Virtual Reality Madness & More!/Virtual.Reality.Madness.And.More.1994.Disk1.iso/vistapro/vista1.exe/MANUAL/CH2.TXT

Text File | 1994-09-04 | 21KB | 480 lines

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Chapter 2
Vistapro User Manual
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USER INFORMATION


HARD DISK INSTALLATION
----------------------
At a minimum, you must have the following hardware and software
to run Vistapro:

* IBM PC compatible computer with 640 KB memory
* MSDOS or PCDOS operating system
* Microsoft compatible mouse and driver
* VGA, Extended VGA, or Super VGA graphics modes
  (requires VESA driver)
* DOS hard disk partition with at least 3 MB free space

To run the install program again, place the 3-D Madness CD-ROM in
your CD-ROM drive and follow these steps:

1. From the DOS prompt, type
        x:\VISTAPRO\INSTALL drive:
   and press Enter. Substitute your CD-ROM drive letter for "x:"
   and substitute the drive you want to install to for "drive".
   For example, if your CD drive is D: and you want to install to
   drive C:, type D:\VISTAPRO\INSTALL C: and press Enter.

2. The installation program will display an introductory message.
   Press any key to continue.

3. The program will begin installing the files to your hard drive.

4. A message will appear when the program is finished --press
   any key to exit.


MEMORY USAGE BY VISTAPRO
------------------------
Vistapro requires a lot of memory (RAM) to run. It must have
about 540,000 bytes of free memory. You can determine how much
memory is free at the DOS prompt by typing:

CHKDSK

Note that the CHKDSK program must be in the search path for
this to work. On many system setups, the CHKDSK program is
located in C:\DOS\CHDKSK. If after typing CHKDSK, DOS complains
about not being able to find the file try the other two
options. If you still can't find the CHKDSK program try it on
your original DOS floppy disks.

DOS 5 and DOS 6 users can also use the MEM program to obtain
the total and free amounts of memory.

A few seconds after starting the CHKDSK program you will see
several lines of information printed to the screen. Exactly
what's printed out varies with different versions of DOS but
you should see two lines that look something like:

655360 total bytes memory
595232 bytes free

The important line is the second one. The value on this line
should be greater than 540,000 for Vistapro to run properly.
Most people will have enough memory free, but if you don't, you
will have to do something to free up some memory. The simplest
option is to remove some memory resident programs from memory.

You might also try removing unused device drivers. ANSI.SYS is
often installed but not used. A RAM disk may be eating up some
conventional memory, and even though it is desirable to have
Vistapro put its temporary files on the RAM disk (see below)
you may want to remove it if the existence of the RAM disk eats
up too much memory.

Lowering the BUFFERS settings in your CONFIG.SYS file can free
up about 500 bytes per buffer; reducing buffers from 30 to 20,
for example, will free up about 5 KB of memory. Setting buffers
to less that 20 or so is not recommended.

Unfortunately, all these solutions require editing your
CONFIG.SYS or AUTOEXEC.BAT files and rebooting the computer. If
you are not familiar with these files we don't recommend
fiddling with them.

Another good way to free up some memory on 80286, 80386, and
80486 systems is to upgrade to DOS 5, DOS 6 or DR DOS 6.0. Both
of these solutions require that you buy these packages and then
spend the time installing them - and probably backing up your
hard disk too.

ADVANCED SETUP OPTIONS
----------------------
Vistapro uses several temporary files while it is running.
These files contain data that is used internally and a copy of
the graphics screen after a picture is rendered. We recommend
placing these files on the fastest available drive or
partition. If the environmental variable VTEMPDIR is not
defined, Vistapro will create these files in its default
directory, usually C:\VISTAPRO. If VTEMPDIR is set to a valid
drive and pathname, Vistapro will place these working files at
that location. These files may total as much as 1.2 MB.

If you can spare the memory we suggest setting VTEMPDIR to
point to a RAM disk that is big enough to hold all the
temporary files. For example, if your RAM disk is drive D and
is 1.2 MB or greater type:

SET VTEMPDIR=D:\

to set the variable. You may want to place this command in your
autoexec.bat file. Vistapro will run a little faster and more
smoothly with its temp file on RAM disk. If VTEMPDIR is set to
a drive or directory that doesn't exist Vistapro will complain
and abort. You can erase the environmental variable with:

SET VTEMPDIR=

This will force Vistapro to return to using the default
directory for its temporary files.

