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1996-06-03
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WorldToolKit for Windows Demo 6/7/94
Note: None of the models or textures supplied with this demo can be used for
any purpose other than this Sense8 demo.
Credits: Some of the models/textures shipped with this demo were supplied by
our customers. We would like to acknowledge their efforts:
IST Break Room
This model was created by the Institute for Simulation and Training, Orlando
FL, for the US Army. This is the model we use for measuring relative
performance on various hardware platforms.
Meguro City
This model was created by ASAHI Electronics, Japan. It represents a small city
in Japan.
WTK Demo
This demo is designed to show some of the more general capabilities of
WorldToolKit. You can "drag and drop" models and textures into the universe or
simply use the dialog boxes to load models and apply textures to polygons. You
can interactively fly around your models and change the color or texture of
various surfaces or polygons.
You can also load AutoCAD DXF, 3D Studio 3DS or Wavefront OBJ files. If you
load any of these files, there will be an automatic timeout after 90 seconds
of viewing the files.
The demo supports the following features:
Loading NFF, 3DS, DXF or OBJ model files
Interactive texturing of surfaces
Drag and Drop of models or textures
Changes to ambient light
Changes to background color
Moving objects
How to use these features is explained below.
Loading objects:
If you examine the "models" subdirectory, you will find a dozen files with the
".NFF" extension. These are Sense8 Neutral File Format models. You can load
any of these into WorldToolKit by either dragging them from the File Manager
window and dropping them into the graphics window, or by using the Universe
Load or Object Load menu items.
The difference between a Universe and an Object is very simple. Universes are
static, they can not be moved, scaled or stretched and you can only have a
single Universe entity loaded at one time. Objects, on the other hand, can be
moved and manipulated. You can also have as many Objects as performance and
memory permits.
Loading a stationary Universe
Step 1: Load a new Universe
Select Load from the Universe menu. This will bring up a file selection dialog
box.
Step 2: Pick a model
Select the "models" directory. This should show you the list of all the NFF
files included with this demo. You can double-click on any of the listed files
and it will load into the graphics window.
Loading an Object
Step 1: Clear the Universe
Select New from the Universe menu. This should clear the Universe of any
existing objects.
Step 2: Load a new Object
Select Load from the Object menu. This will bring up a file selection dialog
box.
Step 3: Pick a model
Select the "models" directory. This should show you the list of all the NFF
files included with this demo. You can double-click on any of the listed files
and it will load into the graphics window.
Note: We discovered a bug with some 3D Studio 3DS files that may cause
problems when loading or quitting the WTK application after loading a 3DS
file. This only occurs with some 3DS files, so you may not encounter the
problem.
Navigating with the mouse:
You can either use the push-buttons to fly your viewpoint, or you can use the
mouse directly. If you are using the mouse directly, your viewpoint will
change based on the position of the cursor in the WorldToolKit graphics
window. For example, to move closer to an object you click with the left mouse
button near the top of the graphics window.
The following table explains the behaviour of your viewpoint if you are using
the mouse or the push-buttons:
Result Mouse equivalent
Move forward Left mouse button near the top of the window.
Move backwards Left mouse button near the bottom of the window.
Turn (rotate) left Left mouse button near the left-side of the window.
Turn (rotate) right Left mouse button near the right-side of the window.
Move up Right mouse button near the top of the window.
Move down Right mouse button near the bottom of the window.
Pan (shift) left Right mouse button near the left-side of the window.
Pan (shift) right Right mouse button near the right-side of the window.
Pitch (look) up Both mouse buttons near the top of the window.
Pitch (look) down Both mouse buttons near the bottom of the window.
Reset pitch NA
Reset initial viewpoint NA
You can accelerate your speed when using the push-buttons by clicking with the
right-mouse button instead of the left. This should more than double your
speed.
If you are navigating using the mouse directly (instead of the push-buttons),
you can adjust your mouse sensitivity by using the dialog box under the View
menu item.
Picking objects:
You can use the mouse to pick an object that was loaded with either Object New
or Object Load. Once you have picked an object, you can either move it, change
its color or texture, delete it or make it spin around any of three axis.
Note: You cannot pick a Universe. If you loaded an object with Universe Load,
you will not be able to pick or move this object.
Step 1: Switching to Picking mode
The last item on the menu bar is the "Flying!" item. Select this with the
cursor. It should change to read "Picking!". This will toggle everytime you
select it.
Step 2: Picking an object
You can use the mouse to select an object. Simply click with the left
mouse-button when the cursor is moved over the top of an object. You will know
if you selected the object because a wireframe bounding-box will appear around
the object.
Step 3: Deselecting an object
Clicking with the left-mouse button on a selected object should deselect it.
You can pick multiple objects.
Note: You will not be able to use the mouse to fly if any objects are
selected. However, the push-buttons should still work.
Moving objects:
In the WTK Demo, the default mouse movement is attached to the graphics window
viewpoint. If you then select an object, the mouse will instead be attached to
the object you selected. Then, when you move the mouse, the object moves with
it and not your window point of view. This means that instead of your
viewpoint moving forward, the object will move forward (directly away from
your viewpoint) and appear to recede from view.
For all practical purposes, you can consider the graphics window frame as
behaving like any other virtual object within that window.
You will likely find that simply pressing one or more mouse buttons while
moving the cursor in the display can tell you how your mouse is affecting
objects and viewpoints in a given virtual world.
Drag & Drop
The WTK Demo lets you drag and drop 3D objects and textures into the graphics
window from the File Manager. Here's how: Step 1: Create a new universe
Select New from the Universe menu. This will empty the universe and clear the
screen.
Step 2: Set up your windows for drag and drop action.
Open the File Manager to one side of the WorldToolKit windows.
Select the models subdirectory in the File Manager. This should cause the File
Manager to display a list of files with the NFF extension.
Step 3: Select an object to drag into the graphics window
Click on the file icon for cubostel.nff and drag it onto the graphics window.
As you drag the icon onto the graphics window, a + sign appears in its icon,
which means that it can be dropped into the display. When the icon is over the
graphics window, release the mouse button to see the contents of the file
displayed in the graphics window.
Any 3D model can be dragged and dropped into the WTK Demo in this manner. As
each one is dropped, they will be added as individual objects to the
simulation.
Step 4: Select a texture to place on a polygon of the cubostel.
Now select the IMAGES directory using the File Manager. You should see a list
of files with the TGA extension. These are TARGA format pictures or textures.
This time, drag a file icon from the IMAGES directory and release it on a
given facet on the model. The texture appears on the facet on which you
release it. The model here has a part of the brick4.tga texture on its facets.
The rest of the cubostel can also be covered with TGA image files by dragging
and dropping image files onto the other facets.