Tutorial Guide, Part 1 Objective The objective of Part 1 of the Tutorial Guide is to acquaint you with the basic features of Virtus WalkThrough VRML. You will be guided through a series of hands-on exercises designed to help you quickly develop skill and confidence with the program. Before you begin, please read the Virtus WalkThrough VRML Reference sections to learn concepts and ideas behind the program. What You Will Learn Part 1 provides an overview of the program's basic capabilities, concentrating on object creation, object modification and navigation within the Virtus World. As you work through Part 1, you will probably wonder about other features that are not explained. Remember, the purpose of Part 1 is to acquaint you with the basics; in Part 2, you will learn some of the finer points of creating realistic models. The Virtus WalkThrough VRML Reference can clarify questions and details that are not answered or described in the Tutorial Guide. Mouse Movements Point Move the on-screen cursor by moving the mouse. Drag Move the on-screen cursor by moving the mouse while holding down the mouse button. Mouse Down Point to a tool or menu option, press and hold down the mouse button. Click Press and release the mouse button. Double-click Click the mouse button two times in rapid succession. Select Click on a tool, object, window or menu option to highlight it or make it active. WalkThrough Features Inflation The automatic process by which Virtus WalkThrough VRML adds the third dimension, or depth, to an object. Observer Your eyes in the Walk View, represented in the Design Views as a circle with a line extending from its center to indicate the viewing direction. Handles Small blocks on the corners of selected objects that represent the meeting of two surfaces. Design Views Work areas in which you may create objects from different views (Top, Bottom, Left, Right, Front and Back). Walk View The window that displays the three-dimensional rendering of your model and in which you navigate through or walk through the model. Surface Feature A two-dimensional feature on an object's surface that can represent a window or doorway on a wall or other surface. Surface Editor The view in which you create surface features. Active Window The window in which you are currently working. Tools Window The window that contains the tools, lists and indicators that you can use in the active window. Toolbox The section of the Tools window (usually the upper half) containing tools. Start the Program You can run the program directly from the CD or you can copy it to your hard drive (Macintosh) or using Windows File Manager or your favorite file management program. After you have copied Virtus WalkThrough VRML to your hard drive, you might wish to create an icon for it in Program Manager (see your Windows documentation if you're not sure how to do this). Double-click the Virtus WalkThrough VRML icon in the Finder (Macintosh) or Program Manager (Windows) to start the Virtus WalkThrough VRML application. The Virtus WalkThrough VRML splash screen is displayed, containing the copyright notice and program version. The screen will disappear in a few seconds. Views, Windows and the Menu Bar When Virtus WalkThrough VRML opens, three windows are displayed: 1) The Tools window, containing tools and modifiers. 2) The Top View, one of six Design View windows in which you create objects. (The others are Left, Right, Front, Back and Bottom.) 3) The Walk View, which will show a three-dimensional rendering of the objects that you create; (This window will be blank at first.) Only one window may be active at any time. Notice that the top of the Design View (Top View) is highlighted, or filled in. This indicates that the window is the active window. Click anywhere in the Walk View and notice how it becomes the active window. As you work through the exercises, you'll move back and forth between windows, changing the active window by clicking. Click anywhere in the Design View to make it the active window. Notice that the menu bar at the top changes, as does the Tools window. Selecting Tools Point to a tool in the Tools window and click. Notice that the tool changes color, indicating that it is selected. In the lower right corner of some of the tools, there is a small arrowhead; this indicates an additional selection of tools, a pop-up of more tools. For example, mouse down on the Create 8-Sided Object Tool. Notice how other tools pop up. You may drag over to select any of the tools in a pop-up. Mouse down on all the tools that have arrowheads and look at the additional selection of tools. Manipulating the Observer The small circle in the center of the Top View is called the Observer and represents where you are standing in the virtual world. When you start Virtus WalkThrough VRML, the Observer is positioned at the 0,0 coordinate. Click the Select Object Tool in the Tools window. Point to the center of the Observer and drag to the lower left corner of the Top View. The Observer sticks to the mouse cursor as you move; this is how you manually reposition the Observer. Notice the black line in the middle of the