visualpython-users

Re: [Visualpython-users] Some ideas

[Ari H. <ahe...@an...>]

On Fri, Sep 28, 2001 at 08:53:39PM +0200, Konrad Piwowarczyk wrote:
>  - If you need to use 'raw' OpenGL, why not use Glut library instead of
> differnt wgl, xgl, etc... for displaing windows

We do use Glut (or have used Glut; I don't know if there are any places we
still do) where appropriate. Glut by itself doesn't provide enough
functionality, however, for more complicated tasks. For example, Glut
doesn't give you a way to render system fonts into GL.


Ari

Re: [Visualpython-users] Some ideas

[Konrad P. <kon...@po...>]

I will try to write new context for interacting with tkinter thanks for
advice!
I need it because placing many charts and control panels in many
different windows is really not convenient
I have played with colorsliders demo, hmm... Tk sliders are easier to
use ( I had to learn how to select balls without zooming the whole
scene ) and I am not convinced to mix animation and controls.
Is it possible to highlight sliders while mouse is over? - such
interaction causes that one knows exactly what is happening with the
mouse.

And what about Glut?

Konrad Piwowarczyk

----- Original Message -----
From: "Ari Heitner" <ahe...@an...>
Sent: Friday, September 28, 2001 9:13 PM
Subject: Re: [Visualpython-users] Some ideas


> On Fri, Sep 28, 2001 at 08:53:39PM +0200, Konrad Piwowarczyk wrote:
> >  - I would like to have a tkWidget to display visualpython
animations -
> > is it possible to develop such widget?
> > I think the architecture of vpython is not suitable for it - if I am
> > wrong, please correct me.
>
> You're correct. You can use Tk widgets in conjunction with VPython,
but
> currently there is no VPython drawing area that lives inside a Tk
widget.
> Right now you can basically get a VPython window and a separate Tk
window.
>
> In theory this is correctable -- currently we use GtkGLArea on
Unix-based
> systems, which is a GL context wrapped in a Gtk widget. In theory if a
> similar GL widget for Tk exists, you could probably write a new
VPython
> context to support it without too much difficulty.
>
> In general I think we've found the current level of interaction to be
> sufficient. Look through the demos and you'll see some examples of use
of
> VPython constructs for basic UI elements (colorsliders.py), which may
be
> sufficient for your purposes.
>
> >  - Wouldn`t it be easier to use PyOpenGl library instead of
interacting
> > with OpenGl directly. The software seems to be quite usefull since
the
> > version 2.0 appeared (http://pyopengl.sourceforge.net/)
>
> We used to use PyOpenGL when we were developing VPython -- it was
easier for
> prototyping. The current setup is much faster, however, which is why
Scherer
> rewrote VPython in its current form after we had hashed out the basic
> interfaces we wanted.
>
>
>
>
> Ari



-- 

Zagraj z finalistkami
Miss Polonia [ http://miss.onet.pl/start.html ]

Re: [Visualpython-users] Some ideas

[Ari H. <ahe...@an...>]

On Fri, Sep 28, 2001 at 08:53:39PM +0200, Konrad Piwowarczyk wrote:
>  - I would like to have a tkWidget to display visualpython animations -
> is it possible to develop such widget?
> I think the architecture of vpython is not suitable for it - if I am
> wrong, please correct me.

You're correct. You can use Tk widgets in conjunction with VPython, but
currently there is no VPython drawing area that lives inside a Tk widget.
Right now you can basically get a VPython window and a separate Tk window.

In theory this is correctable -- currently we use GtkGLArea on Unix-based
systems, which is a GL context wrapped in a Gtk widget. In theory if a
similar GL widget for Tk exists, you could probably write a new VPython
context to support it without too much difficulty.

In general I think we've found the current level of interaction to be
sufficient. Look through the demos and you'll see some examples of use of
VPython constructs for basic UI elements (colorsliders.py), which may be
sufficient for your purposes.

