In a 2D picture, you might draw a line or arrow to call attention to a particular element in the picture. Next to the arrow, you might jot down a few words describing the element. IRIS Annotator lets you annotate 3D models in much the same way.
To call attention to a portion of the model, you place a marker. The scene below shows a model with several markers—an arrow pointing to the handle, a pin pointing inside the box, and a bullet in the upper left corner of the scene. Then, you attach notes to each marker. The notes are comparable to the text scribbled on the picture. They let you provide additional detail or explain why you're pointing out something in the scene.
With IRIS Annotator, you're not limited to textual notes. You can use audio, images, movies, World Wide Web links, other 3D models, and more. Click the arrow button in the upper right corner of the scene. If you're viewing this information via online help, you may need to enlarge the help window to see this arrow button. After clicking the arrow, click the lime green button in the left corner of the scene. You see a small icon. This icon represents a note that's attached to that marker. The picture on the icon indicates the type of note. In this case, you see a text note.
Try selecting the arrow and pin; they're also colored lime green. You see different types of notes attached to these markers. Try double-clicking a marker to play the annotation.
To get started with IRIS Annotator, you open or import the 3D model that you want to annotate. You can open Open Inventor™ models and existing IRIS Annotator files.
IRIS Annotator is a licensed software product. The license allows you to run Annotator on one system—the one on which the license is installed.
When you run Annotator, it looks for a valid license. If it doesn't find one, or if the license has expired, you see a window similar to the following:
Enter your License Password number. You'll find it in the license information sheet you received in your IRIS Annotator packaging.
If Annotator doesn't find a valid license password, you can run Annotator only in View Only mode, and you cannot edit or save files.
By default, Annotator warns you if your license expires in less than 60 days. You can have Annotator warn you as much as 90 days in advance, or only 30 days in advance, or not at all.
To change the default, edit the file /usr/lib/X11/app-defaults/Annotator. Near the top of the file you'll see the following entries:
*disable30DayLicenseWarnings: false
*disable60DayLicenseWarnings: false
*disable90DayLicenseWarnings: true
To warn only 30 days in advance, set the *disable60DayLicenseWarnings: to true. To warn 90 days in advance, set all the flags to false. To disable all warnings change all the flags to true.
You can open IRIS Annotator in one of several ways:
Double-click the IRIS Annotator icon on the desktop.
Double-click the IRIS Annotator icon on the Collaboration page of the Icon Catalog. Or, drop an IRIS Annotator or Inventor file icon onto the application icon.
Click the words IRIS Annotator .
Type annotator in a shell window.
Once you open IRIS Annotator, you see the following window.
The large gray rectangle near the bottom of the window represents a floor. It's covered by a grid to help you position 3D models in the scene. You can hide it, by choosing “Show Floor” from the Floor menu. The checkmark disappears when the floor is hidden. See also “Displaying or Hiding the Floor.”
You open IRIS Annotator and Open Inventor files in the same way that you open files in most other applications. Choose “Open” from the File menu, then use the file browser that appears to select the file to open. Step-by-step instructions follow:
Choose “Open” from the File menu.
The file browser appears.
Browse through the directory structure until you find the name of the file you want to open.
Place the cursor over the name of the file that you want to open, then click the left mouse button.
The selected file is surrounded by black.
Click the OK button.
The model appears in the viewing area of the IRIS Annotator window.
Use the “Import Model...” command when you want to insert a model into an existing IRIS Annotator file.
Choose “Import Model...” from the File menu.
The file browser appears.
Browse through the directory structure until you find the name of the file you want to add to the scene.
Place the cursor over the name of the file that you want to import, then click the left mouse button.
The selected file is highlighted in black.
Click the OK button, then place your cursor in the viewing area.
A wireframe representation of the model appears. The wireframe model moves as you move your cursor. If the scene is empty, you do not see a wireframe model. The model just appears in the center of the viewing area.
Click the left mouse button when the model is located where you want it.
The model appears in the viewing area of the IRIS Annotator window. By default, the viewing area includes a floor. When you import a model, the floor automatically expands to include that model.
 | Note: You can also import a model by dragging and dropping its icon over the viewing area of the Annotator window. |
Using either the Examiner Viewer or the Walk Viewer, you can view 3D models from different angles. To change your view of the models, you rotate or “walk through” the scene. You can also change your view by dollying and panning. When you dolly, you make models look larger or smaller by getting closer or further away. When you pan, you change the portion of the scene you are viewing. See the following sections:
You can view 3D models using either the Examiner Viewer (the default), or the Walk Viewer. The Examiner Viewer lets you examine a specific point in space using rotations, that is, you seem to spin around the object. The Walk Viewer lets you “walk” through the model, while maintaining a constant “eye level.” You might want to use the Walk Viewer if you're viewing architectural or other models that you want to view from the inside. To select a Viewer, choose either “Examiner Viewer” or “Walk Viewer” from the View menu.
| Note: When you save an Annotator file, the Viewer type is saved with it. When you later open the file, Annotator automatically switches to the saved Viewer. |
The Viewer tool, shown in Figure 1-3, lets you change the view by rotating around the object. Step-by-step instructions follow.
Choose “Examiner Viewer” from the View menu.
Click the left mouse button over the Viewer tool.
Place the cursor over the model, press the left mouse button, and drag the cursor. The scene spins as you move the cursor.You'll notice that the cursor resembles a hand when you're using this tool.
Release the mouse button when you are at the desired view.
If you release the mouse button as you move the mouse, the scene continue spinning. To stop the spinning, click anywhere with the left or middle mouse button.
You can also spin the scene using the thumbwheels in the lower left corner of the window.
 | Tip: Press the <Alt> key while pressing the left mouse button to rotate the scene around the center of the viewing area. Press the left and middle mouse buttons together to dolly (move closer or further away). |
The Viewer tool, shown in Figure 1-3, lets you change the view by “walking through” the 3D model, while maintaining a constant “eye level.” You can also stop and look around the scene. Step-by-step instructions follow.
Choose “Walk Viewer” from the View menu.
Click the left mouse button over the Viewer tool. Notice the cursor changes to an arrow with a little “v” beside it.
Place the cursor over the window, press the left mouse button, and drag the cursor. The viewer displays a square box.
Drag the cursor up to move forward through the model; drag the cursor down to move backwards.
Drag the cursor left or right to turn around the left or right of the model.
If the cursor movement is too fast or too slow, you can change the walking speed in the Walk Viewer Preference Sheet. Place the cursor over the window, press the right mouse button, and choose “Preferences...”
Use the thumbwheel labeled “H” (height) to raise or lower the model.
Use the thumbwheel labeled “Tilt” to tilt the model, so that you are looking at the ceiling, for example.
Use the thumbwheel labeled “Pan” to pan to the left or right of the model.
| Tip: Press the middle mouse button to tilt your head to look at the ceiling or floor. Press the <Alt> key while pressing the left mouse button to walk in the direction you're looking (instead of keeping a constant eye level). This is useful, for example, to go up stairs. |
Six of the commands on the View menu let you view models from fixed directions—from the top, bottom, left, right, front, or back. Choose one of these commands and the view changes.
You can set and save a custom view using the “Set Home” command on the View menu or the Set Home button shown in Figure 1-4. When you choose “Set Home,” you save the direction and the distance from which you're viewing the models. To return to the home view, choose “View Home” or click the View Home button shown in Figure 1-4.
When you save an Annotator file, the View is saved with it. When you later open the file, Annotator views the model as you were viewing it when you saved the file. This is the default home view. If you are opening a file that has not been saved in Annotator, by default the home view is equivalent to the front view.
If you've imported several models into the scene and want to change the view so they are all visible, choose “View All” from the View menu. Also choose this command if you want to center the scene within the viewing area.