Observer. This line represents the direction of the Observer's view, the line of sight. Point to the center of the Observer, hold down the Ctrl key and drag to the right of the Observer. Notice the dotted line that appears between the mouse cursor and the Observer. Still holding down the Option key (Macintosh) or Ctrl key (Windows), stretch this line to the upper right corner of the Top View. Release the mouse button and the Ctrl key. Notice that the black line in the center of the Observer is now pointing to the upper right corner of the Top View. This is how you manually rotate the Observer or manually change the line of sight of the Observer. Leave the Observer in this position. Creating Objects Click on the Create Rectangular Object Tool. Point in the Top View to the 0,0 coordinate. (To find 0,0, look at the rulers across the top and along the left side of the window.) Drag up and right. As you drag, notice the numbers in the Position Indicator at the bottom of the Tools window. These numbers tell you the present coordinates of the mouse cursor, the distance in X and Y from your starting point, and other information. Drag to the 10,10 coordinate. (Use the Coordinates Window to guide you or use the rulers to find the coordinate.) Release the mouse button. You have created a 10 ft. by 10 ft. rectangular object that is visible in the Walk View. Click the Create 8-Sided Object Tool. Point to the -10,5 coordinate in the upper left of the Top View. Again, you may use the Position Indicator or the rulers to guide you. Starting at the -10,5 coordinate, drag in any direction, but be careful not to overlap the new object you are creating with the rectangular object you've already created. Release the mouse button and notice you have created another object with a different shape from the first. This new shape should also be visible in the Walk View. Adjusting the View If the Design View is active and you cannot see the object(s) you wish to see, click the scroll buttons to adjust your view. The scroll buttons are available in all Design Views, and in the Surface and Tumble Editors. Selecting an Object Select the rectangular (10 ft. by 10 ft.) object that you created by clicking the Select Object Tool in the Tools window, then clicking the 10 ft. by 10 ft. object in the Top View. A selected object displays handles (small blocks on the corners of the object) and the object's interior is filled with a dot pattern. TIP: Select multiple objects by holding down the Shift key and clicking each object you wish to select. To unselect an object, click anywhere in the Design View (but do not click on another object). Deleting an Object Select the eight-sided object you created by clicking on it with the Select Object Tool. Point to the Edit menu and mouse down. Drag to highlight the Delete option and release the mouse button. Notice that the object has been deleted. TIP: You may also delete objects by selecting the object(s) and pressing the Delete key or Backspace key. Navigation Point anywhere in the Walk View and click to make it active. Notice that when the Walk View is active, the Tools window changes. The new Tools window contains tools specific to the Walk View. These tools will be discussed later. Notice the cross hair in the center of the Walk View window. This is the point of reference for navigation. Point the mouse cursor below the cross hair, halfway between the cross hair and the bottom edge of the window. Press and hold down the mouse button. Notice how you move backward. Release the mouse button to stop moving. Point the mouse cursor above the cross hair, halfway between the cross hair and the top edge of the window. Press and hold down the mouse button. Notice how you move forward. Release the mouse button to stop moving. Point the mouse cursor to the left of the cross hair, halfway between the cross hair and the left edge of the window. Press and hold down the mouse button. Notice how you twist or turn left. Point the mouse cursor to the right of the cross hair, halfway between the cross hair and the right edge of the window. Press and hold down the mouse button. Notice how you twist or turn right. It is possible to walk through walls and navigate inside the object you created. Give it a try. The speed of movement is dependent on the position of the cursor relative to the center cross hair: the closer the cursor to the cross hair: the slower the movement. The farther away from the cross hair, the faster the movement. Experiment with navigation speed. You have learned the standard Virtus WalkThrough VRML navigation techniques. Experiment with these techniques until you are comfortable with navigating around a simple model. To successfully complete this Tutorial Guide, you must have the basic navigation skills required to move within your model and view the edits that you make. Later in this Tutorial Guide, if at any time you cannot see an object or surface in the Walk View Ñ and the Tutorial Guide is referencing that object or surface Ñ navigate to a new position where you can see the object(s) or surface(s) in the Walk View. Home Click anywhere in the Top View to make it