>  - Wouldn`t it be easier to use PyOpenGl library instead of interacting
> with OpenGl directly. The software seems to be quite usefull since the
> version 2.0 appeared (http://pyopengl.sourceforge.net/)

We used to use PyOpenGL when we were developing VPython -- it was easier for
prototyping. The current setup is much faster, however, which is why Scherer
rewrote VPython in its current form after we had hashed out the basic
interfaces we wanted.




Ari

[Visualpython-users] Some ideas

[Konrad P. <piw...@st...>]

Hi,
I am quite new to python and visualpython. I am going to create some
programs to demonstrate molecular dynamics simulation of gas, liquid
crystals and polymers, so visualpython seems perfect to me.
However, while looking inside the code of visualpython, some comments
appeared:
 - I would like to have a tkWidget to display visualpython animations -
is it possible to develop such widget?
I think the architecture of vpython is not suitable for it - if I am
wrong, please correct me.
 - Wouldn`t it be easier to use PyOpenGl library instead of interacting
with OpenGl directly. The software seems to be quite usefull since the
version 2.0 appeared (http://pyopengl.sourceforge.net/)
 - If you need to use 'raw' OpenGL, why not use Glut library instead of
differnt wgl, xgl, etc... for displaing windows

I think, that using one of libraries I mentioned, would accelerate and
simplify visualpython development.
Thanks for explanation in advance

Konrad Piwowarczyk

Re: [Visualpython-users] Close, but no cigar...

[David A. <dm...@an...>]

I've added Numerical-13 to our web site.   Numerical-13 is compatible with 
Python 1.5.2.

I'm trying to stick with Python 1.5.2 as that is what comes installed on 
Redhat 7.1 (and I believe Mandrake, etc.).

[Visualpython-users] Close, but no cigar...

[Kevin C. <kj...@gr...>]

Hi,

I just grabbed the latest RPM (announced today).  I had forgotten that
it needs Numeric.  So, I grabbed the Numeric... which needs Python
2.x...  So I grabbed 2.x.  But apparently Visual needs 1.5.2 (or rather,
that's where it wants to install itself -- in the 1.5 tree.)  So, when
I type "python2 bounce.py" from the demo directory, it loads the visual
__init__.py which then attempts to load Numeric from 1.5, which it
cannot do.

So, what do I need to do now?  (And is the latest visual source RPM
around anywhere?)

[Visualpython-users] Idle fix

[Bruce S. <ba...@an...>]

To get a fix for Idle not running programs on Windows 2000 when Python is 
installed in Program Files, go to the Windows download page at

	http://cil.andrew.cmu.edu/projects/visual

and download and install the latest version of Idle (Idle-2001-09-24.zip).

The bug turned out to be in Python21\Tools\idle_VPython\spawn.py, where a 
path name had to be enclosed in quotes to take care of possible DOS 
versions of directory names containing spaces (such as Program Files).

This fix is also included in a new full VPython installer.

Bruce Sherwood

[Visualpython-users] Linux update

[David A. <dm...@an...>]

I've put together a new RPM for Visual Python for Linux (built on Red Hat 
7.1).  Let me know of any problems with it.

[Visualpython-users] A fix

[Bruce S. <ba...@an...>]

Several users have reported that after installing VPython on Windows 2000, 
pressing F5 in Idle does NOT run the program. We've now been able to 
reproduce the bug, by installing Python into C:\Program 
Files\Python-2.1\Python21 instead of the default directory.

The fix is simple: Uninstall VPython, then uninstall Python. Reinstall 
Python into the default directory (C:\Python21), and reinstall VPython. Now 
F5 will run a program from Idle.

We do not yet know what the cause of the problem is but are working on it.

Bruce Sherwood

Re: [Visualpython-users] cvisual module on Mac?

[ruth c. <rc...@an...>]

Try running ConfigurePythonClassic.



