From slevy Thu Jan  4 00:56:26 2001
To: robertp
Subject: what's new (spaceball-driven virdir)
Cc: svend@sgi.com

There's a few updated files in a tarball (~3MB) at:
   http://virdir.ncsa.uiuc.edu/slevy/vdemo1.tar

To extract (Svend, this will be extracting onto the disk Bob's bringing),
assuming it's mounted on /ncsa again:

   cd /ncsa/virdir
   tar xvopf /whatever/vdemo1.tar

Then to use it:
				(just as before):
   set home = /ncsa/virdir
   cd
   source ~/.cshrc

				(then):
   setenv BALL /dev/ttydXX	(wherever spaceball is plugged in)

or				(if you use the orb instead of spaceball)
   unsetenv BALL
   setenv ORB  /dev/ttydXX

Don't try to use any X-input-extension support for the spaceball,
don't run spaceballd, etc. -- we just want to talk to it straight through
the serial port.

What's working in this virdir version:

  - buttons C, B, A correspond to left, middle, right wand buttons.

  - no need to "press button F" -- motion is always enabled in orb mode
	(Is this bad?  Maybe there should be a pause button?)

  - motion should feel correct (push/pull/twist viewpoint) if
	you face screen, holding ball with CBA buttons on right
	and 1-9 buttons on left.  Apparently the sball "tail"
	is detachable, and it can be oriented the other way! --
	rotated 180 degrees, so ABC would be on left, and 1-9 on right side.
	If that seems ergonomically easier to use, lemme know.

  - new commands:

	curr toggle	toggles "current"<->"orb" (or whatever other nav mode)

	scale *N or /N	rescales

	bindb  ball.N  command    bind any command to button N
	bindb  ball.N  -	  removes that command binding
	bindb			  with no args, lists all bound buttons

  - new file:
	data/config/ball.cf

	so that if you "rconf ball" it will bind

	    bindbutton ball.1  slum *2
	    bindbutton ball.2  slum /2

	    bindbutton ball.3  scale *2
	    bindbutton ball.4  scale /2

	    bindbutton ball.5  curr toggle

	If you like these, just merge ball.cf into
	data/config/threepipe.cf or default_in.cf or something,
	or better, add

	    feed rconf ball

	to threepipe.cf or whatever.


Not yet done:

  The constrained-motion stuff (btnB on the orb)
    isn't working at the moment -- I hope I'll have that fixed by tomorrow.

  I'm working on a spaceballable "adjust" mode, ditto.

  Colliding-galaxies demo won't work with spaceball yet -- I'll need to
    recompile it!  But all the other start-XXX's should.

    The star haloes should already be there with "start-hip" -- just
    try turning polygons on.

Talk to you (both?) tomorrow

  Stuart