the active window. Select the View menu and choose Home Observer. This command returns the Observer to the Home position, which is set by default at 0,0. The Home Observer command is especially useful if you ever find yourself "lost" in your model. Manually drag the Observer from the 0,0 coordinate to a position in the lower left of the Top View Window; adjust the Observer's line of sight so that you can see the rectangular object in the Walk View. Changing Object Color Select the rectangular object that you created earlier in the Top View. Mouse down on the Color Bar. The Color Selector pops up. Drag to select any new color from the Color Selector and release the mouse button. When you release the mouse button, notice in the Walk View that the color of the object has changed. Also, notice that the color you selected is now displayed in the Color Bar in the Tools window. The color displayed in the Color Bar is the default color. Any new objects you create assume that new default color. Experiment with different color selections on the object. You may notice the color you select is not as bright in the Walk View as it appears in the Color Selector. This is due to the default lighting and shading, described in the Virtus WalkThrough VRML Reference (See Lighting). When you are finished experimenting with colors, change the object back to its original white. (Again, due to the effects of lighting, the object may look gray). Changing Inflation Type Select the rectangular object again. Double-click the Inflate Pointed Up Modifier. Notice the effect on the appearance of the object in the Walk View. Experiment with the different inflation modifiers by selecting the object, then double-clicking on each inflation modifier. End with the Inflate Straight Modifier (so the object is a square again). Changing Object Opacity Using the Select Object Tool point to the rectangular object. Double-click the Make Translucent Modifier. Notice the effect on the appearance of the object in the Walk View. Like opaque objects or surfaces, translucent objects or surfaces are subject to color. This means you can simulate red tinted glass or green tinted glass, or whatever color you desire, by using a colored translucency. Experiment with changing the color of the object to see the effect on the translucency. (Remember to change the object back to white when you have finished experimenting with color.) With the object still selected, double-click the Make Transparent Modifier. Notice the effect on the appearance of the object in the Walk View. You should see a wire frame of the rectangular object. Though transparent object surfaces are not affected by color, the wire frames are affected. Double-click the Make Opaque Modifier. This returns the object to its original state of solid surfaces. (Remember to change the object back to white when you have finished experimenting with color.) Saving a Model Select the File menu and choose Save. When the dialog appears, type the name My Virtus (Macintosh) or MYVIRTUS (Windows) in the text box and click the OK button. TIP: Save often. Changing Views In the View menu, select the Change View command. Notice that there is a pop-up menu listing several views. Choose Front. When you change views, it is not unusual to become disoriented; the window will not always show the portion of the drawing area you would like to see. When you change views, you can easily find the object(s) or specific drawing area you are looking for by using the scroll bars and adjusting the view. Notice the title bar in the design view now reads Front View. Rather than looking down on the object from the Top View, you are looking at the front of the object. Resizing an Object In the Front View, select the rectangular object. Point to the line representing the top of the object, at the 8 ft. mark of the vertical ruler. Drag the line upward to the 15 ft. mark and release the mouse button. In the Walk View, notice now that the object is taller. Select the Edit menu and choose Undo. The top of the object should return to 8 ft. Because the object was created in the Top View, it can be resized only in height from the Front View. Notice that when you select the object, its handles are gray rather than solid black. This indicates that the ability to edit the object is limited in the current view. Change the Design View back to the Top View. (See Changing View.) In the Top View select the object, if it is not already selected. Notice that the handles are black. Point to the line representing the right side of the object and drag from 10 ft. to 12 ft. Now point to the upper right handle of the object and drag from the 12,10 coordinate to the 14,12 coordinate. You can edit an object by dragging any side or handle, as long as you are in a view that allows full editing (where handles are black, not gray). You should now have a 14 x 12 object in the Top View. Adding a Handle In addition to dragging handles, you may also add and delete handles. This allows you to reshape an object. With the Select Object Tool, select the 14 ft. by 12 ft. object. Click the Add/Remove Handle Tool and point to the 7,0 