--On Friday, September 21, 2001 4:10 PM -0400 Jon Stevenson 
<jo...@st...> wrote:

> Hello.
>
> I am attempting to install the latest version of
> VPython on a 2001 iBook running Mac OS
> 9.2.1. MacPython 2.1.1 appears to install fine.
> When I copy over the files for the visual
> module and then try to import it to write
> programs, I get an error saying that the cvisual
> module couldn't be found. There doesn't
> appear to be any file containing the code for
> the cvisual module in the stuffit archive that I d/
> l'ed from you (in either the full install for visual
> or the 9/16 update).
>
> Please advise. Thanks.
>
> Jon Stevenson
> UM-Flint
>
> _______________________________________________
> Visualpython-users mailing list
> Vis...@li...
> https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/visualpython-users

Re: [Visualpython-users] cvisual module on Mac?

[Bruce S. <ba...@an...>]

Probably you missed seeing the important "Step 2" in the Mac installation 
instructions:

"In the Python 2.1 folder (where Python was installed), run 
ConfigurePythonClassic by double-clicking on it."

This should fix the problem.

Bruce Sherwood

[Visualpython-users] cvisual module on Mac?

[Jon S. <jo...@st...>]

Hello.

I am attempting to install the latest version of
VPython on a 2001 iBook running Mac OS
9.2.1. MacPython 2.1.1 appears to install fine.
When I copy over the files for the visual
module and then try to import it to write
programs, I get an error saying that the cvisual
module couldn't be found. There doesn't
appear to be any file containing the code for
the cvisual module in the stuffit archive that I d/
l'ed from you (in either the full install for visual
or the 9/16 update).

Please advise. Thanks.

Jon Stevenson
UM-Flint

RE: [Visualpython-users] Discrete Cosine Transform

[David S. <dsc...@vy...>]

If I recall correctly, VPython comes with an 'fft' package (part of
Numeric, and documented with that package).  It is not, however,
actually implemented in Python.
=20
Dave

-----Original Message-----
From: vis...@li...
[mailto:vis...@li...] On Behalf Of
Jos=E9 A Mart=EDn H
Sent: Sunday, September 16, 2001 4:55 PM
To: vis...@li...
Subject: [Visualpython-users] Discrete Cosine Transform


Hi, is there any that know any implemetation of
the Discrete Cosine Transformation in Python ?
=20
Thanks....
=20

[Visualpython-users] Discrete Cosine Transform

[<jos...@ca...>]

Hi, is there any that know any implemetation of
the Discrete Cosine Transformation in Python ?

Thanks....

[Visualpython-users] Re: Text.py

[Bruce S. <ba...@an...>]

Glen Rivard reported a bug in the reshape method of the text object. Any 
attempt to change the size of an existing text object made the text become 
invisible, because the z-depth was multiplied by 0 instead of by 1.

Now fixed; you can get the fix by downloading Visual-2001-09-16.zip from 
the VPython web site. Go to the download page for any platform and choose 
"Demos, Documentation, Visual module for any platform". You can also pick 
up an improved demo program texttest.py by downloading the new demo zip 
file.

Bruce Sherwood

[Visualpython-users] Tutorial intro to VPython

[ruth c. <rc...@an...>]

On the VPython website there is now a tutorial introduction to VPython (a 
pdf file).  It is intended for science and math students who have not 
necessarily ever written a computer program before, but are comfortable 
with algebra.

This is basically the script we use to introduce VPython to our freshman 
physics students, about 40-50% of whom have never written programs before. 
I hook up a computer to a projector, and talk the students through the 
tutorial, asking them to type what I type, then try it.  This year we got 
through the whole thing in 50 minutes (it goes faster if nonprogrammers 
work in pairs).

	Ruth Chabay
---------------------------------
Ruth Chabay, Ph.D.
Senior Research Scientist
Center for Innovation in Learning and
Adjunct Professor of Physics
Carnegie Mellon University

email: rc...@an...
phone: 412/268-5714
http://cil.andrew.cmu.edu/ruth.chabay.html

Re: [Visualpython-users] what does the future hold?

[Ari H. <ahe...@an...>]

On Mon, Sep 10, 2001 at 05:07:16PM -0400, Joe Heafner wrote:
> What are some of the features and functionality planned for VPython? 
> 
I'm currently working on a few things:

  - I'm writing Quake3 model support (may eventually be extended to other
    model formats). This is moving along nicely -- I'm rewriting the working
    Python implementation in C++ right now.

