VRML - Re: Request for help in testing draft world Version 2

Author

Re: Request for help in testing draft world Version 2

PrisNo6

2004-01-05, 2:28 am

fisherka@csolutions.net (PrisNo6) wrote in message news:<9865fa0b.0312281845.68fd6eeb@posting.google.com>...

Late last month I requested some testing help from this group for a
plotting application under development. Based on the many helpful
comments I received, I spooled a new version that is compatable with
Cortona Player and CosmoPlayer 2.1.1 under Netscape Navigator 7.0 and
MS I.E. 6.0 and refactored to leverage for code re-use. Presently
this app will not work with Blaxxun Contact. (A separate Blaxxun
version is in the works.)

I would appreciate it if more experienced users again would try the
corrected world to confirm cross-browser and cross-player
compatiability. The world is at:

http://members.csolutions.net/fishe...Astro/World.wrl

A zipped copy of the world can be obtained from:

http://members.csolutions.net/fishe...SampleAstro.zip
(130K)

Comments can be posted here or sent to me by direct email at removing
"MAPSON" from the address):

fisherkaMAPSON@csolutions.net

Please let me know your VRML player and browser.

Known bugs:

1.0 Rarely, an onload error will occur under Cortona and CosmoPlayer.
Always try one reload "refresh".

2.0 CosmoPlayer will not express all features available in Cortona,
described as follows:

2.1) On the application "Control Panel", a named viewpoint, under
CosmoPlayer, the option group to control the background color will
not function. This is a limitation within CosmoPlayer only. Recover
by refreshing the world.

2.2) When clicking on world objects that have an anchor action, the
default behavior is to search first for a url link describing the
object. If no object reference page has been created, the viewer
should cascade to a second default url for a "Not implemented" page.
Apparently CosmoPlayer does not support cascading anchor urls.
Therefore, a standard "page not found" error will occur. Recover
with the browser "back" button.

2.3) With Netscape Navigator 7.0 and CosmoPlayer, the first
viewpoint labeled "x-y slice" will display about 1 world unit closer
than its viewpoint translation setting. This is an unresolved
runtime error that does not occur under Cortona player under NN or MS
IE or under CosmoPlayer under MS IE.

Thanks again - Kurt

PrisNo6

2004-01-06, 12:29 am

fisherka@csolutions.net (PrisNo6) wrote in message news:<9865fa0b.0401042212.35a3c6a7@posting.google.com>...

quote:

> fisherka@csolutions.net (PrisNo6) wrote in message news:<9865fa0b.0312281845.68fd6eeb@posting.google.com>...

Based on offline help provided by Cecile Muller, I revised and
reposted a new version of this plotting app at 03:30 1/6/2004 UTC.

In the current version, the option control group that toggles the
background colors now is cross-viewer compatiable and works under both
Cortona and CosmoPlayer.

The world is at:

http://members.csolutions.net/fishe...Astro/World.wrl

A zipped copy of the world can be obtained from:

http://members.csolutions.net/fishe...SampleAstro.zip

Comments can be posted here or sent to me by direct email at removing
"MAPSON" from the address):

fisherkaMAPSON@csolutions.net

Thanks again - Kurt

P.S. - For the few of you following this, I will be adding two more
axes controls (a polar coordinate sphere for checking the angular
coordinates of objects) later this week and then proceed to conforming
a reduced feature world for Blaxxun.

Herbert Stocker

2004-01-06, 4:28 am

PrisNo6 wrote:

quote:

> fisherka@csolutions.net (PrisNo6) wrote in message news:<9865fa0b.0401042212.35a3c6a7@posting.google.com>...
>
>
>
> Based on offline help provided by Cecile Muller, I revised and
> reposted a new version of this plotting app at 03:30 1/6/2004 UTC.
>
> In the current version, the option control group that toggles the
> background colors now is cross-viewer compatiable and works under both
> Cortona and CosmoPlayer.
>
> The world is at:
>
> http://members.csolutions.net/fishe...Astro/World.wrl
>
> A zipped copy of the world can be obtained from:
>
> http://members.csolutions.net/fishe...SampleAstro.zip
>
> Comments can be posted here or sent to me by direct email at removing
> "MAPSON" from the address):
>
> fisherkaMAPSON@csolutions.net
>
> Thanks again - Kurt
>
> P.S. - For the few of you following this, I will be adding two more
> axes controls (a polar coordinate sphere for checking the angular
> coordinates of objects)

quote:

> later this week and then proceed to conforming
> a reduced feature world for Blaxxun.

When you do this you should add a `;´ after each statement.
Contact is strict about this and for example in lib_Dataset_view_proto.wrkl

string_changed = new MFString()
// Set url string
string_changed[0] = LabelNode.string[0] ;

the first statement misses a `;´

Also before a closing `}´ Contact needs a `;´ to end the
statement.