coordinate. Drag to the 7,-5 coordinate. (Again, you can use the rulers to help you find the coordinate you are looking for or you can read the Position Indicator in the lower portion of the Tools window.) Notice you have edited the shape of the object. With the Add/Remove Handle Tool still selected, point to the new handle you just created at the 7,-5 coordinate and click. The handle disappears and the object returns to its original shape. With the Add/Remove Handle Tool still selected, point to the 2,0 coordinate and click once. Notice that a handle is inserted, but the object retains its original shape. Point to the 12,0 coordinate and click once to add another handle. Click on the Select Object Tool. Point to the 7,0 coordinate on the line between the two handles that you just created and drag down to the 7,-3 coordinate. Notice that you have again edited the shape of the object, this time by manipulating an entire surface. Manipulating object handles is a powerful editing technique; however, remember you can edit handles only in the view in which the object was created (where handles are black, not gray). Editing an Object's Surface Imagine that the shape you created represents a room of a house with a bay window at one end. You will next learn to create surface features representing windows. Select the object you created. Click the Surface Editor Tool. Accurately place the cursor on the line between the handle at 2,-3 and the handle at 12,-3, and then click. A new window is displayed with the words Surface:Outside in the title bar. A rectangular surface is displayed within the window. This surface is the side you selected with the Surface Editor Tool. In the Surface Editor, you work with an isolated surface rather than an object with several surfaces. Notice that the Tools window has changed slightly and there is a new menu, the Surface menu, on the menu bar. Also, notice the Make Transparent Modifier is the default setting. Click on the Make Translucent Modifier. This modifier gives the appearance of a glass surface. Click the Zoom In Tool once to magnify the surface in the window. Select the Create Rectangular Object Tool. Point to the 1,7 coordinate and drag to the 4'6",1 coordinate. In the Walk View you should be able to see the translucent surface feature (the bay window) you created. If not, try navigating to a position where you can see the surface feature that you have just added. If an object or surface is selected (displaying handles on the corners), you may double-click any of the Opacity Modifiers to change the opacity of the object or surface. In the Surface Editor, with the translucent surface feature selected (displaying handles), select the Edit menu and choose Duplicate. Another surface feature will be created and displayed near the first. Now drag the new duplicate surface feature to the right of the original surface feature. TIP: Surface features can be edited much the same as objects, i.e., their color, opacity and handles can be edited. Exit the Surface Editor by double-clicking the control menu icon in the upper left corner of the Surface Editor window. Save your model by selecting the File menu and choosing Save. You will not have to enter the name of your model because you have already named it. Tumbling an Object Select the object in the Top View with the Select Object Tool. Click the Tumble Editor Tool, then click the object again. A new window is displayed with the words Tumble Editor in the title bar. Notice that the Tools window has changed slightly and there is a new menu, the Tumble menu, on the menu bar. The object is displayed within the Tumble Editor window, but unlike the Surface Editor, the entire 3-D object is displayed. To view the object from different angles, tumble it by pointing to the object with the cursor (notice the cursor has changed to the Move Tool) and dragging it in any direction. The object is rotated in 3-D when you drag. You may drag the object in any direction to tumble it. Notice the Orientation Cube in the lower portion of the Tools window. This Orientation Cube shows which side of the object you are viewing: F=Front, L=Left, R=Right, T=Top, b=Bottom and B=Back. Point to the Orientation Cube and drag in any direction. Notice that as you tumble the Orientation Cube in the Tools window, the object in the Tumble Editor window also tumbles. Tumble the Orientation Cube until you see the F (Front). Double-click the F. This orients the cube and the object so the front is aligned and facing you. Slicing an Object Tumble the object from right to left so the right side is in view. [Check the Orientation Cube for the letter R (right).] Double-click on the right side of the object in the Tumble Editor window so it is aligned to your view. (The Orientation Cube should also align so that the R is facing you.) Click the Slice Object Tool in the Tools window. Point to the 4,5 coordinate (above the object) and drag to the 8,1 coordinate (to the right of the object). Notice that you have sliced off a piece of the object and created a new object surface. Tumble the object to view the results. TIP: Make multiple slices in any object