  - I'm planning on doing texture support as well. Unfortunately, I haven't
    gotten any response to my email to the Python Image SIG mailing list
    asking about the C API for PIL (Python Image Library), and I have't
    seen anything that looks appropriate in the distribution. If there
    really isn't support for using PIL in this way, I may just have to
    write a quick-n-dirty TGA loader.


Ari

[Visualpython-users] what does the future hold?

[Joe H. <hea...@vn...>]

Hello.

What are some of the features and functionality planned for VPython? 


Cheeers,
Joe

CVAC Home Page <http://users.vnet.net/heafnerj/cvac.html>
My Book <http://www.willbell.com/new/fundephcomp.htm>
My Home Page <http://users.vnet.net/heafnerj/>
I can't handle Microsoft attachments.

Re: [Visualpython-users] Fractals

[Michael Katz-H. <mi...@go...>]

Bruce,

Not only is the interpolation between points kind of weird, but when I
zoom in I also get lines which extend from the bottom left of my screen to
various points in the fractal...I have attached a screen grab...

-Michael


On Mon, 10 Sep 2001, Bruce Sherwood wrote:

> When a curve acquires a very large number of points, Visual is unable to
> render all of them and starts skipping points, displaying every Nth point.
> Maybe this needs to be under program conrol; it sure can lead to
> incomprehensible displays.
>
> Bruce Sherwood
>
> --On Monday, September 10, 2001 12:40 AM -0400 Michael Katz-Hyman
> <mi...@go...> wrote:
>
> > P.S. - I get some weird screen artifacts when using curves to draw the
> > fractals, I am assuming this is just a bug in the OpenGL implementation (I
> > have only tried this in Linux)
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Visualpython-users mailing list
> Vis...@li...
> https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/visualpython-users
>

-- 
/-------------------------------------------------------------\
| Michael Katz-Hyman	                  mz...@an... |
| Pittsburgh, PA USA 	       http://www.andrew.cmu.edu/~mzk |
\-------------------------------------------------------------/

Re: [Visualpython-users] Fractals

[Bruce S. <ba...@an...>]

When a curve acquires a very large number of points, Visual is unable to 
render all of them and starts skipping points, displaying every Nth point. 
Maybe this needs to be under program conrol; it sure can lead to 
incomprehensible displays.

Bruce Sherwood

--On Monday, September 10, 2001 12:40 AM -0400 Michael Katz-Hyman 
<mi...@go...> wrote:

> P.S. - I get some weird screen artifacts when using curves to draw the
> fractals, I am assuming this is just a bug in the OpenGL implementation (I
> have only tried this in Linux)

[Visualpython-users] Fractals

[Michael Katz-H. <mi...@go...>]

A friend and I were remembering the days of LOGO...

He downloaded an implementation of LOGO and wrote a function to
draw the 'dragon' fractal.

I did them same but in VPython...it is attached here.

-Michael

P.S. - I get some weird screen artifacts when using curves to draw the
fractals, I am assuming this is just a bug in the OpenGL implementation (I
have only tried this in Linux)

## The dragon fractal
##
## The arguements to dragon are the iterations and the "size"
## dragon(iterations,size) size has little meaning since vpython
## autoscales

from visual import *

curr = vector(0,0,0)
dir = vector(0,1,0)
colors = [color.red,color.green,color.blue,color.yellow,color.magenta]
col = color.red

def forward(size):
    global curr
    global col
    global drag
    for s in arange(0,size,size/50.):
        drag.append(pos=(curr+dir),color=col)
        curr = curr+dir

def right(ang):
    global dir
    dir = rotate(dir,angle=-ang,axis=(0,0,1))


def left(ang):
    global dir
    dir = rotate(dir,angle=ang,axis=(0,0,1))


def step(iter,size,rev,pc):
    global curr
    global dir
    if iter==0:
        forward(size)
        return
    if rev==0:
        step(iter-1,size,rev,pc)
        right(pi/2)
        step(iter-1,size,1-rev,pc)
    else:
        global col
        if pc==0:
            col = colors[(iter%5)]
        step(iter-1,size,1-rev,1)
        left(pi/2)
        step(iter-1,size,rev,1)

def dragon(iter,size):
    global drag
    drag = curve()
    step(iter,size,0,0)


dragon(11,10)