If you want to center the view around the selected model, choose “View Selected.” The view changes; the selected model is centered in the viewing area.
| Note: The “View All” command doesn't change the size of any models; the camera moves farther away so all the models are visible. |
If you want a closer view of the models you're annotating, you can use the Zoom slider or the Dolly thumbwheel. Similarly, you can use these controls if you want to view the models from a distance.
When you use the Dolly thumbwheel, you move the camera closer to or farther from the models. Drag the thumbwheel up to make the models appear smaller; drag the thumbwheel down to make the models appear larger.
Using the Zoom slider is comparable to changing the lens on a camera. The models appear smaller or larger because the viewing angle of the lens is different.
| Tip: Changing the zooming angle introduces distortion. You may want to use the Dolly thumbwheel to move closer or further from the model. |
Move the Zoom slider to the left, and the models appear larger. Move the slider to the right, and the models appear smaller. This happens for the following reasons:
When you use a narrow lens (telephoto), a model appears larger because proportionally it takes up more of the viewing area.
When you use a wide lens, a model appears smaller. Proportionally, it takes up less of the viewing area.
You can change the portion of the scene you're viewing by panning. To do so:
Select the Viewer tool shown in Figure 1-5.
Place the cursor in the viewing area, then press the middle mouse button and drag the cursor.
The scene moves within the viewing area.
By default, the background of the viewing area is black. You can choose a different color by choosing “Edit Bgd Color...” from the View menu. When you save the Annotator file, the background color is also saved. Detailed instructions follow:
Choose “Edit Bgd Color...” from the View menu.
A Color Editor appears.
Place the cursor over the color wheel, then press the left mouse button and drag the cursor.
The slider at the bottom of the window changes. The leftmost edge shows the color black; the rightmost edge shows the color underneath the cursor.
When the slider displays the color you want to use, release the mouse button.
Move the slider to the right; when the color is the shade that you want, release the mouse button.
By default, the slider is positioned in the leftmost position, which results in the color black. As you move the cursor to the right, the left square at the top of the window changes color; so does the background of the viewing area.
| Note: These instructions describe the default behavior of the Color Editor. You can use commands on the Edit and Sliders window to change this behavior. See “The Color Editor” for more details. |
By default, when you run IRIS Annotator in edit mode, you see a gray rectangle in the viewing area. This is called a floor. You can use it to help position models within the scene.
If you don't use the floor, you can hide it. Choose “Show Floor” from the Floors menu. The checkmark next to the command disappears.
When you select an object or marker, it casts a shadow on the floor. You can disable the shadow, or toggle between a full shadow of the object and a simple shadow of the object's bounding box. See “The Floor Menu” for instructions.
When you mark up or annotate a printed document, you often jot down a few words or draw a few quick sketches. In this case, the ink on the page draws attention to a particular area; the words or sketches provide the information or content. When you annotate a 3D model, you place markers in the scene. The markers serve two purposes:
They let you call attention to particular areas in the scene.
They are the objects to which you attach notes. The notes let you provide additional detail or explain why you're pointing out something in the scene.
IRIS Annotator provides four types of markers:
Marker Type | Appearance | Function |
|---|---|---|
Arrow |  | The arrowhead attaches to the 3D model. It lets you call attention to a particular area of the model. |
Hand-drawn arrow |  | The arrowhead attaches to the 3D model. It lets you call attention to a particular area of the model. |
Pin |  | The point of the pin attaches to the 3D model. It lets you call attention to a particular area of the model. |
Bullet |  | A bullet can appear anywhere in the IRIS Annotator scene. It lets you associate notes with the entire scene rather than with a particular area of a model. |
To place an arrow or pin marker, you select the marker tool, then click on the model where you want to attach the marker. Step-by-step instructions follow:
Position the model so the area you want to mark is visible.
For instructions on changing your view or moving the model, see “Changing Your View of the Models” and “Moving 3D Models.”
Select the marker type by doing either of the following:
Click one of the arrow buttons or the pin button in the Create Marker toolbar. See Figure 1-6.
Choose the “Solid Arrow,” “Line Arrow,” or “Pin” command from the Markers menu.
Place the cursor over the model, where you want to attach the marker, then click the left mouse button.
When you place the cursor in the viewing area, a wireframe arrow appears next to the cursor. It turns red when the arrow is positioned over the model. Click the left mouse button and the arrow or pin appears. By default, arrows and pins are red. For instructions on changing the color, see “Changing the Color of Markers.”
If the arrow or pin doesn't appear, the cursor wasn't over the model when you clicked the mouse button. If this happens, you see a warning message in the status area of the window. Select the marker type again, then try clicking on the model. Make sure the wireframe arrow is red when you click.
Once you've created a marker, complete the annotation by adding notes. See “Creating Notes.” You can move a marker, change its orientation, resize it or otherwise modify it. See “Modifying Markers.”
A bullet marker can appear anywhere in the IRIS Annotator scene; it is not attached to a model. To create a bullet marker:
Select the marker type by doing either of the following:
Click the bullet button in the Create Marker toolbar. See Figure 1-7.
Choose the “Bullet” command from the Markers menu.
Place the cursor in the scene, where you want the bullet to appear, then click the left mouse button.
If you click on a model, the bullet appears just in front of that model. If you click in empty space, the bullet appears halfway between the front and back of the scene.
By default, the bullet is aqua-colored. For instructions on changing the color, see “Changing the Color of Markers.”
Once you've created a marker, you complete the annotation by adding notes. See “Creating Notes.”
Once you've created a marker you can move it, change it's appearance, copy and paste it, and more. This section contains:
To modify a marker—move it, resize it, delete it, or change its color—you need to select it.
Place the cursor over the marker you want to select.
The marker brightens slightly to let you know you can click to select it. If the cursor resembles a hand, click the arrow button in the toolbar along the right edge of the window. This signals that you want to select objects rather than change the view.
You can also press the <Esc> key. This switches you from one tool to the other.
When the marker brightens, click the left mouse button to select it.
When the marker is selected, its appearance changes. See Table 1-2. In addition, any notes attached to it are displayed to the right of the marker
Appearance When Selected
Description
White markings appear on the tips and in the middle of the arrow. The marker name appears next to the white knob on the end of the arrow.
White markings appear on the tips and middle of the pin.The marker name appears next to the white knob on the end of the pin.
White lines appear along the edges of the bullet and a small white box appears at each point. In addition, the name appears next to the bullet.
| Note: You can select only one marker at a time. |
The technique you use to move a marker varies, depending on the marker type. For instructions on moving arrows and pins, see “Moving Arrows and Pins.” For instructions on moving bullets, see “Moving Bullets.”
When you select an arrow, the tip of the arrowhead turns white. When you select a pin, the point of the pin turns white. Use this white area to move the marker. Step-by-step instructions follow:
Select the arrow or pin you want to move.
See “Selecting Markers” for details.
Place the cursor over the white region on the tip of the arrow head or point of the pin.
The tip is highlighted when the cursor is placed over it.
Press the left mouse button and drag the marker to a new location.
The white tip turns yellow while you're moving the marker.
Release the mouse button when the marker is positioned correctly.
| Tip: By default, the marker is attached to the surface of the model. When you move the marker, it stays attached to the model's surface. You can use the <Alt> and <Shift> keys if you want to position the marker differently. Imagine that the arrowhead or pin point is perpendicular to the center of an invisible square or plane. To move the marker towards or away from the plane, press the <Alt> key while dragging the marker. To move the marker around in the plane, press the <Shift> key while dragging the marker. Both techniques let you point to empty areas within a model. |
When you select a bullet, white lines appear along the edges of the bullet and small white boxes appear at each point. Once the bullet is selected, you can easily move it.
Select the bullet you want to move.
See “Selecting Markers” for details.
Place the cursor over the bullet but not over one of the small selection boxes.
The lines are highlighted when the cursor is positioned correctly.
Press the left mouse button then drag the cursor to move the model.
