HomeWare 14/HOMEWARE14.bin/windows/graphs/randotv1.arj/RANDOT.DOC

Text File | 1994-06-21 | 18KB | 436 lines

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                                Randot 1.0
                           Geoffrey L. Hausheer
                             Free Vision Inc.
                              Copyright 1994

This program is distributed free of charge for personal use only.
If this program is desired for commercial use, I MUST be notified prior
to its use! NO charge may be obtained for re-distributed besides a
nominal fee for copying, media and labor.

This program is distributed with no warrantee, and I will not be held
liable if this program causes any damage, or does not work as specified
in the documentation.  If this is not acceptable to the user, please
discard this program immediately.


This is Randot version 1.0.
This is the final release of Randot 1.0.  Randot 1.0 is much improved
over the previously released version .9b.  Improvements include
substantial bug fixes, as well as some cool new features, and a much
revised help file.  See the New Features section for more information.

Table Of Contents:
1.0.................Overview
1.1.................What is a Random Dot Stereogram?
1.2.................How do RDS pictures work?
2.0.................Viewing random-dot stereograms
2.1.................Viewing stereograms Cross-Eyed
2.2.................Viewing stereograms Wide-Eyed
2.3.................Focusing Dots
3.0.................Using Randot
3.0.1...............Create Ellipse button
3.0.2...............Create Rectangle button
3.0.3...............Create Polygon button
3.0.4...............Create Text button
3.0.5...............Clip Rectangle button
3.0.6...............Slide bars
3.1.................Options menu
3.1.1...............Cross-Eye
3.1.2...............Far-Eye
3.1.3...............Picture Height
3.1.4...............Angle
3.1.5...............Dot Density
3.1.6...............Dot Distance
3.1.7...............Show Focal Dots
3.1.8...............Options OK Button
3.1.9...............Options Help Button
3.1.10..............Options Cancel Button
3.2.................Edit Window
3.3.................Print Menu
3.3.1...............X-Scale
3.3.2...............Y-Scale
3.3.3...............Keep Aspect Ratio
3.3.4...............Full Screen
3.3.5...............Print OK Button
3.3.6...............Print Help Button
3.3.7...............Print Cancel Button
4.0.................Future Enhancements
4.1.................About the Author of Randot
4.2.................Registration
4.3.................Contacting the author
4.4.................Credits and other info

1.0 Overview
    Randot is a program which makes random dot stereograms, supporting
more features than virtually any other program similar to it.

1.1 What is a Random Dot Stereogram?
    A random dot stereogram (or RDS) is a picture which appears in
three dimensions when you view it Cross Eyed or Wide Eyed.
This program can only generate them in black and white, because colored
RDS pictures are much more difficult to see, and are of much lower
quality.  There is one other type of "color" RDS pictures, which I may
possibly support in the future.  These pictures simply have different
background colors, and different colored dots.

1.2 How do RDS pictures work?
    In truth, I still don't fully understand it, but in general, they
are seen by defocusing the eyes so that you see more than one point on
the picture at the same time.  If you are totally confused, well, so am
I, so get the book Random Dot Stereograms (see the credits for
more info).



2.1 Viewing stereograms Cross-Eyed

Note: Cross Eyed viewing is not recommended.  The pictures do not look
as good when viewing this way, and therefore this method should only be
used if you cannot view the pictures Wide Eyed.

To view RDS pictures cross eyed:
first: load one of the pre-compiled pictures into either a paint program
or into Randot. The pre-compiled pictures have black dots at the top
which facilitate learning to view RDS pictures.
now place your head about 1 to 2 feet from the screen, and hold your
index finger about halfway between your head and the monitor.  Now
focusing on your finger (do NOT look at the screen) move it closer or
farther from your head until the two dots at the top of the screen
become three (If you see four dots, you are getting closer).  NOTE:
You sill see the dots out of your peripheral vision. If you look at the
screen instead of your finger, you will not be able to do this.
After you see three dots, continue to stare at the tip of your finger
until the 3-d picture forms on the screen.

2.0 Viewing random-dot stereograms
        Some people can see these pictures almost instantaneously, while
for others (like me) it takes quite a bit of practice, so try not to get
discouraged.  The are two different methods by which stereograms may be
viewed: The Wide-Eyed (Far-Eyed) and Cross-Eyed (Near-Eyed or X-Eyed).
Both of these methods are detailed below.

2.2 Viewing stereograms Wide-Eyed

Wide Eyed viewing is the best way to see RDS pictures.  Unfortunately,
most people find it harder than the Cross Eyed way.

There are several ways to try to view RDS pictures Wide Eyed:
First: load one of the pre-compiled pictures into either a paint program
or into RanDot, or make one of the simple tutorial pictures. The pre-
compiled pictures have black dots at the top which facilitate learning
to view RDS pictures.  If you make your own, be sure to turn on the
focal dots checkbox in the Options menu.

