OM masters.


New example objects
-------------------

The example directory contains some new objects. These are well worth
studying.  In particular see 'Using inside out blocks' below.


The OM disc also contains a directory of templates.  This is the complete
collection of block types including a wider variety of flat, 2D shapes
than is available from the System Shelves.


Mouse/Display synchronisation
-----------------------------

NTSC problems in Issue 1.0 and Amiga 500+ problems in Issue 1.1 have been
dealt with. Still, it's possible that OM cannot correctly identify every
type of Amiga system. If you experience problems you should try altering
the settings in the text file 'gparams' in the OM directory of the OM disk.
The procedure is fully explained in the file. Let us know if you need to
do this.

File dialog - directory sort
----------------------------

To sort the directory, click on the disc icon to the left of the path
box with the RIGHT mouse button.

Using 'inside out' blocks
-------------------------

Blocks that have been turned inside out by using the group sizing tool (see
manual) are displayed with only 'invisible' faces drawn.  This is what you
would see if you were inside the block.  Punt and summer_house in the
examples directory use this effect.  In summer_house two cubes, one regular
and the other inside out have been glued together to yield an object with an
outside and an inside. Surface detail windows in the regular cube let you see
inside.
A further block (a five pointer) has been placed inside.  For all of this
to work correctly the block numbers are important.  To get similar effects,
study summer_house and note which blocks have which block numbers. Also
see the manual entry for the Precidence tool - mounting blocks inside one
another.
The I1.2/3 example 'within' demonstrates double nesting.  Again, the order
in which the blocks are glued together is vital.


Undo Buttons
------------

Undo has now been implemented for all the group and align commands as well
as the pull command.  To undo the effects of any of these commands click on
the [!] icon to the left of the component selectors. A second click will
restore the 'mistake'.

The following notes explain the three types of undo more fully:

a) Primary Undo

This is the [!] icon on the TOP row of the OM panel.  Its effect is to swap
the contents of the selected work or user shelf with the contents of the
shelf's undo buffer.  Each shelf can in fact hold two objects; the one you
see and another which is hidden.  Whenever you Copy, Unite, Delete or load,
the new object is placed on the target shelf, pushing any previous object
into the undo buffer.  Any object already in the undo buffer is discarded.
When you click on the [!] icon the two objects are swapped.  If you click
again they are swapped back and so on. Primary Undo therefore undoes Copy
(object or group), Unite, Delete (Object, group or block) and Load.

It takes you back further than the other undo icons.  Primary Undo also
works independantly on each shelf (User or Work).

The undo buffer can be very useful, especially when you want to grab a
surface detail from one object and attach it to another.  To do this, first
copy the destination object to the left work shelf.  Then, straight away,
copy the source object to the same shelf, displacing the destination object.
Now select surface detail mode and grab the surface you want.  Finally,
click on undo to swap the objects and add the surface.

b) Secondary Undo

This is the tall [!] icon to the left of the component selection buttons. It
undoes the effect of point and line pulls, aligns and group operations.  A
second click on this icon restores the object to its pre-undo state, a third
undoes again and so on.  Unlike Primary Undo there is only one 'memory',
not one for each shelf, and the memory is lost if you click anywhere in the
object display area.

c) Surface Line Undo

This is the [!] icon on the bottom row of the surface toolbox.  Its effect
is to delete lines from the editing grid.  Unlike the other undo tools, a
second click does not undo the undo.  Instead it undoes the next most
recently drawn line.  Surface Undo works fine on lines that have just been
drawn.  It will not always work correctly on a grabbed surface as the
necessary information may not be available.

Rotation about one axis
-----------------------

By popular demand the operation of the rotation tool has been extended
to support rotation about one axis at a time. If the tool is used with the
X key held down, rotation will occur about the object's X-axis only. The
same goes for the Y key and the Y-axis.

Remember that rotation is about the OBJECT'S axes. These move with the
object. You can always redefine an object's axes by clicking on the rotation
icon with the right mouse button.

