IRIS Explorer Seminar

Building Maps

General Info

" Use the Map Editor menus to:

• cut, paste, duplicate, destroy, enable and disable modules and maps (Edit menu). Some of the Edit menu options have keyboard shortcuts listed next to them.
• group modules together, and open or close groups (Group menu).
• change the attributes of the connecting wires and open the Log window (Layout menu)."

" Use the Module Librarian and its menus to:

• launch and save modules or maps in the Map Editor (File menu).
• reorganize modules into categories (Categories menu).
• store modules on the Librarian shelf (Display menu).
• add remote hosts if you are using a map distributed over several systems (Hosts menu)."

" What Modules do:

• read in data files (input modules, such as ReadLat)
• generate data from other data, such as extracting a planar slice or computing a numerical result from a volumetric dataset (feature extraction and analysis modules, such as DisplaceLat).
• process data to create a visual form (geometric representation modules, such as IsosurfaceLat).
• display the geometric representations on-screen (the Render module).
• write data to disk files (output modules, such as WriteLat)."

Example

1. Drag and drop the following modules onto the Map Editor:
   • Contour
   • GenerateColormap
   • ReadLat
   • Render
2. Connect the Output -- Lattice output port of ReadLat to the Input - - Lattice port of the Contour module. To connect modules:
   • Using the right mouse button, click on the access pad of the port you want (in our case the output port of ReadLat).

     

   • Select the appropriate port from the list (we want the Output -- Lattice port). Now all of the ports that you may connect to are highlighted.
   • Using the right mouse button, click on the access pad of the port you want (in our case the input port of Contour).
   • Select the appropriate port from the list (we want the Input -- Lattice port). Now a connection should be shown between modules to indicate where data may flow.
   • To disconnect modules simply choose one of the ports as above and slide down the pop-up menu to the name of the module you wish to disconnect from - not the CONNECT item. Try disconnecting and reconnecting the connection we just made.
3. Connect the output port of the Contour module to the Input - - Geom input port of the Render module.
4. Connect the Lattice output port of GenerateColormap to the Colormap - - Lattice (Opt) port of Contour. Notice that Contour has two connections on its input pad, but they go to two separate input ports. How would you disconnect from only one of the ports? (Choose the name of the appropriate port from the pop-up menu.)
5. Type the filename /usr/explorer/data/lattice/testVol.lat into the file browser of the ReadLat module. You can either type this in the small text-input box or maximize the ReadLat module and type into a more visible box.
6. Maximize Contour.
7. Set the minimum and maximum values for Contour by turning the dials to 1.0 and 2.0.
8. To view the data, you may have to do 2 things:
   • Maximize Contour, and even resize the window by dragging a corner.
   • Render might be looking in the wrong direction. Click the right mouse button in the Render window (which brings up a pop-up menu) and select View All.
9. Move the slider on Contour to create more sets of contour lines.
10. Disconnect GenerateColormap from Contour and see what happens.
11. To save a map or modules use the Module Librarian File menu. You must save all Explorer maps with the filename extension .map; otherwise, Explorer will not be able to find the file when you try to open it again. From the File menu you can select:
    • Save All, which saves everything in the Map Editor, or
    • Save Selected, which saves only the highlighted modules into the map.

    Modules can be saved only as part of a map, but you can save incomplete maps and bring them up later for further work.

Next: Practice

Johnny Humphrey