The screen modes you plan to use will determine how big a RAM
disk you need for the temp files:

Graphics mode            bytes needed
-------------            ------------
  320x200                    520,000
  640x400                    700,000
  640x480                    750,000
  800x600                    930,000
 1024x768                  1,170,000

For example, if you will only be using the lowest resolution
graphics mode (320x200) your RAM disk need only be 520,000
bytes.

Note that the RAM disk must be in EMS or XMS and that Vistapro
will still need about 540,000 bytes of DOS program memory.

You may also use VTEMPDIR to select another hard disk for the
temp files. Many people keep their permanent files on one disk
or partition and transitory files on another disk or partition.
We suggest putting the temp files (via VTEMPDIR) on your
fastest available device.

RUNNING VISTAPRO
----------------
To run Vistapro you need to change to the the Vistapro
directory and type "VISTAPRO". For example, if you installed
Vistapro in C:\VISTAPRO:

C:                             (selects drive C)
CD \VISTAPRO                   (go to \VISTAPRO subdirectory)
VISTAPRO                       (run Vistapro)

It is not recommended that you try to run Vistapro without
going to the Vistapro directory first. For example, if you are
in the root directory of drive C and type VISTAPRO\VISTAPRO
Vistapro will either complain about not being able to find the
overlay file or ask for the name of the overlay file. In this
case you can type:

VISTAPRO\VISTAPRO.EXE

You should also not change the name of the VISTAPRO.EXE program
since the overlay manager only knows to look for VISTAPRO.EXE
for its overlays.

GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE
------------------------
Vistapro's graphical user interface is similar to the "point
and click" interface found in many windowing packages. Just
move the cursor around the screen with the mouse and click its
buttons to control the program. Only occasionally is it
necessary to type in a number or text from the keyboard.

In general, the left mouse button is used to select things and
the right mouse button is used to abort some operations.

A brief description of the elements of Vistapro's interface is
given below.

Mouse
-----
The mouse is the primary input device for controlling Vistapro.
As the mouse is moved around on the desk, notice the arrow
shaped cursor move around the screen. The active part of the
arrow is its tip. The left mouse button is used to select items
or locations on the screen. When Vistapro is calculating
something or loading/saving files to disk, the mouse cursor
will change to an hourglass to indicate that the program is
busy. When the hourglass cursor is visible none of the buttons,
menus, etc., on the screen may be used; wait for Vistapro to
finish the current function and the arrow will reappear.

Labels
------
Labels are just for information. Labels appear as black text
with a highlighting to make the text look as if it is engraved
into the background.

Menus
-----
At the top left corner of the screen are several Menu Header
buttons. They are rectangles with highlighted outlines and
black text on them. When the mouse cursor is placed over one of
these, press down on the left mouse button. Notice the button
on the screen depresses, the text within it lights up, and a
pull down menu appears just below the button. As long as the
left mouse button is held down, the pull down menu will remain
visible.

To select one of the menu items, move the mouse down (while
still pressing the left mouse button) until the cursor is over
the item you want to select. Notice the text of each menu item
lights up as the cursor moves over the item - this is to let
you know for sure which item the cursor is over. If you release
the left mouse button while one of the menu items is lighted,
Vistapro will know that item is selected, and take the
appropriate action. If the mouse button is released while the
cursor is not over one of the items (none of the items is
lighted), no action will be taken. In either case the pull down
menu will be erased and the Menu Header button will pop back up
and darken.

Some pull downs contain items that are mutually exclusive -
only one of the items is allowed to be selected at a time. The
Graphics Mode pull down is one such menu. The selected mode is
indicated by the * that appears at the left edge of the pull
down. If a new item is selected, the * will move to the new
item.