Herbert

--
Herbert Stocker (aka hersto)
http://www.hersto.de
www.bitmanagement.de

Herbert Stocker

2004-01-06, 5:29 am

PrisNo6 wrote:

quote:

> later this week and then proceed to conforming
> a reduced feature world for Blaxxun.

Another two tips:

- Maybe a Fog node could increase the 3D effect because it
helps the brain to detect the distance of objects from
the viewer.

- Add USE_TEXTURE to the style field of the FontStyle nodes.
This makes the texts very good readable in Version 6.1 of
Contact (BS Contact VRML).
E.g.
FontStyle {
style "BOLD USE_TEXTURE"
}
or if you have it at the default value:
FontStyle {
style "PLAIN USE_TEXTURE"
}

BTW, why do you want to make a reduced feature version for
Contact?

Herbert

--
Herbert Stocker (aka hersto)
http://www.hersto.de
www.bitmanagement.de

PrisNo6

2004-01-06, 4:31 pm

Herbert Stocker <hst-uzd-nospam@hersto.de> wrote in message news:<3FFA7417.2060008@hersto.de>...

quote:

> PrisNo6 wrote:
> BTW, why do you want to make a reduced feature version for
> Contact?

Herbert, Blaxxun Contact is a wonderful product, particularly the
server. I believe it provides for multi-user participation in one
world. As to why I am planning for a reduced feature version for
Blaxxun, it has nothing to do inherently with Blaxxun, but rather my
limited abilities as a begining VRML coder and limited time resources
as a non-commercial coder.

First, in trying an initial Blaxxun compatability version, there
appeared to be a number of syntax differences between the versions of
Javascript that run under CosmoPlayer, Cortona and Blaxxun. This is a
usual cross-platform compatability problem. I concluded that
conforming all the syntax differences for Blaxxun were beyond my
resource and time constraints.

Take the following Javascript fragment as an example and
initialization for the array "string_changed":

=============
url [
"java script:
function initialize ( ) {

// Syntax - initialize variable for CosmoPlayer compatability -
Cosmo wants array hard-initialized
string_changed = new MFString() ;

// Set label string
// Case 0 - If no labels, label is blank
if ( LabelType.whichChoice == 0 ) { string_changed = [ '', '' ] ; }
// Case 1 - Use first string as label
if ( LabelType.whichChoice == 1 ) { string_changed[0] =
LabelNode.string[0] ; }
// Case 2 - Use second string as label
if ( LabelType.whichChoice == 2 ) { string_changed[0] =
LabelNode.string[1] ; }
// Case 3 - Use third string as label
if ( LabelType.whichChoice == 3 ) { string_changed[0] =
LabelNode.string[2] ; }
// Case 4 - Use all strings in array as label
if ( LabelType.whichChoice == 4 ) { string_changed =
LabelNode.string ; }

=============

Cortona would imply initialization of the array "string_changed" on
its own. CosmoPlayer wanted the array hard initialized, e.g.
"string_changed = new MFString() ;" Blaxxun wanted the string_changed
hard-initialized, but still abended unless default values were
instanced for each element, e.g. -

string_changed = new MFString() ;
string_changed[0] = ' ';
string_changed[1] = ' ';
string_changed[2] = ' ';

Having coded a large number of behaviors under Cortona and Cosmo, I
simply ran out of time to conform all these syntax differences in
Blaxxun.

Again, Blaxxun Contact is a great product. I'm not criticizing it. I
assume my difficulties are related to my inexperience.

Anything you can tell me about the Javascript version used by Blaxxun,
so I write more cross-player compatiable code in the future, would be
appreciated.

Second, one of the key behaviors that make the simple plotting
application useable is its ability to dynamically (when instanced)
modify the fontsize the labels of plotted objects and position the
leading space of the label. Cortona had a non-specification feature,
the ability to access the fontsize property, the originally permitted
me to implement this feature. Cortona and CosmoPlayer both supported
dynamic (on initialization through prototypes) rescaling of the
fontsize using Transform statements.

I spent about 8 hours debugging a compatiable feature for this in
Blaxxun, but could not make it to work. Again, I assume this is a
result of my inexperience and some inappropriate coding approach that
lurks in my original Cortona and CosmoPlayer compatiable code.

Since the premire feature of Blaxxun is Blaxxun server, and in a
multi-user complex plot of many astronomical objects, the more complex
labelling and control panel features would not be needed, I concluded
the best approach using my limited time resources, was to make a
reduced behavior set of prototypes for Blaxxun.

