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- 3D environment program documentation : 3D.DOC
- LAST UPDATE : Feb 23, 1991.
- RELEASE No. : 1.10
-
-
- WHAT'S NEW
- ----------
-
- - Version 1.10 offers a better heap memory managment routine, VGA users
- will not face the "Out of memory" message so frequently as did
- Version 1.00 users.
-
- - PC3270, 8514 and AT&T graphic users will need to use BGI drivers from
- TP5.5, these drivers are no longer included in the code.
-
- - The source files required by the generated "Compiled" files are now
- available within 3D110.
-
- INTRODUCTION
- ------------
-
- This is the first documentation file to 3D, a WWToolKit demo application,
- by Loewy Ron (LR) and Ishai Ben-Aroya (IBA), 1990 - 1991, This program is
- released to the public domain, 1990, 1991.
-
-
- The distribution file 3D110 contains the following files :
-
- 3D.EXE - 3D object code.
- 3D.HLP - 3D on-line help file.
- README.WWT - WWToolKit description.
- 3D.DOC - This file.
- *.M3D - 3D macro files.
- *.3D2 - Simple 3D object definition files.
- *.3DS - Complex 3D object definition files.
- *.PAS - Units required by the generated "compiled macros".
-
- Please notice :
-
- The 3D source files (except WWToolKit sources) are available in the
- 3D110SRC archive file, if you want to try and compile te 3D program,
- you will need the WWT10TPU archive file - for the WWToolKit units,
- and probably also the WWT10DOC archive file, that contains documents
- to these units.
-
-
- What is 3D ?
- ------------
-
- 3D is an environment program that uses the WWToolKit GUI, to enable the
- design, creation, study and use of 3D objects in a 3D object space, the
- program includes a Graphic editor, an On-line test module, a graphic
- based Text Editor, an animation macro language Interpreter, a macro to
- Pascal compiler (translator), and (available separately in the 3D110SRC file)
- Pascal library files, to create stand alone animation executables, from the
- Pascal code created by the compiler.
-
-
- User Interface
- --------------
-
- 3D uses the WWToolKit GUI, the user interface is documented in the
- TOOLKIT.DOC file, in the WWT10DOC archive file, basically, this is a
- windowed, menu - driven, mouse (and keyboard, if a mouse is not present)
- desktop environment, The top of the screen (Desktop) contains the main
- program menu, from which drop down windows can be opened (using the mouse
- or the F10 key on keyboard only systems) to choose (point and release)
- program options, the desktop contains application windows, with a top
- (active) window, by pointing with the mouse (or using the F6 key in keyboard
- systems) - you can bring a window to the top of the desktop. A window may
- contain controls (buttons), option lists, or other action elements. If the
- application needs a response from the user it will open a dialogue-box, a
- non-removable window, that waits for some input from the user. Normal
- ( well.. market common ) conventions are used - re-sizing through the
- bottom-right grow box (F9), closing through the top-left close box (F3),
- dragging - in the header line (Alt-F9), choosing by clicking, or
- double-clicking, as needed. Please notice - because this program was used to
- compile, develope and test the WWToolKit library, the right mouse button is
- used to terminate the program!.
- (This item is discussed in the TOOLKIT.DOC file, in the WWT10DOC archive
- file). If you do not have access to the WWT10DOC file, you can get basic
- explanation, by using the 3D on-line help windows, open a help window by
- choosing a topic from the help menu, and double click on underlined items
- of interest - to receive hyper-text help about the 3D program and user
- interface.
-
-
- OBJECTS
- -------
-
- 3D objects supported by the 3D program are wire-mesh objects,
- (no solid objects support in this version), there are 2 object types
- defined by 3D - simple objects : wire mesh points and lines, and
- complex objects : sets of simple objects, with a common frame of reference.
- 3D defines an "active" object, all of the 3D object operations are performed
- on this object, to set the "active" object - choose from the list created by
- the ACTIVE option in the objects menu. Please notice - clicking on an
- object's edit window, loading an object, or testing it in the on-line
- window automatically brings it to the top of the object list, and makes
- it the "active" object. Use the LOAD option in the object menu to load an
- object from disk to memory, please notice - simple objects are saved in
- OBJNAME.3D2 files, while complex objects are saved in OBJNAME.3DS files.
- When you load an object, no window is opened, choose the EDIT option in
- the objects menu to open a graphic editor window for the object.
- (notice that a simple object has 2 types of editors - points, and lines
- editors). Use the NEW option from the objects menu to create new objects.
- Please refer to the on-line help facility, or to the technical documentation
- in the 3D110SRC archive file, objects are defined in the OBJECT3D.PAS,
- SUPEROBJ.PAS, RTOBJ.PAS files, graphic editors are defined in the
- LINEWIND.PAS, PNTWIND.PAS and SEDTWIND.PAS files in the 3D110SRC archive.
