Re: [Visualpython-users] Visual Python in a 3D Immersive Environment

[Jonathan B. <jbr...@ea...>]

On Wed, 2003-06-04 at 19:12, Shaun Press wrote:
> I have modified Visual Python to run on The Wedge system at the
> Department of Computer Science, Australian National University. The
> Wedge is a 3D Immersive Environment, which presents scenes in real 3D.
> The details about The Wedge can be found at http://escience.anu.edu.au
> (usage information) and http://ephebe.anu.edu.au/wedge/index.html
> (technical and hardware information).
> Credit must also go to Hugh Fisher (author of the Stereo Visual Python
> Program) for assisting with the 3D transformation calculations. 
> 
> I have also added a couple of extras to Visual Python
> New shapes: Pyramid and Frustum
> New shape set: Points (which are a set of single points on the screen)
> New shape attribute: Wire (when true the shape is drawn as a wire frame)

Great stuff!  Please send a diff against CVS HEAD, that will be the
easiest format for us to use.  

Right now, everything under "examples" represents our test suite for the
upcoming archetectural changes, for regression purposes.  So, please
also send some kind of documented test suite so that we can verify that
the new features' behavior doesn't get broken as things progress.

> I am giving a seminar next week on the project and I hope to have
> slides/screenshots/source available after that.
> 
> Now, a number of questions ....
> 
> Did anyone have problems building Visual Python under Windows from
> source? (either using the Visual C++ workspace file that came supplied,
> or linking the vector library)

No problems.  We are using a MSVC build environment and a MinGW build
environment for all of our testing on Windows.  An OSX box has just been
added to the fray (yesterday), as well as a pair of Linux machines:
RedHat and Debian.

> Did anyone have any problems running any demo's under the windows build
> that use vectors eg stars.py?

No problems here, that works identically for us on all platforms.

> Can anyone confirm that the algorithms used to generate the shapes do
> not follow the "winding" rules for front-facing or back-facing surfaces?

Sorry, I can't confirm or refute that.  I'm mostly focusing on the
python <-> C++ interface area.

-Jonathan Brandmeyer