Thanks for your interest - Kurt

Herbert Stocker

2004-01-06, 4:31 pm

PrisNo6 wrote:

quote:

> Herbert Stocker <hst-uzd-nospam@hersto.de> wrote in message news:<3FFA7417.2060008@hersto.de>...
>
>
>
> Herbert, Blaxxun Contact is a wonderful product, particularly the
> server. I believe it provides for multi-user participation in one
> world. As to why I am planning for a reduced feature version for
> Blaxxun, it has nothing to do inherently with Blaxxun, but rather my
> limited abilities as a begining VRML coder and limited time resources
> as a non-commercial coder.

There was no offense in my question.
I asked just for curiosity. :-)

Since i'm low on time resources myself, i'll answer the rest of
your posting later.

Herbert

--
Herbert Stocker (aka hersto)
http://www.hersto.de
www.bitmanagement.de

Cecile Muller

2004-01-06, 7:30 pm

First of all: <rant>It's not called "Blaxxun", it's "Contact"
;-p</rant>

Then, two things about the code:
- replace "string_changed = [ '', '' ];" by "string_changed = new
MFString('','');" because the [] way means it's an array, which can
contain other types of values, not just strings.

quote:

> Blaxxun wanted the string_changed
> hard-initialized, but still abended unless default values were
> instanced for each element, e.g. -

You could initialize them in the "new MFString('','','')" but even
without initializing, it works for me, see the example below:

#VRML V2.0 utf8
Viewpoint{}
Shape{
appearance Appearance{material Material{transparency 1}}
geometry DEF LabelNode Text{string ["1","2","3"]}
}
Shape{
appearance Appearance{material Material{}}
geometry DEF ResultText Text{}
}
DEF LabelType Switch{whichChoice 2}
DEF brain Script{
field SFNode LabelNode USE LabelNode
field SFNode LabelType USE LabelType
eventOut MFString string_changed
url "java script:
function initialize() {
if (LabelType.whichChoice == 0) {string_changed = new
MFString('','');}
if (LabelType.whichChoice == 1) {string_changed[0] =
LabelNode.string[0];}
if (LabelType.whichChoice == 2) {string_changed[0] =
LabelNode.string[1];}
if (LabelType.whichChoice == 3) {string_changed[0] =
LabelNode.string[2];}
if (LabelType.whichChoice == 4) {string_changed = LabelNode.string;}
}"
}
ROUTE brain.string_changed TO ResultText.string

PrisNo6

2004-01-06, 8:32 pm

Herbert Stocker <hst-uzd-nospam@hersto.de> wrote in message news:<3FFB1314.4030109@hersto.de>...

quote:

> PrisNo6 wrote:
> There was no offense in my question. I asked just for curiosity. :-)

Herbert, no offense taken. I was just trying to handle the question
diplomatically, since the "which is the best player" and "why doesn't
it work under my viewer" things seems to be sticky issues in the user
community. -:) Kurt

PrisNo6

2004-01-07, 4:33 pm

fisherka@csolutions.net (PrisNo6) wrote in message news:<9865fa0b.0401051946.1c6db7a9@posting.google.com>...[QUOTE][color=darkred]
> fisherka@csolutions.net (PrisNo6) wrote in message news:<9865fa0b.0401042212.35a3c6a7@posting.google.com>...

A final heavyweight version with all intended features and the most I
could make of Cortona - CosmoPlayer cross-compatability has been
posted at:

http://members.csolutions.net/fishe...Astro/World.wrl

A zipped copy of the world can be obtained from:

http://members.csolutions.net/fishe...SampleAstro.zip

The final new feature are two polar grids. This brings up a celestial
sphere grid and is intended to be used to check polar coordinates, as
opposed to orthogonal coordinates.

The background switcher could not be made fully compability under
CosmoPlayer. As explained in the install notes (installnotes.txt):

---------------------------
2.1) In CosmoPlayer, the background color switching option group does
not work properly. Remain in the initial "white" background. The
background option group is functional, but reverts to the next to last
selected state when a new viewpoint is selected. To use the
background switcher in CosmoPlayer, (1) select the desired color,
(2) then select a new color, and (3) finally select a viewpoint. The
player will revert to the next to last selected color - in this case
the desired color. After trying three different programming
approaches, it was concluded that this runtime problem is inherent in
the way that CosmoPlayer binds the color to the current viewpoint.
The programming approach adopted here was the best of three
undesirable alternatives. This feature functions properly under
Cortona.
---------------------------

Future planned activity on this mini-app are:

a) a short user manual.
b) a sample "Math" and "Financial" example world.
c) a lightweight version, with no features, that will be compatible
with Blaxxun.

This mini-app is released to public domain.

- Kurt

mail comments to fisherkaMAPSON@csolutions.net remove MAPSON