1)  If you have glare on your screen, get about 3 feet from the screen,
and look at your reflection on the screen.  After maybe a minute or so
you should see the 3-d picture "appear" on your screen.

2) Move your head 1 to 2 inches from the screen and look straight ahead.
Slowly move your head back always looking straight ahead (not at the
monitor) until you start to see "depth" on the screen.  Stop then and
try to hold the image.  After you see the image clearly you can move
your head back farther until you are at a comfortable distance from your
screen.

3) With your head about 2 feet from the screen, try to look at something
(a spot on the wall, etc.) about 6 feet behind your monitor.  Then
slowly
move your head so that you are looking past your monitor, but can see it
in your peripheral vision.  You should notice some "depth" in the
picture, and be able to focus on it, and "pull" it out.

NOTE:  Do NOT look directly at the monitor.  The only way to see these
pictures is by defocusing your eyes, so looking directly at the picture
will not help you at all.

2.3 Focusing Dots
I have added the ability to place the black focusing dots onto the
pictures generated by RanDot; this makes viewing RDS pictures
substantially easier for beginners.  See the Options menu for
details on toggling the black focusing dots.


3.0 Using RanDot

In the Set Options menu, you can set miscellaneous options
concerning stereogram development.  This menu is detailed below

The Create Stereogram menu item will change your cursor to an hourglass
and create a progress bar in the lower right corner of the screen.  This
can take from 30 seconds to several minutes depending on the speed of
your computer.

The Print Stereogram menu (detailed below) item allows the user to print
the stereogram on any printer.  It is recommended that only an ink jet
or laser printer be used, however, because print quality is quite poor
when used with dot-matrix printers.  Be sure that a stereogram has been
created, because there is no detection routine to determine if a
stereogram exists or not prior to printing.

The Change Font command allows for changing the font.  This option only
works in conjunction with the Create Text button (see below)

There are 5 buttons on the left side of the screen:

3.0.1 Create Ellipse button
This allows the creation of ellipses and circles.  Click and drag the
mouse button on the Edit window to use this option.

3.0.2 Create Rectangle button
This allows the creation of rectangles and squares.  Click and drag the
mouse button on the Edit window to use this option.

3.0.3 Create Polygon button
This allows the creation of polygons.  Repeatedly click and drag the
mouse button on the Edit window to use this option.  A polygon
must be closed to be created on the stereogram.  Once the polygon has
been closed, a grid will appear.  Click the point where you want the
polygon to extrude to or rotate about.

3.0.4 Create Text button
This allows the creation of text.  Click once somewhere on the Edit
window then type in the text you want displayed.  Next click
again on the Edit window, and drag the text to the place you want it
displayed.

3.0.5 Clip Rectangle button
This allows the clipping or copying of a rectangular portion of the
screen.  Click and drag the mouse button on the Edit window to
create the clip rectangle, then use the Cut, Copy, and Paste menu items
to manipulate the region.

3.0.6 Slide bars
There are two slide bars at the top left of the screen.  The left one is
the color (or height) that you want to start at, the right one is the
color (or height) you want to end at.  The brighter the color, the
farther out the object will extend from the background.

3.1 Options Menu
    The Options dialog box allows the user to change many options
concerning stereogram development.

3.1.1 Cross-Eye
This selects that the RDS is to be viewed by the Cross-Eyed method.

3.1.2 Far-Eye
This selects that the RDS is to be viewed by the Far-Eyed method.

3.1.3 Picture Height
This defines the number of steps which should be developed when
designing stereograms.  The more steps, the smoother a picture will
appear, and the harder it is to view.

3.1.4 Angle
This is the angle, in degrees, to rotate each progressive height level
with respect to the previous level.  This will create a spiraling
effect.  This option only takes effect with polygon objects.

3.1.5 Dot Density
This is the density of the dots produced when creating a stereogram.
This option does not effect the viewing quality substantially, but will
save ink or toner when printing stereograms.

3.1.6 Dot Distance
This option allows for adjustable dot distance.  It is, in general,
easier to view pictures with close dots, and image quality is usually
better too.  The initial setting is fine for most uses.

3.1.7 Show Focal Dots
This checkbox indicates whether or not the focal dots are displayed.
Displaying the dots facilitates viewing for beginners, but images look
nicer without them.

3.1.8 Options OK Button
Selecting the OK button will keep all changes.

3.1.9 Options Help Button
Pressing the Help button brings up context-specific help.

3.1.10 Options Cancel Button
Selecting the Cancel button negates most changes.

3.2 Edit Window
This is the large window in the center of the screen used for creating
images and displaying stereograms.

3.3 Print Menu
The Print menu allows you to scale the stereograms before printing.
Note that the box in the lower right of the Print dialog box shows the
current scaling.

If you have a laser or ink jet printer, I recommend printing out the
pictures.  RDS pictures do not print well using dot matrix printers so
don't be too disappointed if you attempt to print them out with one.