Buttons
-------
Buttons (other than Menu Header buttons) come in two types:

* Two-state buttons
* Action buttons

Two-state buttons have an on state (button depressed, text lit)
and an off state (button up, text dark). Change the state of a
button by moving the mouse cursor over it and pressing and
releasing the left mouse button. Notice the button change from
on to off or from off to on. Each time a Two-state button is
pressed, it changes state. For example, turn on shadows by
depressing the Shadow button and turn them off by pressing the
button again.

Action buttons are used for starting actions rather than
changing a state. These buttons will automatically pop back up
again after the action is completed. The Render button is an
example of an Action button. When Render is pressed, Vistapro
renders the screen. When the rendering is finished (or aborted)
the button pops back up.

Both types of buttons require release of the left mouse button
while the mouse cursor is still on top of the button image. If
the mouse cursor is moved off the button and released, the
button on the screen will pop back to its original state with
no action taken.

Gadgets
-------
Gadgets have two functions. One is to show the current value of
a setting within Vistapro. The other is to specify a new value.
They appear as white numbers or text on a black background.
There are two types of gadgets:

* numerical
* text

Numerical gadgets are for setting numerical variables within
Vistapro. The exact value of a variable is displayed within a
numerical gadget. A new value can be displayed by clicking the
mouse button on one of the gadgets. The Camera position gadgets
are examples of numerical gadgets.

Text gadgets are for inputting text into Vistapro. Their main
use is for specifying filenames. As is done with numerical
gadgets, they can be changed by clicking the left mouse button
on them and editing the text from the keyboard.

To edit either type of gadget, place the mouse cursor on the
gadget and press the left mouse button. The mouse cursor
disappears, and a text cursor appears within the text at the
position of the click. The editor is always in insert mode,
meaning that any new characters typed will be placed into the
gadget just in front of the character the cursor is on. Move
the cursor to the left or right with the left and right arrow
keys.

If you press an invalid key for the type of gadget being
edited, the background of the screen will flash white.
Completely clear the gadget by pressing the space bar. Indicate
final acceptance of the new gadget by pressing ENTER on the
keyboard or clicking the left mouse button. Abort editing
(restoring the edited gadget to its original value) by pressing
ESCAPE on the keyboard or clicking the right mouse button.

Vistapro File Requestor
-----------------------
When you perform an operation that requires a file name
(loading or saving image files, for example) Vistapro opens its
File Requestor window. The File Requestor is a device for
selecting or specifying file names. You can select an existing
file by clicking on the name displayed in the Filename Window.
If you want to create a new file click on the Filename text
gadget and type in the new name. You can also navigate around
your hard disk(s) and floppy disks in search of files or
directories.

At the top of the File Requestor are two buttons. The button at
the top left is for confirming the indicated operation. The
exact text on the button varies depending on the operation that
is requested. For example, if you selected Load PCX the button
reads Load PCX file. Click on this after selecting the desired
filename (described below) and Vistapro will continue with the
operation; in this case it will load and display the indicated
PCX picture. We refer to this button as the Confirm button
since its text varies according to operation.

The button at the right of the File requestor is labeled Abort.
If you decide that you don't want to continue with the
operation you can press this button and Vistapro then ignores
the original request. For example if you selected Load PCX and
then decide that you don't really want to view any files, click
on Abort and Vistapro simply closes the file requestor and
returns to the main screen with no actions taken.

The Directory text gadget (to the right of the Directory Label)
is for specifying the drive and directory from which to select
the file. This also selects the path from which the list of
files in the Filename Window is displayed. You can either type
in a drive and directory directly or select a drive or
directory from the Drive Selector buttons or the Filename
Window.

The Filename text gadget is for specifying the exact file name.
You can either type in the name or select one from the Filename
Window. Of course if you are creating a new file you will have
to type the name in, since it will not appear in the Filename
Window. If you are creating a new file and you select the name
of an existing file Vistapro will warn you after you click on
the Confirm button. You are then able to continue with the
operation (the old file will be deleted and the new one
created) or abort it.