When you press the left mouse button, yellow lines appear. These indicate the directions in which you can move the model.
Release the mouse button when the marker is positioned correctly.
| Tip: By default, you can move the bullet in two directions. For instance, you may be able to move the bullet left and right or up and down. Press the <Shift> key and the left mouse button to constrain movement to one direction. The direction in which the bullet moves depends on your initial gesture with the mouse. Press the <Alt> key to move the bullet in a line perpendicular to the choices shown. For instance, instead of moving the bullet up and down or left and right, you can move the bullet towards or away from you. |
When you select an arrow or a pin, a white knob appears on the end of the marker. Use this knob to change the angle of the marker. Step-by-step instructions follow:
Select the arrow or pin you want to change.
See “Selecting Markers” for details.
Place the cursor over the white knob, then press the left mouse button and drag the cursor.
The white knob turns yellow while you're moving the marker. The arrowhead or pin point stays attached to the model; the rest of the marker follows the cursor.
Release the mouse button when the marker is positioned correctly.
For the first arrow or pin you create, Annotator automatically picks a size. When you create a new arrow or pin, it's created the same size as the last arrow or pin you created or resized, whichever you did last. If you select “Auto Size” from the Markers menu, Annotator automatically picks the size, depending on the size of the model.
The technique you use to resize a marker varies depending on the marker type. For instructions on resizing arrows and pins, see “Resizing Arrows and Pins.” For instructions on resizing bullets, see “Resizing Bullets.”
When you select an arrow or a pin, a white band appears around the middle of the shaft. Use this band to resize the marker. Step-by-step instructions follow.
Select the arrow or pin you want to change.
See “Selecting Markers” for details.
Place the cursor over the white band, then press the left mouse button and drag the cursor.
The white band turns yellow and the marker shortens and lengthens while you drag the cursor.
Tip: To make the arrow wider or narrower while you're changing its length, press the <Shift> key while dragging the cursor.
When you select a bullet, white lines appear along the edges of the bullet and small white boxes appear at each point. You use the small white boxes to resize the bullet.
Select the bullet you want to move.
See “Selecting Markers” for details.
Place the cursor over one of the small selection boxes on the bullet.
The boxes turn orange when the cursor is positioned correctly.
Press the left mouse button, then drag the cursor.
When you press the left mouse button, purple arrows appear to show the directions in which you can drag the cursor.
Release the mouse button when the bullet is the desired size.
When you create a new marker, IRIS Annotator gives it a default name. For example, when you create arrow markers, they're named arrow1, arrow2, and so on. When you create bullet markers, they're named bullet1, bullet2, and so on. To change the names:
Select the marker whose name you want to change.
See “Selecting Markers” for details. When the marker is selected, its name appears in two places—next to the marker and below the label “Marker Name.” See Figure 1-8.
Place the cursor in the type-in field, then double-click the left mouse button to select the current name.
Type the new name.
The name next to the marker updates when you press the <Enter> key or move the cursor around in the window.
You can use the “Copy” and “Paste” commands to copy and paste a selected marker. This copies the marker and any notes that are attached to it.
Select the marker you want to copy.
See “Selecting Markers” for details.
Choose “Copy” from the Edit menu.
Choose “Paste” from the Edit menu.
Move the cursor into the viewing area.
A wireframe rendition of the marker appears next to the cursor. If you've copied an arrow or pin marker, the wireframe turns red when it is positioned over a model.
Click the left mouse button when the wireframe is positioned where you want the marker to appear.
The marker appears. It's named copy of marker name. For example, if you copy a marker named arrow1, the new marker is named copy of arrow1.
| Note: When you copy a marker, you copy all of the notes that are attached to it. If you just want to copy a particular note, see “Copying and Pasting Notes.” |
When you delete a marker, you delete the entire annotation. The marker disappears and any notes attached to that marker are deleted.
Select the marker you want to delete.
See “Selecting Markers” for details.
Remove the marker by doing either of the following:
Choose “Cut” from the Edit menu. The marker and all notes attached to it disappear. You can paste the marker elsewhere by choosing “Paste” from the Edit menu.
Choose “Delete” from the Edit menu or press the <Backspace> key. The marker and all notes attached to it disappear.
See “Deleting Notes” to learn how to delete just one note.
A marker's appearance is determined by the material from which it's made. The material determines the color of the marker, whether the marker looks plastic or metallic, whether the marker appears rough or smooth, and whether the marker is opaque or transparent. To change the material:
Select the marker whose material you want to change.
See “Selecting Markers” for details.
Choose “Material Palette” from the Appearance menu or click the button shown in Figure 1-9 to open the material palette.
Display the palette from which you want to choose.
Choose an item from the Palettes menu. See Figure 1-10.
Or, use the arrows in the lower left and right corners of the Material Palette window.
Place the cursor over a sphere, then click the left mouse button to select that material.
The selected marker changes to that material. You can modify existing materials or create your own palettes.
You can view a list of all the markers in a file. To do so, choose “Marker List & Player” from the Markers menu or click the button shown in Figure 1-11. It appears in the upper left corner of the viewing area.
The window shown in Figure 1-12 appears. The markers are listed in the top portion of the window. The rest of the window contains controls that let you reorder the markers as well as step through and play all the markers. See also “Viewing and Playing Annotations” and “The “Marker List & Player” Command.”
“Viewing a List of Markers” explains how to open the Marker List & Player window. See Figure 1-12. The markers in this window are listed in the order that you created them. You can change this order, thereby controlling the order in which the annotations are played.
Open the Marker List & Player window, if it isn't already open.
To do so, choose “Marker List & Player...” from the Markers menu.
If you're in View Only mode, the Markers menu will be gray and inaccessible. If this happens, choose “Edit” from the Edit menu to exit View Only mode.
Place the cursor over a marker name, then click the left mouse button to select it.
The name of the selected marker is surrounded by black.
Use the “Reorder” arrow buttons below the list to move the selected marker up or down in the list.
Once you have placed a marker in the scene, you can attach notes to the marker. This combination—a marker plus the attached notes—comprises an annotation. Table 1-3 shows the types of notes you can include. Note that these buttons let you create the content rather than import an existing file. For information on importing existing files, see “Importing Notes.”
Appearance | Description |
|---|---|
 | Changes the view of the scene. |
 | An image—for example, a screen snapshot or a picture from the camera. |
 | A sound note. |
 | A movie note. |
 | An ASCII text note. |
 | A 3D model. |
 | A World Wide Web link. |
 | Runs another program or tool. |
Most of the note types allow you to create and display a particular type of media—image, movie, 3D model, and more. When you play the notes, each item is displayed in an appropriate way. The Camera View note lets you modify the 3D scene itself. You choose the command, then change the view. This lets you automatically adjust the scene so the user is looking at it from a particular viewpoint.
Select the marker to which you want to attach the note.
Click the Create Camera View button in the toolbar (see Figure 1-13) or choose “Camera View...” from the Notes menu.
A notifier appears telling you to set the desired view, then click the OK button.
Position the camera so you have the desired view of the model.
You have several options:
Choose an item from the View menu. For example, if you want to display the bottom of the scene, choose “View Bottom.”
Select the Viewer tool, which resembles a hand, from the toolbar along the right edge of the window. Place the cursor in the scene, then press the left mouse button and drag to change the view.
Use thumbwheels to rotate the scene.
Use the thumbwheel labeled “Dolly” to move the camera closer to or farther away from the scene.
Click the OK button when the camera is positioned correctly.
A camera view icon appears next to the marker.
| Tip: Consider changing the camera view with the first note. This ensures that the person viewing the file is looking at it from the correct angle. See “Rearranging Notes” to learn how to arrange notes in a particular order. |
You can create an image and include it as a note. For instance, suppose you have a sample part that you want to show as an example. Hold the part in front of the video camera, then take a picture of it. When the note is played, the image of the part appears on the screen. See “Taking Pictures” for instructions.