-
-
- MACROS
- ------
-
-
- Macros are 3D scripts that animate (used to create animation) 3D objects,
- the macro language is described in the on-line help macros topic, and can be
- found also in the technical documentation, and source files in the
- 3D110SRC archive file. Use the 3D built in Text Editor, or any plain
- ASCII text editor of your choice - to create macro files, 3D macro files
- should carry the .M3D extension. (e.g. BOX3MV.M3D), use the macro menu
- to manipulate the Text Editor text files. The run menu offers the
- INTERPRET option, that opens a window, and displays the animation
- sequence defined in the "active" macro, (please refer to the objects "active"
- description - the "active" macro has the same meaning for macro files),
- the macro can be debugged, and developed using the Text Editor, and the
- INTERPRET option, use the COMPILE option from the run menu to create a
- Pascal source code, ready to be (Turbo - Pascal) compiled into a stand alone
- 3D animation EXE file. The macro text-editor is defined in the MCRWIND.PAS
- file, and is a derived object of the TEXTWINDOW object of the WWToolKit
- window, the macro language interpreter, and compiler are documented in the
- INTERPER.PAS and CMPL3D.PAS - in the 3D110SRC archive file, some more
- animation consideration topics can be found in the PROJECT3.PAS, PRJWIND.PAS
- and CTM3D.PAS files.
-
-
- WARRANTY
- --------
-
-
- There is no warranty what-so-ever, this package is supplied as is,
- and the authors will not be responsible for any lost profits,
- inconveniences or other damages caused by the use of or inability to
- use this package. We do however state that we hope we will be able to
- eliminate most bugs and performance drawbacks during the development
- of the package.
-
-
-
- CONTACT
- -------
-
-
-
- Contact :
-
- Loewy Ron, Ben-Aroya Ishai
- 9 Haneveem st., or 48-A Harofe St.
- Herzeliya, 46465 Haifa
- ISRAEL. ISRAEL.
-
-
- History
- -------
-
-
- The 3D program had been written several times, before this ("version 1.10")
- was released to the public domain, The first 3D design, creation and test
- program was created by LR, on an Apple //e, in 1984, written in BASIC,
- some help from Paluda Oded (PO) - in mathematical definitions - was used
- to create the 2.nd Apple implementation - that introduced the macro idea,
- used self center of gravity to create relational frames, and used a basic
- compiler (OOWWAOO) - to achieve faster execution time. LR used Turbo-Pascal
- version 3.01, with the GRAPHIX TOOLBOX to learn Pascal and PC programming,
- in 1988, the result 3D program was never released, and supported only
- integer math, keyboard interface, and HGC graphic adapter. (No CGA version
- pal, sorry). With Turbo-Pascal 4.0 a new - BGI version was created by LR,
- and was renamed THREE_D, this version still used keyboard interface, however
- the window system did not use the GRAPHIX TOOLBOX, THREE_D version 1.10
- replaced the integer math, with a real math version, and version 1.20
- introduced (along with Turbo-Pascal 5.0) the macro to Pascal compiler.
- Versions 1.23 to 1.25 were for a short time distributed in the U.K. as a
- shareware product. From FEB 1990, IBA joined LR to rewrite the entire
- 3D program (renamed again to 3D) using OOPS technology, and Turbo-Pascal 5.5,
- The new 3D program was used as a test bed to the new LR & IBA developed
- GUI - WWToolKit. Because the 3D program was big enough, and complex enough
- to test and build most of the ideas in the WWToolKit library, many WWToolKit
- files still carry the something3D name, (like the WINDOW3D window unit file).
- This version was re-worked, and released as version 1.00 on SEP 1990. Minor
- changes to the WWToolKit library were made during OCT, and NOV 1990, and the
- 3D program had to wait for the documentation file (this file), before
- it could be released to BBS, and FTP sites. Some users complained about VGA
- systems that crashed because of lack of memory, version 1.10 improves this
- situation by using a smarter heap managment error routine, that will lead
- to slower window re-draws, but will consume less memory. This fix is
- acceptable because 3D 1.00 was written on a 10 MHz XT machine with a HGC
- card, and needed any bit of performance it could get, if you use an XT
- machine with a VGA display - you are in trouble, however, any AT or 386
- machine will perform resonably. (My 286 AT and 386-33 AT run this version
- fast enough).
- A Macintosh version was written by LR during 1989, using .. Turbo-Pascal,
- but was never debugged to be considered anything more then a test project.
-
- WWToolKit is a copyright of Loewy Ron & Ishai Ben-Aroya.
- PC is a trademark of International Business Machines.
- Apple, Apple //e and Macintosh are trademarks of APPLE Computer Inc.
- Turbo-Pascal (V3.0, 4.0, 5.0, 5.5) and GRAPHIX TOOLBOX are copyrights and
- trademarks of BORLAND INTL'. LTD.
-
- Other products or registered names mentioned are trademarks, or copyrights
- of their respective trademark/copyright holders/owners.
-
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- · The 3D environment program. · · ·
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