from any angle by rotating and using the Slice Object Tool. You can delete a slice by clicking on the name of the slice in the slice list, then pressing the Delete or Backspace key. You can edit a slice by dragging the slice handles or dragging the whole slice. (For more information, see Slice Object Tool in the Virtus WalkThrough VRML Reference.) Tumble the object until you see the new surface that you just created. Double-click the new surface so it is facing you. Notice when a surface is selected in the Tumble Editor, it shows a dot pattern rather than handles. Double-click the Make Translucent Modifier. Notice that the entire surface becomes translucent. (You may wish to navigate in the Walk View to a position where you can see the edited surface.) You may edit whole surfaces in the Tumble Editor, much like editing while in the Surface Editor, but to draw features on surfaces while in the Tumble Editor, you must go into the Surface Editor. Close the Tumble Editor by double-clicking the control menu icon in the upper left corner of the Tumble Editor window. Save your model. After slicing an object, you may edit the slice by dragging either the handles of the slice or the slice line to keep the slicing angle constant. Adding a Library Object Under the File menu, choose Library. The standard Windows Get File dialog will appear. Select Sample Library (Macintosh) or sample.wlb (Windows) and click OK. The sample library window will appear. The sample library contains many items that are listed on the left of the library window. The right of the library window displays the currently selected item in 3-D. Notice the cross hair in the display area. The display area functions just like the Walk View; you can navigate around the currently displayed item using the same navigation methods as you use in the Walk View. Click on different items in the library list to view them. Click Sofa. The sofa library item will be displayed. Under the Edit menu, choose Copy. You should be able to see the Top View window behind the sample library. Click anywhere inside the Top View window to make it active (or under the Window menu choose My Virtus or MYVIRTUS). In the Top View, click in the center of the object. Under the Edit, menu choose Paste. The sofa should appear centered around where you clicked, within the object. If the sofa is not within the object outline in the Top View, drag it to the center of the object. When you are pasting a library object into a model, note that the first time you click in the Design View, you make it active; the next time you click in the Design View, you are designating where you want the object to be pasted. Notice that the sofa is selected (it is displaying grayed handles). Locking an Object Unselect the sofa and at the same time, select the object you created by clicking on the object away from the sofa. Select the Lock Object Tool. Click the object you created. Notice the object outline turns gray and dotted. This indicates that the object is locked. The object cannot be selected or edited in any way until it is unlocked. Rotating an Object Select the sofa. Click the Rotate Object Tool. Point to the center of the sofa and drag to the right. Notice the dotted line that appears between the mouse and where you started to drag; this is the rotational axis of that object. The farther out you drag, the more control you have over the rotation. Drag the dotted line up to a vertical position. The outline of the sofa will rotate. Release the mouse button; the sofa has rotated. Recording a Walk Path Click in the Walk View to make it active. Click on the Record Path Tool. Navigate up to the object that you created and look through the translucent surface features you added to the object. Navigate into the object to view the sofa more closely. Press the Stop Recording Tool. Playing a Recorded Path While you were navigating, you recorded the movements you made with the Record Path Tool. Now you can play back the recording by clicking the Play Tool. The playback will run in a continuous loop until you click the Stop Recording Tool or click the mouse. When you save your model, the recorded path is saved with it. If you record another path, it replaces the last recorded path. Scaling an Object Before scaling the sofa, unrotate it by following these steps: Select the sofa. Select the Edit menu and choose Modify Selected. A pop-up menu appears. From the pop-up menu, choose UnRotate. The sofa will unrotate, returning to its original position. TIP: You can also unrotate a selected object by double-clicking the Rotate Object Tool. Drag the sofa close to the back of the object. Be careful not to overlap the sofa with the object (wall). Click the Scale Object Tool. (The Scale Object Tool is in the pop-up under the Rotate Object Tool.) Point to the right side of the sofa and drag to the right. Do not overlap the boundaries of the locked object you created! Release the mouse button. Notice that the sofa has scaled to fit the width of the locked object you created. Click in the Walk View to make it active and navigate into the object so you can view the results of the scaling