You can also take snapshots of anything that appears on your screen. See “Taking Screen Snapshots” for instructions.
If you have a video camera attached to your system, you can take pictures and store them as notes. To do so:
Select the marker to which you want to attach the note.
Click the Capture Image Note button in the toolbar (see Figure 1-14) or choose “Image...” from the Notes menu.
The Capture tool appears.
Place the cursor over the button in the lower left corner of the Capture window, then press the left mouse button to reveal a graphical menu. Choose the 35 millimeter camera icon from this menu. See Figure 1-15.
Make sure the lens cap is open, then arrange your subject in front of the camera.
Click the Record button to take the picture.
The image is saved. An image note icon appears next to the marker.
To see the image you created, click the Preview button before closing the Capture tool.
If you want to revise the image, repeat the procedure.
When you're satisfied with the image, close the Capture tool by double-clicking the Window menu button in the upper left corner of the window.
You can take a snapshot of a rectangular area of your screen, then save this as a note. To do so:
Select the marker to which you want to attach the note.
Click the Capture Image Note button in the toolbar (see Figure 1-16) or choose “Image...” from the Notes menu.
The Capture tool appears.
Place the cursor over the button in the lower left corner of the Capture window, then press the left mouse button to reveal a graphical menu. Choose the monitor icon from this menu. (This is the default behavior.) See Figure 1-17.
Click the Sweep area button.
The display changes. It provides a magnified view of the area around your cursor.
Move the cursor to the area of the screen that displays the graphics you want to capture for the note.
Use the magnified view to place the cursor precisely.
Press the left mouse button and drag the cursor.
A red outline surrounds the area you're capturing.
Release the mouse button and the image is captured.
An image note icon appears next to the marker.
To see the image you created, click the Preview button before closing the Capture tool.
If you want to revise the screen snapshot, repeat the procedure.
When you're satisfied with the image, close the Capture tool by double-clicking the Window menu button in the upper left corner of the window.
You can record audio and include the recording as a note. For example, you might want to provide narration for a particular annotation. Nothing appears when the note is played; you just hear the audio.
Select the marker to which you want to attach the note.
Click the Record Sound Note button in the toolbar (see Figure 1-18) or choose “Sound...” from the Notes menu.
The Capture tool appears.
Use the Audio Control Panel to choose the audio source from which you want to record.
Open the Audio Control Panel by choosing “Audio Panel...” from the Tools menu on the Capture tool or by clicking the words Audio Control Panel now.
Select an item from the Input menu.
Choose “Microphone” from the Input menu if you want to record from the microphone.
Choose “Line” from the Input menu if you want to record from a device, such as a tape deck or VCR, connected to the Line In port on your system.
Choose “Digital” if you want to use the application CD Manager to record from your system's compact disc player. Also choose “Digital” if you want to record audio from a device connected to the Digital In port on your system.
Use the Audio Control Panel to adjust the input level.
The pair of sliders on the left side of the window controls the input level. For the best results, set the level to six or seven.
Click the Record button on the Capture tool when you are ready to begin recording.
The display area shows a waveform that represents the sound you are recording.
Click Stop to signal that you are finished recording the audio.
A sound note icon appears next to the marker.
To listen to the sound file you created, click the Preview button before closing the Capture tool.
If you want to record the note again, repeat steps 4 and 5.
When you're satisfied with the recording, close the Capture tool by double-clicking the Window menu button in the upper left corner of the window.
If you have a video camera attached to your system, you can produce a movie and include it as a note. When the note is played, two windows appear on the screen. One window displays the movie; the other window contains the controls for playing the movie.
Select the marker to which you want to attach the note.
Click the Record Movie Note button in the toolbar (see Figure 1-19) or choose “Movie...” from the Notes menu.
The Capture tool appears.
To record a movie using the existing settings, continue to step 4.
To change the size, frame rate, or other options, open the Capture tool's Help menu, then choose an item from the Adjusting Movie Settings rollover menu. The item titled “Choosing a Name” is not applicable.
Click Record when you are ready to begin recording.
Click Stop to signal that you are finished recording the movie.
When you click Stop, the movie is processed and saved to your disk and a movie icon appears next to the marker. During the save process, the Stop button becomes a Cancel button. Click Cancel if you decide not to create the note.
If you've chosen a frame rate that isn't compatible with your system, a dialog box may appear. See “Choosing a Frame Rate” and “Choosing the Size (Dimensions) of Your Movie” for information on how to choose an appropriate frame rate and size.
To preview the movie you created, click the Preview button before closing the Capture tool.
If you want to re-record the movie, repeat the procedure.
When you're satisfied with the recording, close the Capture tool by double-clicking the Window menu button in the upper left corner of the window.
| Note: Movie files can be very large. Depending on your frame rate and other settings, just a few seconds of a movie can occupy a significant portion of your disk. For example, a half-size, 30-second movie recorded at 15 frames per second can take 9 megabytes of disk space. A quarter-size, 30-second movie recorded at 15 frames per second can take 3.5 megabytes. Both of these numbers assume the movie was recorded using the standard compression technique, MVC2. |
You can type text and include this as a note. For instance, suppose you want to include a list of all the changes that have been made to the model since the last time it was reviewed. When you play the note, a text window appears.
Select the marker to which you want to attach the note.
Click the Type Text Note button in the toolbar (see Figure 1-20) or choose “Text...” from the Notes menu.
A text window appears.
Begin typing your note.
You automatically begin a new line of text when you reach the right edge of the window. If you want the line breaks to occur at specific places, press the <Enter> key to end one line and begin another.
Click the OK button to signal that you are finished.
A text icon appears next to the marker.
A note can contain another Inventor file or Annotator file. For instance, to keep track of a project's history, you might want to include notes that show previous versions of the model. When a 3D note is played, a separate 3D viewer appears.
Select the marker to which you want to attach the note.
Click the Create 3D Note button in the toolbar (see Figure 1-21) or choose “3D Object...” from the Notes menu.
A file browser appears.
Select the 3D file you want to attach as a note.
A 3D icon appears next to the marker.
The World Wide Web (WWW) is a collection of multimedia documents that are stored on computers located throughout the world and accessible via the Internet. In Annotator, you can create a note that links to a WWW document.
Each World Wide Web document has a unique Uniform Resource Locator (URL) that identifies it. To create a note that links to the World Wide Web, you'll need to know the URL for the Web page to which you want to link. For example, the URL for Silicon Graphics is http://www.sgi.com. Step-by-step instructions follow:
Select the marker to which you want to attach the note.
Click the Create World Wide Web Note button (see Figure 1-22) in the toolbar or choose “World Wide Web Link” from the Notes menu.
Enter the Universal Resource Locator (URL), (for example http:/www/sgi/com) for the World Wide Web link; then click OK.
A small World Wide Web icon appears next to the marker.
| Note: When Annotator plays a WWW link note, it uses the Netscape Navigator™ to display the specified document. If you want Annotator to use XMosaic instead, set the Unix environment variable WEBBROWSER to XMosaic before starting Annotator. |
For example, from a C shell window, type
setenv WEBBROWSER xmosaic
and then start Annotator from that window.
You can use notes to run other programs automatically. To do so:
Select the marker to which you want to attach the note.
Click the System Call button in the toolbar (see Figure 1-23) or choose “System Call...” from the Notes menu.
A dialog box appears.
Type the program name in the dialog box, then click the OK button.
You can also type command line arguments into this dialog box. Command line arguments specify that a program should run in a particular way in a window of a specific size, for example. In addition, you can run multiple programs. Separate these entries with a semicolon.
After you push the OK button, a system call icon appears next to the marker.
If you have existing image, audio, movie, ASCII text, or 3D files, you can import them as notes rather than create the notes spontaneously. To do so:
Select the marker to which you want to attach the note.