3.3.1 X-Scale
Allows scaling in the horizontal direction

3.3.2 Y-Scale
Allows scaling in the vertical direction.

3.3.3 Keep Aspect Ratio
Ensures that the aspect ratio (proportion of x to y) remains constant
while scaling.

3.3.4 Full Screen
Fills the screen with the stereogram.  This option can be used with or
without the Keep Aspect Ratio option.

3.3.5 Print OK Button
Selecting the OK button prints the current stereogram.

3.3.6 Help Button
Pressing the Help button brings up context-specific help.

3.3.7 Print Cancel Button
Selecting the Cancel button cancels the printing of the stereogram.


4.0 Future Enhancements

Ok, here are all many of the things I want to add to this program in the
future.  If you want stuff added, look at Contacting The Author
or Credits for how to get in touch with me.

1) I want to be able to type text to the screen in real time (like in
Windows Paintbrush).  I have no idea how to do this, so this one
probably won't be too soon unless one of you would like to give me a
suggestion or two.

2) I want to add support for animation. This is really cool (I have seen
something like it before), but requires a LOT of work on my part, and so
it probably won't come around too soon.

3) I want to add support for telescoping text, as well as rotating text.
Expect this feature by version 2.0

4) I want to be able to make background filler, so that the backgrounds
aren't just flat.  This could be easy or hard depending on how flexible
I make it.  Some version of this enhancement will be in v2.0 if not
sooner

5) I want to be able to save to other output formats. This requires me
to do some rewriting of large code segments, and won't be around until
version 2.0

6) I want, I want, I want.....Well, I want to do a better job on the
help file.  Version 1.0 will include limited context sensitive help, and
some future version will have bitmaped help.

7) I will optimize more code for future releases.  The code is in much
better shape, but could still use some help.  (Sorry but version 1.0 is
not perfect)

9) I want support for different sized pictures than just 640*480.  This
is extremely memory intensive (the only hindrance), and will be
implemented when I devise an efficient way to handle the pictures.

10) Version 1.0 will have complete documentation besides the help file.

11)  A future version will have the option of a grid overlay to
facilitate drawing.

12) Lastly, and most importantly, version 2.0 will contain the ability
to print out poster size stereograms using multiple 8.5*11 sheets.

well that is it.  If you have any suggestions just send them to me.

4.1 About the Author of RanDot

About The Author:
    The author of RanDot is Geoffrey L. Hausheer (that is me).  I am
currently a sophomore at Cornell University, and an Engineering major.
This program was written because I have been interested in Random Dot
Stereograms for about a year and a half, and have been looking for an
exceptional computer program to create them.  I have seen many excellent
viewers. and some good miscellaneous programs, but have not seen any
programs specifically geared towards creating good 3-d RDS pictures.
This is the biggest program I have ever written, and the first
distributable program I've written for Windows.
    I wrote this program completely from scratch with no prior
training in Windows programming, and very little help as far as writing
bitmap routines goes.

4.2 Registration:
    I believe in the freeware policy, and as long as this program is
used for personal use, it can be used completely free of charge.  If
this program is to be used for commercial use, I must be notified
beforehand so that some agreement can be worked out.  If this program is
used in a shareware, public domain, or freeware program, please list its
use in the credits.  If you feel this is the most incredible program
you've ever used, or you REALLY want to see some new features added,
feel free to send me a donation, and I'll probably even include your
name somewhere so that everyone else who gets this will see that you are
a generous person.  I would, however, like to receive e-mail from anyone
who gets this program, just to see how many people actually find it
useful.

4.3 Contacting the author
1) write mail to:
Geoffrey L. Hausheer
48 Ten Eyck Ave
Albany, NY 12209
(If you write something about RanDot on the outside of the envelope, I
am guaranteed to get this at any time)


2) E-mail me at either:
[e-mail]
or
[e-mail]

Please also look at the credits  They contain lots of neat info
(besides just names and etc.).

4.4 Credits and other info

RanDot is written by:
Geoffrey L. Hausheer
48 Ten Eyck Ave
Albany, NY 12209

I can be reached by internet e-mail at either:
[e-mail]
or
[e-mail] (please address all mail to Geoffrey)

While I have not had any direct help in writing this program, I have
found many useful sources of information:

A book containing over 50 RDS pictures, as well as miscellaneous source
code and other cool information:
Random Dot Stereograms by Andrew A. Kinsman
Published by Kinsman Physics P.O. Box 22682, Rochester, N.Y., 14692-2682
ISBN 0-9630142-1-8


PC Magazine's Windows 3.1 Graphics Programming by Ben Ezzel
ISBN 1-56276-055-6

Miscellaneous freeware source code from Microsoft for dealing with
Bitmaps

Windows 3.1  Programmer's Reference by James W. McCord
ISBN 0-88022-787-7

RanDot was written using Borland C++ 4.0