Group Explode
-------------

This operation is performed by using the Group Sizing tool with the right
mouse button.  When you click on the icon, OM calculates the centre of
gravity of each block, and of the object as a whole.  As you move the mouse
from left to right, each block in the group is moved away from the object's
C of G, along a line joining this to the block's C of G.  In many (but not
all) cases the effect is to explode the object by moving all the blocks
apart.

Group Explode can be very useful when you are having trouble getting the
precidence of an object's blocks correct.  The usual reason for this
is that blocks have become slightly embedded within one another (see Problem
Objects in the manual).  To correct this, use Group Explode to move the
blocks apart slightly, hit the Precidence icon and then click on the tall
Undo button to bring the blocks back together.

Colours
-------

a) The mouse can now reliably pick up colours in zoom mode.

b) The Print Info icon [?] now prints the colour numbers of any selected
   block.  Previously you could not find out this information without changing
   it (a quantum effect). The colour information is last on the line and has
   the form Cn(c1,c2,c3) where n is the combination number and c1,c2 and c3
   are the colour numbers.  It does not get displayed if there is no room
   on the line, de-select components to make more room.

Group Rotation
--------------

a) Both the group rotation tools now display the amount of rotation
   in degrees.

b) The face relative group rotate tool has been extended as follows

   If a point is selected it will be the centre of rotation.

   If a line is selected, the RIGHT button will rotate the group
   about the line.  If a point is also selected, this will be the
   centre of rotation.

   In either case, if no point is selected the centre of rotation
   will be the group's centre of gravity.

   If only a face is selected the tool works as specified in the
   manual.

c) The Set Rotation Centre command now displays the screen coordinates
   of the centre. If these read (0,0) Axis Relative Rotate will
   rotate the group about OM's z-axis.  In any other position the axis
   of rotation will still be paralell to the z-axis but oblique looking
   from the viewpoint.

   The centre of the cross hairs is in fact the projection of a point on
   the axis of rotation at a depth equal to that of the shelf origin.
   The upshot of all this is that its best to have the centre of rotation
   at (0,0) in zoom mode.


Group Stretch (including Size)
------------------------------

These commands now display a percentage.  If you click on a stretch button
without moving the mouse the display shows 100%.  If you stretch a group
to twice its size the display reads 200%, half its size 50% etc.  If you
compress to 0% and beyond the display shows a negative percentage. -100%
for example indicates that a group has the same size as before but is now
inside out - useful for creating blocks with an inside and an outside.
If you perform a stretch operation on a group that is already inside out
the display will show 100% initially, not -100%.  A subsiquent negative
figure would then indicate that the group was back to normal.

Memory
------

OM now uses less memory; about 440K with no objects loaded.


The Object Look utility
-----------------------

This program has been significantly improved to give more information about
objects and to generate AMOS Palette statements.

The new features are invoked by means of UNIX style option flags. These
consist of a minus sign (-) followed by one or more option letters eg:

OL -l struct

examines struct.3do with the l option on.

OL -lp struct

examines struct.3do with the l and the p options on.

a) The l (long) option

With this selected you will get the following additional information:


Ocula Version     :    The version of Ocula, the Voodoo graphics system
                       that created the object.
                       0 for very early objects
                       1 for OM Issue 1.0
                       2 for OM Issue 1.1
                       3 for OM Issue 1.2
                       4 for OM Issue 1.3

Load Size         :    The amount of memory used when you Td Load the
                       object. This will be less than the file size.

Instance Size     :    The amount of memory used each time you create
                       an instance of the object with Td Object.

Radius            :    The radius of the smallest sphere that will enclose
                       the object (in VLU's).

Block Count       :    The number of blocks.

Object Cull Depth :    The depth at which the whole object is culled
                       (see manual P31). Cull depths for individual blocks
                       and surfaces will be somewhere within this range.

Palette           :    The object's palette, (colours 8 to 14) in hex
                       RGB notation.

b) The p (palette) option

With this option on, OL writes a text file to the current directory
containing an AMOS Palette statement. When imported into an AMOS program
this sets colours 8 to 14 to the palette chosen under OM for the object.
The palette file has the same name as the object with the extension .3DP.
For example:

OL -p struct

will write a file called struct.3DP containing the Palette statement.