You can import the file in one of two ways:
Click the Import Note button in the toolbar (see Figure 1-24) or choose “Import Note...” from the Notes menu.
A file browser appears.
Select the file you want to attach as a note.
An icon of the appropriate type appears next to the marker. For example, if you import an ASCII text file, a text icon appears next to the marker.
Or you can drag an icon for the file from the desktop, and drop it onto the viewer window.
When you play a marker, all of its notes are automatically played in sequence. You can control the way notes are played by doing the following:
Rearrange the notes to change the order in which they're played. See “Rearranging Notes.”
Choose when you want a note to start playing, relative to the preceding note—at the same time as the preceding note, after the preceding note has finished playing, or a specified number of seconds after the preceding note starts playing. See “Specifying When a Note Plays.”
Specify how long the player for each note stays on the screen. See “Specifying How Long the Note Displays.”
Specify where the playing window for each note appears. See “Specifying Where a Note Appears.”
You can also choose not to include a note in the automatic playback. See “Specifying When a Note Plays.”
Once you've specified these playback options, see “Viewing and Playing Annotations.”
The order in which you create the notes is the order in which they appear and play back. You can change the order in one of several ways:
Select the note you want to move, then choose “Shift Left” or “Shift Right” from the Notes menu.
Select the note you want to move, then click the arrows to the left of the Create Note toolbar. See Figure 1-25. You can also use the arrow keys on the keyboard.
By default, notes are played in sequence. You can specify whether you want notes to play simultaneously or at specified intervals.
Select a note to specify when the next note in the sequence begins playing.
For instance, suppose you have a sequence of three notes—a text note, an audio note, and a 3D note. If you want to specify when the audio note plays, select the text note.
Choose “Playback Options...” from the Notes menu.
The window shown in Figure 1-26 appears.
Specify when you want the next note in the sequence to play.
If you want to play the notes simultaneously, click immediately. For example, you might have a sound note and an image note. You want the audio to play and the image to appear at the same time.
If you want to wait a specified amount of time before playing the next note, type a number in the empty field.
For example, suppose you have an audio file and an image file. You want the audio file to begin playing, then have the image appear five seconds later. In this case, type 5 in that field, then press <Enter>.
If you want the next note to start when the current note has finished playing, click the phrase “when this note is done.”
If you choose not to include a note in the automatic playback, click the “Include Note in marker playback” button. The checkmark disappears and the playback options become gray and inaccessible.
Select another note if you want to change its setting. Otherwise, close the window by double-clicking the Window menu button in the upper left corner of the window.
A player window appears when you view most types of notes. For instance, when you view a movie note, a movie window appears. You can specify where on the screen you want this window to be placed.
Select a note, then choose “Play” from the Notes menu. Or choose “Playback Options...” from the Notes menu and click the button labeled “Play Note.”
The MoviePlayer window appears.
Position the MoviePlayer window where you want it to appear on the screen.
If the Playback Options window is not open, choose “Playback Options...” from the Notes menu.
The Playback Options window appears.
Click the button labeled “Grab Window” The cursor changes to a crosshair.
Place the cursor over the MoviePlayer window, then click the left mouse button.
Now, when you play that note, it appears in the specified location.
Select another note if you want to change its setting. Otherwise, close the window by double-clicking the Window menu button in the upper left corner of the window.
A player window appears when you view many types of notes. For instance, when you view an image note, an image window appears. You can choose how long you want these windows to appear on the screen.
Select a note (see “Selecting Notes” for detailed instructions), then choose “Playback Options...” from the Notes menu.
The window shown in Figure 1-26 appears. Near the top of the window, you see the label “Note Player stays.”
Choose how long you want the note to display. Your choices are:
Display the window until the user closes it.
Display the window for a specified number of seconds.
Display the window for the duration of the recording. This is available only if you've selected a movie note.
Select another note if you want to change its setting.
Otherwise, close the window by double-clicking the Window menu button in the upper left corner of the window.
Once you've created a note, you can move it, change its behavior, and more. This section contains:
Selecting notes is a two-step process. First you select the marker, then you can select the note.
Select the marker that the note is attached to.
The marker brightens slightly to let you know you can click to select it. If the cursor resembles a hand, click the arrow button in the toolbar along the right edge of the window. This signals that you want to select objects rather than change the view. You can also press the <Esc> key. This switches you from one tool to the other.
When a marker is selected, an icon for each of its notes appears.
Click on the note you want to select.
A yellow outline surrounds the selected note.
| Note: You can select only one note at a time. |
You can use the “Copy” and “Paste” commands to copy and paste a selected note.
Select the note you want to copy.
See “Selecting Notes” for details.
Choose “Copy” from the Edit menu.
Select the marker you want to attach the note to.
See “Selecting Markers” for details.
Choose “Paste” from the Edit menu.
The note icon appears next to the selected marker.
| Note: Notes can be stored in one of two ways—as part of the IRIS Annotator file or in separate files. “Understanding the Choices” explains the differences. If you copy a note that is stored as part of the IRIS Annotator file, you increase the overall file size. The data is duplicated and stored in the file. If you copy a note that's stored in a separate file, you copy only the reference to this file. |
If you decide that you don't want a particular note, you can easily delete it. Select the note you want to delete, then choose “Delete” from the Edit menu or press the <Backspace> key.
| Note: Notes can be stored in one of two ways—as part of the IRIS Annotator file or in separate files. If the note is stored as part of the IRIS Annotator file, deleting the note deletes that data from your system. If the note is stored in a separate file, you delete the reference to the note. The file itself still exists. |
There's one exception to this rule. If you create a file, make some external notes, then choose not to save the file, Annotator removes the external note files.
If you need to update a note, you can replace its content. For instance, suppose you have a text note that lists changes you've made to the model. You need to add a few more items to the list. You can do so using the “Edit Media...” command.
Select the note you want to edit.
See “Selecting Notes” for details.
Choose “Edit Media...” from the Notes menu.
The appropriate window appears. For example, if you've selected a text note, the text window appears. You can edit the text, then close the window. If you've selected an image note, the Capture tool appears. Create a new image; it replaces the current one.
Notes can be stored in one of two ways—as part of the IRIS Annotator file or in separate files. By default, notes are stored as part of the IRIS Annotator file. In Figure 1-27, the image on the left shows an IRIS Annotator file that contains the notes; the image on the right shows an IRIS Annotator file with references to the notes.
Figure 1-27 shows the two options you have for storing notes. By default, the notes are stored as part of the IRIS Annotator file. The list below explains some of the differences between storage methods.
If all the notes are stored as part of the IRIS Annotator file, you can mail the file and all of the notes are mailed with it. Similarly, you can copy the file to another system and all of the content is copied with it.
In contrast, if the notes are stored externally, you mail or copy just the model and the markers. If you want the recipient to view the annotations, you have to mail or copy the note files as well. See also “Mailing, Moving, or Copying Files with External Notes.”
If the notes are stored as part of the IRIS Annotator file, you cannot use them in other documents. For example, suppose you create a sound note and decide you want to use it in an IRIS Showcase presentation. If the note is stored with the IRIS Annotator file, you cannot do so. If the note is stored in a separate file, you can use the separate file.
If you want to update a note that's stored as part of the IRIS Annotator file, you need to open the file, replace the note, then save the file. If the note is stored in a separate file, you can edit the note file directly. For example, suppose you've created a text note named note1. You need to add more information to the note. Use the desktop to open note1, make your changes, then save the file. Next time you open the IRIS Annotator file and view that note, you see the new content.
If the notes are stored as part of the IRIS Annotator file, you will notice that the file takes longer to save. If you plan to make many edits and save the file frequently, consider storing the notes in external files. Before saving the file for the last time, choose “Make Existing Notes Internal” from the File menu.