When saving files Vistapro supplies a default filename
extension if you do not specify one. For example, if you are
saving a DEM file and select the name TESTFILE, Vistapro will
automatically add .DEM to the filename before saving. Each of
the save functions has its own default extension:

File type     Default extension
---------     -----------------
DEM                DEM
CMAP               DEM
PCX                PCX
Script             SCR
VANIM              VAN

To override the automatic default extensions place a "." at the
end of the name you specify. For example:

TESTFILE.

will force Vistapro to save the file without the default
extension. You may also specify your own extension by typing it
in:

TESTFILE.EXT

To the right of the Filename text gadget is the Spec text
gadget. This is for entering the specification (sometimes
called filter or template) for the name of the files that
appears in the Filename Window. This gadget initially has the
default file specification for the current request. For example
if you select LOAD DEM the Spec is then *.DEM and only files
ending with .DEM appear in the Filename Window. You can type in
your own Spec if desired. The format is the same as for DOS's
wildcard specifications. In short "?" means any ONE character
and "*" means any number (including none) of any characters.
See your DOS manual for further details. In general you do not
have to change the file Spec.

At the left edge of the screen are several buttons labeled
Home, Root, A:\, B:\, C:\  etc. The exact number of buttons
varies depending on your system setup. There is a button for
each drive (including substituted drives) on your machine.
These buttons are used to select between your different drives.
For example, clicking on C:\ will cause the Directory text
gadget to change to C:\ and the Filename Window is then updated
with the directory of the root directory of drive C. Home
selects the default directory from which Vistapro was started.
In most cases this will be C:\VISTAPRO. Root selects the root
of the default drive, usually C:\. The most Drive buttons that
will ever appear is 12, including Home and Root. After Home and
Root the rest of the drives then appear in alphabetical order.

The Filename Window is the large window towards the center-
bottom of the File requestor. This window has a list of all
directories and files that match the File Spec (documented
above). Regular files show their name and size in bytes.
Directories appear in a slightly brighter text and in place of
the file size is the text (DIR). All directories appear in
alphabetical order and all are at the top of the list. All
filenames that match the File Spec appear after all the
directories. If you select a directory (by clicking on it) the
directory name is appended to the Directory text gadget and the
Filename Window is updated with the directory of the selected
directory. Selecting a file copies the filename into the
Filename text gadget. After selecting the filename click on the
Confirm button.

There are often two special directory names at the top of the
list, "." and "..".  The "." selects the current directory
again. This forces the Filename Window to be updated with the
current directory. For instance, if you are looking in
directory A:\DEM (Virtual Reality ships all DEM files on floppy
diskettes in a subdirectory called DEM) for a particular DEM,
and you decide to look on another floppy, you can simply put
the new floppy in the drive and press the "." directory name.
The Filename Window is then updated with files on the new
diskette. Of course you can also press A:\ and then select the
DEM directory name to get the same results. The ".." directory
name is for stepping up to the parent of the current directory.
It is the equivalent of typing CD .. at the DOS prompt.

To the right of the Filename Window are four buttons labeled
with up and down arrows. The button with three up arrows
scrolls the Filename Window up one page. Three down arrows
scrolls down one page. The single up arrow button scrolls up
one line, the single down arrow button scrolls down one line.
You use these buttons to scroll around in search of the desired
filename.Just above the Filename Window is a label indicating
how much disk space is free on the currently selected drive.
This is especially useful when creating animations, since
animation files can be very large, tens, even hundreds of
megabytes! The text will appear as:

Bytes free: xxxx

where xxxx is the number of bytes free on the drive.

Aborting operations
-------------------
Within Vistapro, most operations that take a significant amount
of time can be aborted either by pressing the ESCAPE key or by
pressing and holding down the right mouse button until you see
the operation abort. Rendering is an example of such an
operation.

Special Keyboard Commands
-------------------------
There are a few special keyboard commands. These keyboard
functions are not active when the Busy cursor is visible or
when editing gadgets.

F10 Keyboard Command
Redraw the screen or File requestor, in case the screen is
corrupted.

ALT Q Keyboard Command
Quit Vistapro, return to DOS.

0 Keyboard Command
The "0" (above the "P" key, not the one on the numeric keypad)
will cause Vistapro to set the elevations of the edges of the
landscape to 0. This makes the landscape look like it was cut
out of the surface of the earth with a cookie cutter. The
camera must, of course, be located in a position that shows the
outside edge of the landscape.


*** End of Chapter Two ***