DESKTOP VIRDIR COMMANDS WITH MAGELLAN AND CAVE SIMULATOR
 
mode/command value,word

command

 comments
Orb   Invokes the desktop magellan navigation device for Orb puck
Orb # # Floats that affect velocities of translation and rotation of Orb; default is translation 6.0 and rotation 0.5
Mage[llan] Invokes the desktop magellan navigation device for Magellen puck
Mage[llan] # # Floats that affect velocities of translation and rotation of Orb; default is translation 6.0 and rotation 0.5
Orb Buttons
When pressing buttons, check yellow status lines for information
Button F
 Toggles the Orb's action: either navigating or controlling the head/wand position.

You must be in orb mode to navigate -- curr, illi, and other modes ignore the Orb. Then, the yellow status line says either

  • orb adjusting . . . (press btn F to fly)

    • means you're not flying now; press button F, and the status changes to 
  • orb t6.0 s0.5 center . . . [. . . (btnB)]

    • which means you're now navigating. Press button F again to cease navigating (for example, to adjust a key frame, or to stop if drifting).
See also button C (center toggle) and B (for navigation styles)
Button B

 
 
 

 

 Only effective in orb navigation mode, and only while button F selects navigation. In navigation mode, button B toggles among four navigation styles as denoted in status line:
  • [tran only(btnB)] constrains navigation to translation only 
  • [rot only(btnB)] constrains navigation to rotation only 
  • [tran+rot(btnB)] navigation with no constraints 
  • [ry only{btnB)] constrains navigation to rotation about the y axis

    • To change this constraint, see constrain below in command list. This mode will retain the last constraint typed.
Button C
 Toggles between head or point of interest(poi) as the center; see yellow status line which will indicate "center=head" or "center # # #.  The # # # provides position of the poi
Button D + E
 Pressing both buttons simultaneously will place your viewpoint in home position
Button B + D
 Pressing both buttons puts point of interest (poi) to in front of your face. 
Button A
 Toggles between head and wand if NOT in navigation mode. Check status line for information. This button does nothing when in navigation mode.
Button D

 

 

 When in adjust mode (see adjust command), button D allows you to ratchet the motion of the adjustment. Adjust is primarily used to adjust camera key frames using wand and watching the camera view in the tele. Ratcheting allows an additive motion to be applied to the adjustment of the camera key frame. Ratcheting involves these steps using D button and Orb ball.

1. Move Orb ball to adjust the position of key frame 
2. Capture the position by pressing and holding button D
3. Release Orb ball
4. Release button D
5. Repeat steps 1 - 4 to ratchet the repositioning of the key
Button D + C Pressing both buttons while moving the Orb ball will move poi
F12 Press f12 on the keyboard to toggle on and off the performance measurement of the application.  It shows important information such as frame rate.
Text commands 
sys unix command Executes unix command while in virdir window; this is helpful to see a list of directories on the disk (sys ls data/record)
fast   Invokes faster drawing style to speed up motion
man virdir commands Gives description and usage of most virdir commands on feedback line (for example: man magellan)
fmenu help to get help on most speck fmenu commands
fmenu pos px py Position small yellow Speck menu on screen in normalized coordinates (lower left 0 0, upper right 1 1); fmenu pos .05 .3
     
menu integer # sets number of seconds that sub-menu text persists; if you want persistence then, menu 20000
     
tele pos # # Set x y integer positions in pixels from bottom left corner of the screen to position the tele
tele   toggle to turn virtual television off and on
text   toggle to turn text feedback and menu lines off and on
pcam   toggle to turn camera information menu off and on
pnavi   toggle to turn print navigation information menu off and on
     
home   Go to ?home? position; default home is set in config file; home position can be changed with sethome
sethome px py pz [rx ry rz] s Will set home at absolute position, rotation and scale
sethome here home will be set at current scale, rotation & position of viewer; here is a reserved word and designates current position, rot, & scale
setjump name here Save current viewer absolute position and scale as name
setjump    provides feedback list of current jump names
jump name Go to predefined position of name
jump   provides feedback list of current jump names
jump x A predetermined position that can be set in the configuration file to orient the user about the x axis.  For example, in Tully datasets,  pos: 40 0 0 rot: 0 90 90 describes the Euler angles to place view looking at red x axis
jump y A predetermined position that can be set in the configuration file to orient the user about the y axis.  For example, in Tully datasets, pos: 0 -40 0 rot: 90 0 0 describes the Euler angles to place view  looking at  green y axis
jump z A predetermined position that can be set in the configuration file to orient the user about the z axis.  For example, in Tully datasets, pos: 0 0 40 rot: 0 0 0 describes the Euler angles to place view looking at blue z axis
jumpto  px py pz [rx ry rz s]  Will move the viewer to absolute x,y,z float position with optional rotation and scale; requires 3 float positions
     
interest # # # Places point of interest, interest location given in yellow status line; D + C with Orb ball will move poi; B + C will put poi in front of your view
set pos # # #   Set current camera key frame to the absolute position float # # #;  this command is like jumpto, except that set pos positions camera while jumpto postions the navigation
set rot # # # Set current camera key frame to the absolute rotation float # # #;  this command is like jumpto, except that set rot affects camera while jumpto affects the navigation
polygon   toggle to turn polygons off and on; turn off for efficiency
polysize float # Set size of polygons; Default (in config) 0
     
point   toggle to turn points off and on; set in config
pointsize psize float #

float #

 size of points; Default 20 set in config

size of points; Default 20 set in config
slum float # scale luminosity of points; Default = 1
color integer# color scale; Default 1
     
labelsize, lsize float #

float #

 size of labels on data points; Default .05 set in config

size of labels on data points; Default .05 set in config
path # Go to path number #; maximum 10 paths
erase # Erase path # if current path is #
     
every integer # sample every # particle; Default = 1
clip near far Clipping planes; min and max clip .00001 40000
clip   Shows current clipping near and far, see virdir feedback line
key Creates a key frame at the current time.  If a camera path exists, key will create a key frame on the existing path at current time/frame.  You cannot create a key frame at time # where a key frame already exists.  See frame
frame # Postions camera at the integer frame # on camera path.  If the frame # is beyond the bounds of the current path, a key will automatically be created and the frames appended to current path.  Frames may be inserted before and appended after current path.
attach Attaches current key frame to current camera input source (cave, wand or head).  Attach affects key frames only.  Attach is primarily used to move camera as a wand source.
adjust # Adjust current key frame.
mvto # Moves current camera key frame to specified frame integer #.  The key frames position and rotation values remain unchanged.  mvto affects only frame value (eg. time)
record   Starts simulation, advances time, begins recording camera path and dropping key frames at specified time intervals; default is 3 frames per second.
stop   Stops recording, play, time, but not navigation
play   plays camera path in tele
pmode seq play all camera paths in sequential order
pmode reg play current path as loop
     
wdata name Save the camera path as name.vd on disk
rdata name Read the camera path as name.vd on disk
wdata all name Save all camera paths as name.path#.vd on disk
rdata all name Read all camera paths as name.path#.vd on disk into paths
walls name Create an .rgb image of the front wall of cave or CaveSim window on the desktop.  This image is stored in current directory:  svd
macro name Read a macro to perform a series of virtual director commands.  The macros files are created with a text editor, must have .mc file extension, and are stored in svd/data/macro.  (for example: 
src cave specify the cave center as input to the camera, makes the front wall approximate camera view, stand in center of cave