If notes are stored externally, you can place them on a server that everyone viewing the file has access to. This reduces the size of the file you mail to others. For instance, instead of mailing a file that contains a 30 megabyte movie, you mail a file that contains a pointer to the movie file.
By default, notes are stored in the directory in which you've saved the Annotator file. To save selected note files on a server, you need to rename them. See “Naming External Note Files” for details.
After you have created notes, you can change the way they are stored. Choose “Make Existing Notes External” from the File menu. This extracts all existing note data and stores it in separate note files. Choose “Make Existing Notes Inline” from the File menu and all the external note data is added to the file. The existing note files remain on your system disk; they are not deleted. The storage method you select is then the default for any new notes you create.
You can also change the way a particular note is stored.
Select a note, then choose “Playback Options...” from the Notes menu. The window shown in Figure 1-28 appears.
Check to see how this note is currently stored—as part of the file or in an external file.
This information appears below the label “Note data is stored.”
Click “Inline” to store the note with the file. Click “In External File” to extract that note and save it in a separate file. Enter the file name in the type-in field. As you type, the Accept button becomes accessible. Either press the <Enter> key or click the Accept button.
Choose “In External File” from the Notes menu. All new notes are stored in separate files. Choose “Inline” from the Notes menu and all new notes are stored in the IRIS Annotator file.
By default, if you store notes in separate files, IRIS Annotator places the note files in the directory that contains the Annotator file you're creating. For instance, if you've saved the file in your home directory, all of the associated note files are placed in your home directory. If you haven't saved the file, Annotator places the notes in a temporary directory. Once you save the file, the notes are moved into the same directory as the file.
By default, IRIS Annotator uses the filename as the prefix for the note. For example, the default names are:
| Image files | filename.0.rgb | |
| Sound files | filename.0.aifc | |
| Movie files | filename.0.mv | |
| Text files | filename.0 |
Each time you create a new note, the number is increased by one.
To change the name of an external note file:
Select the note, then choose “Playback Options...” from the Notes menu.
The window shown in Figure 1-28 appears.
Place the cursor in the type-in field, double-click to select the name, then type a new name.
If you want to store the note in a particular directory, include the pathname. For example, to store the note mymovie.mov in Judy's home directory, type
/usr/people/judy/mymovie.movIf you don't specify a directory, the file is stored in the same directory as the current Annotator file.
If you created the content of the note within Annotator (for example by capturing an image or recording audio), changing the note's name will rename the existing file.
If you imported the content of the note into your Annotator document, changing the note's name makes a copy of the existing file. This ensures that you don't inadvertently rename files that were created outside of Annotator.
For IRIS Annotator to play an annotation, it must be able to find the external note files. It does so using “directions”—start in this directory, go up one directory, then open the file named note1, for example. If you change the starting point or the destination, the directions are meaningless.
Understanding directions becomes important if you store note files separately and you plan to move, copy, or mail these files. Some pointers:
Keep the Annotator file and all the associated note files in one directory, if possible.
If you move or copy one file, move or copy the other.
IRIS Annotator provides you with several options for viewing annotations:
You can select a note, and play just that note. See “Playing Selected Notes.”
You can select a marker, then automatically play all the notes associated with that marker. See “Playing All the Notes for a Marker.”
You can automatically play all the notes of all the markers in the scene. See “Playing All the Markers in the Scene”
While you're creating annotations, you might want to try playing the notes you create. You can either:
Select the note you want to play (see “Selecting Notes” for instructions), and then choose “Play” from the Notes menu.
Or double-click the note. This selects and plays the note.
The player window appears. It stays on the screen until you close it or until you deselect the marker. While the note is playing, its icon is highlighted yellow.
You can play all the notes for a particular marker in one of several ways.
Select the marker whose notes you want to play.
When the marker is selected, the note icons appear next to it.
Choose “Play Notes” from the Markers menu or click the Play Marker button.
Figure 1-29 shows the Play Marker button. It's the triangular button, similar to what you see on many video cameras and recorders.
The notes are played in sequence.
Or you can use the Marker List & Player to do this.
Choose “Marker List & Player...” from the Markers menu or click the button shown in Figure 1-29.
The Marker List & Player window appears. The top portion of the window shows a list of each marker in the document.
Select a marker from the list, then click the Play Marker button in the Marker List & Player window.
To cycle through the list of markers, use the Next Marker and Prev Marker buttons.
Or you can double-click the marker whose notes you want to play.
| Note: If you're playing back all the notes automatically for a marker on a system that doesn't have any audio hardware, the sound notes will be silently skipped in the playback. |
You can automatically play all the notes of all the markers in the scene. You use the Marker List & Player window to do this:
Choose “Marker List & Player...” from the Markers menu.
The Marker List & Player window appears. The top portion of the window shows a list of each marker in the document.
Click the Play All button.
Annotator automatically plays all the notes for the sequence of markers in the scene, starting with the marker currently selected, and ending with the last marker on the list. If no marker is selected, it starts with the first marker on the list.
When you open an IRIS Annotator file that you've received via electronic mail, the file is in “View Only” mode. In addition, if you double-click an IRIS Annotator file icon, you open the file in “View Only” mode. You can play annotations by double-clicking the markers. If you're in “Edit” mode, you can also go into “View Only” mode temporarily by clicking “Edit” from the Edit menu.
Once you're in View Only mode:
Click a marker to display the associated notes, then click or double-click each note to play it.
Double-click the marker to automatically play the notes associated with it.
Click the Play Marker button to play the next marker in the sequence.
Click the button shown in Figure 1-29 to open the Marker List and Player. Use it to step through and play the markers one by one or in sequence.
You can also play all the markers in View Only mode. See “Playing All the Markers in the Scene.”
To stop playing annotations:
Place the cursor in an empty portion of the viewing area, then click the left mouse button. The annotations stop playing, any open player windows are automatically closed, and the selected marker is deselected.
If you press the Play button again, you begin playing notes for the first marker in the list.
Press the Stop button, shown in Figure 1-30. The annotations stop playing, any open player windows are automatically closed, and the marker remains selected.
If you press the Play button again, you start playing the notes for that marker.
Once you've imported a 3D model, you can modify it in several ways. See also:
You need to select a model if you want to change its appearance or copy, delete, resize, or move it. To select a model, place the cursor over the model then click the left mouse button. If the cursor resembles a hand, click the selection arrow in the toolbar along the right edge of the window. A bounding box surrounds the model when it's selected.
| Note: You can select only one model at a time. |
When you import a file into IRIS Annotator, you can quickly select the entire model. Many 3D models are constructed from a hierarchy smaller shapes, however. To select one of the smaller shapes of the model, use the “Select Highest,” “Select Lowest,” “Select Child,” and “Select Parent” commands on the Edit menu.
For example, a car model may be constructed from several shapes, including the wheels. In turn, each wheel may consist of a hub and a tire. By default, when you click on an object, you select the top level of the hierarchy. That is, if you click on the tire you select the whole car. After the initial click on the tire, you can select the wheel and then the tire by using the “Select Child” command twice.
Place the cursor over the piece of the model you want to select.
If that piece isn't visible, change your view of the model. See “Changing Your View of the Models” for instructions.
Click the left mouse button to select the model.
A bounding box appears around the entire model. IRIS Annotator remembers where you clicked when you selected the model. It selects the largest piece underneath that cursor location.
To select smaller pieces of the model, choose “Select Child” from the Edit menu. Continue choosing “Select Child” until the piece you want to modify is selected.
“Selecting a Portion of the Model: An Illustration” includes a picture to clarify this description.
To select the lowest piece of the model automatically, choose “Select Lowest” from the Edit menu. In the example above, clicking on the tire will then select the tire.