process. Putting It All Together You now have a basic understanding of the features of Virtus WalkThrough VRML. Let's build on that knowledge by constructing a small model and saving it as a library object. Opening a New File From the File menu, select New so that you have a new untitled document on your screen. Creating a Mailbox Notice the rulers on the left and top of the drawing area. Each tick mark represents one foot. Click the Zoom In Tool twice to move closer to the drawing area. After zooming in, you will notice the tick marks on the rulers represent one half foot or 6 inches. Zooming in allows you to create smaller objects with accuracy. Change to the Front View by selecting the View menu and choosing Change View and Front. On the left side of the Front View window is a ruler with a gray bar stretching from 0 to 8 ft. This gray bar is the inflation distance. Point to the depth control and drag the upper endpoint at 8 ft. down to 3 ft. Change back to the Top View by selecting the View menu and choosing Change View and Top. Point to the Observer at the 0,0 coordinate and drag down to the 0,-5 coordinate. (This step moves the Observer out of the way.) Click the Create Rectangular Object Tool. Point to the 0,0 coordinate and drag to the 6",6" coordinate. (That's 6 inches by 6 inches, not feet.) Use the Position Indicator to guide you if you are unsure of your measurement. You have created a post for the mailbox. Click the Walk View to make it active. Navigate to a position where you can see the object you created. Click on the Top View window to make it active. Change views to the Front View. Notice that the object you drew in the Top View inflated to the depth you set in the Front View when you dragged the upper endpoint of the depth control. Change views back to the Top View. Notice that the depth control on the left of the Top View window is set from 0 to 8 ft. Point to the endpoint at 8 ft. and drag to 2 ft. You can move the endpoints of a depth control or you can drag the whole inflation distance (gray area) as one unit. Point to the inflation distance of the depth control and drag the whole depth control so that the top marker is at 1 ft. and the bottom marker is at -1 ft. Change to the Front View. Point to the Create 8-Sided Object Tool and mouse down to reveal a pop-up of nested tools. Drag to select the Create N-Sided Object Tool. Double-click the Create N-Sided Object Tool. The Preferences:Defaults dialog box appears. Enter 10 in the Sides text box and click OK. In the Front View, point to the 0,5 coordinate and drag to the right to the 6",5 coordinate. Click on the Constrained Zoom Tool. The Constrained Zoom Tool lets you define an area to zoom in to. To define the zoom area, select the Constrained Zoom Tool, point to the drawing area and drag a small box around the 10-Sided object that you just created. Click the Add/Remove Handle Tool. Click once on each of the bottom two handles to remove them. Click the Select Object Tool. Reshape the object by dragging handles. With the Select Object Tool, drag the object so it meets the post. If you can't line up the lines, click the Zoom In Tool to zoom in, and then drag the object with the Select Object Tool. Click inside the Walk View to make it active. Navigate so you can see the mailbox taking shape. Click the Front View window to make it active. In the Front View, select the box object atop the post. Mouse down on the Color Bar and drag to select a new color for the mailbox. Grouping Objects Click the Zoom Out Tool until you can see the two objects you created. Under the Edit menu, choose Select All. Under the Design menu, select Group. Grouping objects causes the selected objects to be treated as a single object; the objects move, rotate and scale together. Under the Edit menu, choose Copy. Creating a New Library Under the File menu, choose Library. The standard Macintosh/Windows Get File dialog appears. Click on New. The standard Macintosh Windows Place File dialog appears. Type mylib in the text box and click OK. The mylib window will appear. Under the Edit menu, choose Paste. Naming and Re-naming Library Objects In the mylib window, you will see the mailbox and Object 1 in the object name list. Mouse down on Object 1 and a pop-up with the option Change Name will appear. Drag to highlight the Change Name option. The Object Name dialog box will appear. Type Mailbox in the text box, then click OK. Double-click the control menu icon in the upper left corner of the library window to close the library. Under the File menu, choose Close. When offered the option to save changes made to the model, click the OK button. There is no need to save the mailbox as a file because you have already saved it in a library. That's Part 1 Congratulations! You have learned the basics of Virtus WalkThrough VRML. Like any design software package, you will become more proficient with Virtus WalkThrough VRML by studying the manual and practicing the program's techniques. If Necessary, take a few moments to review what you have learned. When you are confident that you have mastered the basics, begin Part 2 of this Tutorial Guide.