-- 
/-------------------------------------------------------------\
| Michael Katz-Hyman	                  mz...@an... |
| Pittsburgh, PA USA 	       http://www.andrew.cmu.edu/~mzk |
\-------------------------------------------------------------/

[Visualpython-users] Colorization in IDLE

[Bruce S. <ba...@an...>]

Ruth Chabay discovered that when using IDLE on Windows it is a good idea 
always to start with a "save as" with a file name that has the .py 
extension. If the file is saved without the .py extension, IDLE believes 
the file is not a Python file and refuses to colorize the program. Our 
students find the colorization quite useful and are disappointed when it 
goes away, so it is good to know what the fix is.

Bruce Sherwood

Re: [Visualpython-users] IDLE and Win2000?

[Dylan G. <dg...@an...>]

I've had a problem with IDLE working but the programs not running in 
windows 2000. Possible something with an openGL driver, but I heard it 
could be a missing module to allow the visual display to run. Any ideas on 
this?

--On Friday, September 07, 2001 9:23 AM -0400 Joe Heafner 
<hea...@vn...> wrote:

> Good Morning.
>
> One of my students just reported to me that the VPython version of IDLE
> will not run on his Win2000 system. Is this a known issue?
>
>
> Cheeers,
> Joe
>
> CVAC Home Page <http://users.vnet.net/heafnerj/cvac.html>
> My Book <http://www.willbell.com/new/fundephcomp.htm>
> My Home Page <http://users.vnet.net/heafnerj/>
> I can't handle Microsoft attachments.
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Visualpython-users mailing list
> Vis...@li...
> https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/visualpython-users

RE: [Visualpython-users] IDLE and Win2000?

[David S. <dsc...@vy...>]

From previous bug reports, it sounds like this may happen when a Win2000
system has no TCP/IP networking components installed.  This normally
happens only if there is no network card and no modem in the machine.  

IDLE uses TCP/IP to communicate with itself, and isn't very good about
reporting useful error messages.  It should be possible to fix the
problem by installing TCP/IP, but I can't give you step-by-step
instructions.  Perhaps someone else can.

If this isn't the problem (i.e. you know the machine has Internet
access), please try to get a more detailed description of what is going
wrong.  Sometimes you can get this by running IDLE from a command prompt
(cmd):

c:\> c:\python21\python.exe c:\python21\tools\idle_vpython\idle.pyw

and seeing if there is any output in the command window.

Dave

> -----Original Message-----
> From: vis...@li... 
> [mailto:vis...@li...] On 
> Behalf Of Joe Heafner
> Sent: Friday, September 07, 2001 9:24 AM
> To: vis...@li...
> Subject: [Visualpython-users] IDLE and Win2000?
> 
> 
> Good Morning.
> 
> One of my students just reported to me that the VPython 
> version of IDLE will not run on his Win2000 system. Is this a 
> known issue?
> 
> 
> Cheeers,
> Joe
> 
> CVAC Home Page <http://users.vnet.net/heafnerj/cvac.html>
> My Book <http://www.willbell.com/new/fundephcomp.htm>
> My Home Page <http://users.vnet.net/heafnerj/>
> I can't handle Microsoft attachments.
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Visualpython-users mailing list 
> Vis...@li...
> https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/visualpython-users
> 

[Visualpython-users] IDLE and Win2000?

[Joe H. <hea...@vn...>]

Good Morning.

One of my students just reported to me that the VPython version of IDLE will not run on his Win2000 system. Is this a known issue?


Cheeers,
Joe

CVAC Home Page <http://users.vnet.net/heafnerj/cvac.html>
My Book <http://www.willbell.com/new/fundephcomp.htm>
My Home Page <http://users.vnet.net/heafnerj/>
I can't handle Microsoft attachments.