Cosmo Player 2.1 Quick Reference

Copyright © 1997, 1998 Silicon Graphics, Inc. - All Rights Reserved

Cosmo Player plugs in to your Web browser to enable you to see and explore 3D worlds. With Cosmo Player you can visit any 3D world authored in the Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML). These 3D worlds often include other kinds of multimedia, like sound and movies.

This quick reference gives brief descriptions of each of the elements in the Cosmo Player interface.

Basic navigation is covered in Getting Started with Cosmo Player 2.1.

You can find more in-depth information--including a table of keyboard equivalents for Cosmo Player buttons--in Going Further with Cosmo Player 2.1.

You can find more technical information about installation and trouble-shooting in the Release Notes.

On the Dashboard

You use the main controls on the Cosmo Player dashboard to do two things: move around in 3D worlds and examine objects in 3D worlds. (Some worlds don't display the dashboard, but they may provide on-screen cues to navigation.)

If your dashboard looks like this, you're using the Movement controls:

If your dashboard looks like this, you're using the Examine controls:

Some worlds allow you to use only Movement controls (Go, Slide, Tilt, Float, and Gravity). Other worlds allow you to use only Examine controls (Rotate, Pan, and Zoom). Still other worlds allow you to use both Movement and Examine controls. Even if both sets of controls are available to you, it's usually best to use the controls that are displayed when you first enter a world. You could easily become disoriented by switching randomly from one set of controls to another!

Click the Change Controls button to switch between Movement and Examine controls. Or press ` (backquote), ~ (tilde),  or - (minus key on numeric keypad).

For detailed information, see "Movement Controls," "Examine Controls," and "Common Controls."

A Word About Control Buttons . . .

An unselected button is gray-green. A selected button is bright green. Unavailable buttons are flat and gray.

See "Movement Controls," "Examine Controls," and "Common Controls."

When you pass the pointer over a button, the button's name and description are displayed. See "Hide/Show Button Names" and "Hide/Show Button Descriptions."

Resizing the Dashboard

You can minimize and re-expand the display of the dashboard. Minimizing the dashboard does not change its functions or disable navigation. When the dashboard is minimized, you can still click and drag to navigate. You can also use keyboard equivalents for Cosmo Player buttons.

To minimize the dashboard, click the small triangle in the upper-left corner.

To expand the dashboard, click the small triangle in the bottom-left corner of the minimized dashboard.

Using Mouse and Keyboard

You can navigate with the mouse, the keyboard, or both mouse and keyboard.

To navigate with the mouse, choose a control and drag in the window. There are several ways of doing this:

• Click a control, release the mouse button, and then click-and-drag in the window.
  When you release the mouse, the control remains "permanently" selected until you click another.
• Click a control, hold down the mouse button, and drag in the window.
  This method temporarily selects a control: when you release the mouse button, selection reverts to the last button "permanently" selected.
• Hold down Ctrl or Alt to temporarily select a control.
  When you release Ctrl or Alt, selection reverts to the last button "permanently" selected.

To navigate with the keyboard, choose a control and press the arrow keys (singly or in combination).

Most controls have keyboard equivalents.

See "Movement Controls," "Examine Controls," and "Common Controls." For information on optimizing the keyboard commands for left-handed or right-handed use, see Going Further with Cosmo Player 2.1.

Movement Controls

You use Movement controls to move around in a 3D world.

See also  "Using Mouse and Keyboard," "Examine Controls," and "Common Controls."

Go

Go is the default Movement control. Click Go and then drag the pointer in the scene window to move in the world. Drag up to go forward, drag down to go backward, drag left to turn left, and drag right to turn right. Go turns your view in the direction of travel. Hold down Shift to go faster.

Slide

Click Slide and then drag to slide straight up or down, or to slide right or left. Slide does not turn your view in the direction of travel. Press Alt to temporarily select Slide when you're using Go or Tilt. Hold down Shift to slide faster.

Tilt

Click Tilt and then drag to look up and down or from side to side without moving. Press Ctrl to temporarily select Tilt when you're using Go or Slide.

Gravity

Click Gravity to turn gravity on. This keeps you on the ground or floor as you navigate through a world. Keyboard equivalent: Tab or + (plus sign on numeric keypad).

Float

Click Float to turn gravity off. This enables you to navigate off the ground or floor of a world. Keyboard equivalent: Tab or + (plus sign on numeric keypad).

Note: The author of the 3D world determines whether the Float and Gravity buttons are enabled.

Examine Controls

You use Examine controls to examine objects within a 3D world.

Note: You should not use Examine controls in a world that has a "floor" and "ceiling" or "ground" and "sky": if you do so, you can very easily get disoriented.

See also "Using Mouse and Keyboard," "Movement Controls," and "Common Controls."

Rotate

Rotate is the default Examine control. Click Rotate and then drag to spin an object in front of you. You can also use the arrow keys (singly or in combination). Rotate faster by holding down an arrow key and Shift.

Pan

Click Pan and then drag to pan up, down, left, or right. You can also use the arrow keys (singly or in combination). Pan faster by holding down an arrow key and Shift. Press Alt to temporarily select Pan when you're using Rotate or Zoom.

Zoom

Click Zoom and then drag up to zoom in or drag down to zoom out. You can also use the arrow keys (singly or in combination). Zoom faster by holding down an arrow key and Shift. Press Ctrl to temporarily select Zoom when you're using Rotate or Pan.

Common Controls

Movement and Examine controls are supplemented by a range of common controls that normally appear on the left and right sides of the dashboard. (Remember that the author of a world can decide which controls are available to you.) See also"Using Mouse and Keyboard," "Movement Controls," and "Examine Controls."

Seek

Click Seek and then click an object in the Cosmo Player window to go directly to it.

Continuous Seek

Double-click Seek to enter Continuous Seek mode, which makes your pointer act as if Seek were being continuously pressed. The Seek button turns white. In Continuous Seek, other navigation controls continue to function, but you don't interact with active objects. You can program a mouse button for Continuous Seek; see Going Further with Cosmo Player 2.1.

Straighten

Click to place your view upright and level in the world. Keyboard equivalent: End.

Undo Move

Click to move back to the last place you stopped. Keyboard equivalent: Delete or Backspace.

Redo Move

Click to move back to where you were before you clicked Undo Move. Keyboard equivalent: Insert or Shift+Backspace.

Current Viewpoint

Click to return to the current viewpoint.

Viewpoint List

Click to display a list of interesting places in the world.

Previous Viewpoint

Click to go to the previous viewpoint in the Viewpoint list. Keyboard equivalent: Page Up.

Next Viewpoint

Click to go to the next viewpoint in the Viewpoint list. Keyboard equivalent: Page Down.

Hide/Show Button Names

Click to hide or show button names and descriptions when you pass the pointer over a button.

Hide/Show Button Descriptions

Click to hide or show button descriptions when you pass the pointer over a button..

Change Controls

Click to change from Movement controls to Examine controls or vice-versa. Keyboard equivalent: ` (backquote), ~ (tilde),  or - (minus key on numeric keypad).

Help

Click to display on-line documentation.

Preferences

Click to display the Preferences window, where you set options for Cosmo Player behavior, including optimizing keyboard equivalents for left-handed or right-handed use. See Going Further with Cosmo Player 2.1.

Cosmo Software home page

Click to display the Cosmo Software home page in your Web browser.

Cosmo Player Support

Cosmo Player support is currently available in English only on the Cosmo Software site at http://cosmosoftware.com or for a per incident charge through our call center at 1-888-91-COSMO. Cosmo Support Services call center provides support from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. MST.