If “Select Child” or “Select Lowest” become gray and inaccessible, you have selected the smallest or lowest possible piece. This is determined by the way the model was originally constructed.
| Tip: Instead of choosing the “Select Child” and “Select Parent” commands, you can click the up and down arrows shown in Figure 1-31. |
“Selecting a Portion of the 3D Model” describes how to select one piece of a complex model. This section includes an illustration to show you how it works.
You can move a model using the bounding box that surrounds it when the model is selected. The annotations move with the model.
Select the model you want to move.
See “Selecting 3D Models” for details.
Place the cursor over one side of the bounding box.
Each side of the bounding box defines a different plane in which you can move the model.
Press the left mouse button, then drag the cursor.
When you press the left mouse button, the edges on that side of the bounding box highlight yellow. In addition, arrows appear. They show you the directions in which you can move the model.
Release the mouse button when the model is positioned where you want it.
| Tip: Each side of the bounding box lets you move the model in two directions. For example, one side lets you move the model left and right and up and down. Press the <Shift> key and the left mouse button to constrain movement to one direction—either left and right or up and down. The direction in which you move depends on your initial gesture with the mouse. Press the <Alt> key to move the model in a line perpendicular to that side of the bounding box. For instance, if that face of the box lets you move the model to the left and right and up and down, press the <Alt> key and you can move the model toward or away from you. |
You can resize a model using the bounding box that surrounds it when the model is selected.
Select the model you want to resize.
See “Selecting 3D Models” for details.
Place the cursor over one of the white boxes that appears on the corners of the bounding box. See Figure 1-33.
Press the left mouse button, then drag the cursor.
When you press the left mouse button, purple arrows appear to show the directions in which you can drag the cursor.
Release the mouse button when the model is the desired size.
| Tip: The technique described lets you scale a model uniformly. To resize a model in one dimension, press the <Shift> key when you click the white box. Orange arrows appear; they show you the direction in which you can scale the model. See Figure 1-35. Continue pressing the <Shift> key and drag the cursor in the direction of an arrow. Once you start dragging the cursor, the model stretches in that direction and you see a single yellow arrow; the arrow shows the direction in which you're scaling the model. |
“Changing Your View of the Models” explains how you can change your viewing angle. This section explains how you can rotate one selected model object, relative to others. (For instructions on rotating markers, see “Changing the Orientation of Arrows and Pins.”)
Select the model you want to move.
See “Selecting 3D Models” for details. A bounding box appears around the model. Use the small green knobs shown in Figure 1-36 to rotate the model.
Place the cursor over one of the small green knobs, then press the left mouse button.
Orange arrows appear to show you the direction in which you can rotate the model. In addition, purple circles appear to provide guidance. See Figure 1-37.
Drag the cursor to spin the model around one of the circles.
Each rotation knob lets you spin the model in two directions—left or right and up or down, for example. You rotate the model in whichever direction you first move the cursor. For instance, if you begin by moving the cursor to the left, you can rotate about the horizontal circle only.
Release the mouse button when the model is positioned the way you want it.
| Tip: To rotate the model freely in all directions, press the <Shift> key while dragging the cursor. |
If you decide you don't want to annotate a particular model, you can delete it from the scene. In doing so, you also delete any annotations attached to that model.
Select the model you want to delete.
See “Selecting 3D Models” for details.
Remove the model by doing either of the following:
Choose “Delete” from the Edit menu or press the <Backspace> key.
Choose “Cut” from the Edit menu. The model disappears. You can paste the model elsewhere by choosing “Paste” from the Edit menu.
The model disappears along with all of its annotations.
You can use the “Copy” and “Paste” commands to copy and paste a selected model. When you copy and paste a model, you copy the model and all of its annotations.
Select the model you want to copy.
See “Selecting 3D Models” for details.
Choose “Copy” from the Edit menu.
Choose “Paste” from the Edit menu.
A wireframe representation of the model appears. The wireframe model moves as you move your cursor.
Click the left mouse button when the model is located where you want it.
The model appears in the viewing area of the IRIS Annotator window.
The Examiner Viewer and Walk Viewer menus provide you with several options for displaying 3D models. If you need faster interaction with the models, consider choosing one of the lower quality display options.
Place the cursor over the viewing area, then press the right mouse button.
A pop-up menu appears.
Place the cursor over the words “Draw Style,” to reveal a rollover menu.
Choose an item from the menu.
See “The Examiner Viewer and Walk Viewer Menus” for an explanation of the available commands.
A model's appearance is determined by the material from which it's made. The material determines the color of the model, whether the model looks plastic or metallic, whether the model appears rough or smooth, and whether the model is opaque or transparent. To change the material:
Select the model whose material you want to change.
See “Selecting 3D Models” for details.
Choose “Material Palette” from the Appearance menu or click the button shown in Figure 1-38 to open the Material Palette.
Display the palette from which you want to choose.
Choose an item from the Palettes menu. See Figure 1-39.
Or, use the arrows in the lower left and right corners of the Material Palette window.
If the palette is empty, the default material palettes are not installed in /usr/share/data/materials. You need to install the subsystem showcase.sw.data from your IRIX distribution source. This is not installed by default as it requires considerable disk space. To create your own materials, see “The Material Editor.”
Place the cursor over a sphere, then click the left mouse button to select that material.
The selected model changes to that material. You can modify existing materials or create your own palettes.
A texture is an image or pattern that you apply to the surface of a model. Several palettes of sample textures are included in the subsystem showcase.sw.textures. You can install this subsystem from your IRIX distribution source to /usr/share/data/textures. This is not installed by default as it requires considerable disk space.
IRIS Annotator provides a Texture Editor that shows you the available textures and lets you apply them to a model.
| Note: You cannot apply a texture to markers. |
To apply a texture to a model, select the model; then choose a texture from the palette. Step-by-step instructions follow:
Select the model whose texture you want to change.
See “Selecting 3D Models” for details.
Decide whether you want to change the model's material before applying the texture.
If you plan to apply a color texture, you might want to make the material gray or white. See “Changing the Color of 3D Models.” Using a neutral material preserves the appearance of the texture.
Choose “Texture” from the Appearance menu or click the button shown in Figure 1-40. The Texture Editor appears.
Figure 1-41 shows the Texture Editor. A copy of the selected model appears in the upper portion of the editor.
Place the cursor over the model in the upper portion of the editor; then press the left mouse button and drag the cursor.
The model rotates so that you can see different sides.
Display the palette from which you want to choose.
Choose an item from the Palettes menu.
Or, use the arrows in the lower left and right corners of the texture palette window.
If the palette is empty, the default texture maps are not installed in /usr/share/data/textures. You need to install the subsystem showcase.sw.textures from your IRIX distribution source. This is not installed by default as it requires considerable disk space.
To create your own textures, see “Creating a Custom Texture Palette.”
Place the cursor over a square; then click the left mouse button to select that texture. The model in the upper portion of the editor changes to that texture.
Click the Accept button. The selected model changes to the texture you selected.
Note: If you later view the file on a system that is missing the texture you selected, Annotator displays the model without any texture. You can modify existing textures or create your own palettes.
The Texture Editor lets you specify how a texture should wrap around the selected model. The editor lets you specify:
The mapping type, that is whether a texture is wrapped around or reflected onto the model.
By default, textures are wrapped around the model. For a special effect, you can reflect the texture onto the model. To better understand this, consider the following examples:
Suppose you have a cube, and each side of the cube is covered with a small sheet of wallpaper. This is similar to the effect you get when the texture is wrapped.
Suppose you're in a room in which the walls, ceiling, and floor are covered with wallpaper. In the center of the room you place a cube that's covered with mirrors on all sides. A reflection of the wallpaper appears on each side of the cube. This is the effect you get by reflecting the texture.
The number of times the texture appears on the model
The size and position of the texture
The angle at which the texture displays (that is, whether it's rotated)
As you adjust these settings, the model in the upper portion of the texture editor changes to show the effect of the new settings.
