Minerva Files

    /|    //| |
   //|   // | |    ( )   __      ___      __              ___
  // |  //  | |   / / //   ) ) //___) ) //  ) ) ||  / / //   ) )
 //  | //   | |  / / //   / / //       //       || / / //   / /
//   |//    | | / / //   / / ((____   //        ||/ / ((___( (

** Building Augmented Reality apps has never been so easy! **

-César Mora Castro.-

http://theminervaproject.wordpress.com
http://sourceforge.net/projects/minervaproject

**************************
* What is Minerva?
**************************
Minerva is a framework that provides a high level language (called MSL - Minerva
Specification Language) to specify the logic of Augmented Reality applications.
Minerva offers too a platform to interpret that language and execute the apps.

Some feautres of Minerva are:
 -3D Geometry and texturing from metaformat.
 -2D Images and Text.
 -Physic Simulation.
 -Sounds playing.
 -Multi-Tracking method abstract layer. Currently implemented with ARToolKit.
 -Scripting language with Python, using the module MGE (Minerva Game Engine).

If you feel you like to test or colaborate with Minerva, contact its author:

 César Mora Castro <cesarmoracastro@gmail.com>

Thanks!

**************************
* Minerva's Readme
**************************

In this document you will find explanations of how to compile Minerva in
GNU/Linux and Microsoft Windows platforms. You will find a troubleshooting
section as well.


****************************
* Compile on GNU/Linux
****************************

1/ Minerva has been thought to be easy-instalable. No patchs or hacks are
needed. The first of all is to install the library dependencies:

  $ sudo apt-get install cmake bison++ libsdl1.2-dev libsdl-gfx1.2-dev
  libsdl-image1.2-dev libsdl-mixer1.2-dev libsdl-sound1.2-dev
  libsdl-ttf2.0-dev libcv-dev libhighgui-dev libboost-python-dev python2.6-dev
  freeglut3-dev libboost-filesystem-dev


2/ To compile evertyhing, type:
   $ make

3/ Minerva needs somen files to work in your system. In the Minerva directory,
there are one called "usr". Copy it to your system:

   $ sudo cp -R usr /

 Finished! If everything went right, we just have Minerva ready to use! From the
root directory try this (you should have a camera in /dev/video0):

   $ ./bin/minerva examples/ARSheep/ARSheep.mrv


Enjoy your own Augmented Reality Applications!


*********************
* Compile on Windows
*********************

Minerva has been build using Visual Studio C++ 2010. Just open the
solution file, with
.sln extension, and compile it!

The static shared libraries are already in libwin32.

The dynamic shared libraries are in dynamiclibwin32, and they should
be copied to the
binary directory (i.e. Release\) or to C:\Windows\system32

Once compiled, Minerva need some files to work in your system. Create
the directory:

   C:\Minerva\data

In the source directory, copy the file contained in
usr/share/minerva/data/camera_para.dat to C:\Minerva\data


******************
* Troubleshooting
******************

If an applications does not work propertly, the first step is checking
the console looking for warning or error messages that can be helpful.
Here are some commons mistakes:


* ARGUMENTS ERROR! *
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

In order to run an Augmented Reality application, you should tell Minerva
what is the application file with extension .mrv.

There are two ways to do it:

 1/ If you compile Minerva from source, in the source directory type:

   $ ./bin/minerva <application file>

 2/ If you installed it from a .deb package:

   $ minerva <application file>



* Exception: Camera not found exception: cam*
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Minerva is not able to use your camera. Is it properly plugged?
  In GNU/Linux platforms it should be in /dev/video0.



* [ERROR] Unable to init ARToolKit *
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Minerva is not able to permorf the tracking method due to it
  could not initialize it. That usually is because Minerva did not find
  the camera_para.dat file, when Minerva was compiled from source.

  Please, check that you follow properly all the steps below to compile
  Minerva.




--------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Minerva: Building Augmented Reality apps has never been so easy!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------