You use the Texture Editor to specify the way the texture should appear on the model.
Select the model whose texture you want to change.
See “Selecting 3D Models” for details.
Choose “Texture” from the Appearance menu or click the button shown in Figure 1-42. A copy of the selected model is shown in the upper portion of the Texture Editor.
Place the cursor over the model in the upper portion of the Texture Editor; then press the left mouse button and drag the cursor.
The model rotates so that you can see different sides. Periodically you might want to rotate the model to see the effect of new settings.
Decide on the mapping type—whether you want the texture wrapped around the model (the default) or reflected on to the model. See “About the Texture Editor” for a description of these two settings.
If you want the texture wrapped, choose “default” on the Mapping menu.
If you want the texture reflected, choose “reflection” on the Mapping menu.
If you want the texture mapped on to one side of the object and smeared across the other sides, choose “xy plane”, “yz plane,” or “xz plane,” depending on which plane you want the texture mapped to. This may speed up rendering time.
Decide whether you want the texture to appear once on the model or multiple times.
To specify this, choose “repeat” on the Options menu.
Specify the number of times it repeats using the thumbwheels or the type-in fields next to the thumbwheels. (Press the <Enter> key after typing a number.) The model in the upper portion of the editor changes to show the effect.
If you choose “clamp”, the thumbwheels are labeled “Scale X” and “Scale Y.” As you move the wheel left and right, the texture gets larger and smaller, but doesn't repeat. The edge of the texture is smeared across the object instead.
Tip: When you use “clamp,” it's best to have an image that has white pixels on the outside border. This prevents the sides from smearing across the object when you scale the image down. If you choose “repeat X,” one of the thumbwheels is labeled “Repeat X.” As you move the wheel left and right, the model displays more or fewer repetitions of the texture in the X dimension only, and clamps in the Y dimension.
If you choose “repeat Y,” one of the thumbwheels is labeled “Repeat Y.” As you move the wheel left and right, the model displays more or fewer repetitions of the texture in the Y dimension, and clamps in the X dimension.
Decide whether you want to position the texture. By default, the texture is centered on the model.
Use the scroll bar labeled “Translate X” to move the texture from left to right.
Use the scroll bar labeled “Translate Y” to move the texture up and down.
Decide whether to keep the texture in an upright position or rotate it. To rotate the texture:
Drag the scroll bar labeled “Rotate.”
Or, in the field next to the scroll bar, type the number of degrees by which you want to rotate; then press the <Enter> key.
Click the Accept button when you have the desired look and the texture is applied to the selected model.
If you decide you want to remove a texture from a particular model:
Select the model whose texture you want to change.
See “Selecting 3D Models” for details.
Choose “Texture” from the Appearance menu or click the button shown in Figure 1-43. A copy of the selected model is shown on the upper portion of the Texture Editor.
Place the cursor over any empty square in the texture palette window; then click the left mouse button. (The square on the lower right is always empty.) The texture disappears from the model in the upper portion of the Texture Editor.
Click the Accept button to remove the texture from the selected model.
When you're ready to have co-workers view the 3D model and its annotations, you can mail them the file.
| Note: To mail IRIS Annotator files, you must have installed Media Mail, the Silicon Graphics bundled mail tool. |
To send an Annotator file:
Open the IRIS Annotator file, if it isn't open already.
Choose “Mail...” from the File menu.
You are prompted to save the file if it needs saving.
If you have MediaMail running, Annotator brings up the MediaMail Compose window with the Annotator file already attached.
If MediaMail is not running on your system, a dialog box appears telling you to run MediaMail.
If you have stored notes in separate files, the dialog box includes a warning that the Annotator file will be sent without the external note data. See “Changing the Way Existing Notes Are Stored” if you want to make the notes a part of the IRIS Annotator file instead.
In the pink type-in field next to the “To:” button, type the email addresses of the people you want to mail the file to.
If you enter multiple names, separate them with a comma or a blank space. For help on sending mail, use the MediaMail Help menu.
Press the Send button and the file is sent.
You can choose to save the IRIS Annotator file or just the 3D models in that file. For instructions, see:
Choose “Save...” from the File menu.
If you're saving the file for the first time, the File Browser appears.
Choose the directory into which you want to place the file, type the filename, then press the OK button.
The file is saved. The Viewer type (Examiner or Walk Viewer), the current camera view, and the background color are also saved. If the file contains notes and you've stored them inline, the notes are saved as part of the file. If you've opted to store notes in external files, saving the file saves the scene, the markers, and references to the external note files. See “Understanding the Choices” to learn the difference between the two methods of storing notes.
You can save a model without the accompanying annotations. You might want to do this if you've changed the model's material or have repositioned parts of a complex model. To do so:
Choose “Save Model...” from the File menu.
A file browser appears.
Specify a name for the file, then press the OK button.
The model is saved as an Inventor file. If a file contains multiple models, all of the models are saved to the Inventor file when you choose “Save Model...”
This section lists some of the problems you might encounter while using IRIS Annotator and provides suggested workarounds for them.
If the menu commands and tools are inaccessible, or if you cannot select a model, the file is probably in View Only Mode.
When you open an Annotator file that you've received via electronic mail, or if you open Annotator by double-clicking an Annotator file icon, by default the file is in View Only mode. In this mode, most menu commands and tools are inaccessible and you cannot select model objects in the scene. Select “Edit” from the Edit menu and the commands and tools are then accessible.
If the Create/Import Note buttons are inaccessible, either there are no markers in the scene, or you have not selected a marker. To create or import a note, you must first place a marker on the scene and select it. See “Attaching Markers to a Model.” Once you've selected the marker, the buttons become accessible.
If the Create Marker buttons are inaccessible, there is no model in the scene. You cannot create a marker in an empty scene. First insert a model into the scene. See “Opening Files” and “Importing Models.”
If the Texture Editor is inaccessible, the model object in the scene is not selected. You can only apply a texture to a model, not to a marker.
If you mailed an IRIS Annotator file to a co-worker and the co-worker is unable to play the annotations, check to see how you've stored the notes—as a part of the IRIS Annotator file or in separate note files.
When you choose “Mail...,” only the IRIS Annotator file is sent. If you've stored the note files separately, your co-worker will not have access to them.
To work around this, make a copy of the file, then choose “Make Existing Notes Inline” from the File menu. Mail this version of the file to your co-worker. Your other option: tell the co-worker to save the IRIS Annotator file and place it in a particular directory. Then, tell the co-worker to copy over all the note files and place them in the correct directory. See “Mailing, Moving, or Copying Files with External Notes.”
If you're playing back all the notes automatically for a marker and the audio note does not play, it may be because your system has no audio hardware. If a system has no audio hardware, the sound notes are silently skipped in the playback.
If you select “PlayAll,” and not all the markers seem to play, you may have the last marker selected. Note that the “PlayAll” command starts with the currently selected marker and plays through the last marker in the sequence. If the last marker is selected, it only plays one marker.
If the palette is empty, the default texture maps are not installed in /usr/share/data/textures. You need to install the showcase.sw.textures subsystem from your IRIX distribution source. This is not installed by default as it requires considerable disk space.
If the Material Palette shows all white, the default material palettes are not installed in /usr/share/data/materials. You need to install the showcase.sw.data subsystem from your IRIX distribution source. This is not installed by default as it requires considerable disk space.
See “Installing Your IRIS Annotator License” for directions on installing your license.
For further information on installing licenses, see the online Network License System Administration Guide. To open this book, choose “Online Books” from the Help toolchest. You'll find the book on the bookshelf labeled SGI_Admin.
If the guide isn't available, install the netls_eoe.books.NetLS_AG subsystem from your IRIX distribution source.
If you still have problems, contact your support provider or the licensing group at Silicon Graphics.
| Fax | (415) 390-0537 | |
license@sgi.com | ||
| Address: | Software Licensing M/S 134 |