IRIS Explorer Seminar

Examples

Preliminaries

Set Up Environment

At the command prompt (probably a % or {username}) type in

mkdir explorer
cp ~humphrey/scivis/explorer/samplerc ~/.explorerrc

You shouldn't ever have to do this again, unless you accidently delete the file. What we did was make a directory to keep all of our Explorer work in, and copy a file that helps initialize Explorer for us. I've added a line that tells Explorer to also check our new explorer dirctory for Maps we may make and save. (Appendix A of the User's Guide explains all about customizing the UNIX environment for Explorer.)

Start Explorer

Type in the commands

cd explorer
explorer

If you get a complaint about not finding it, then we can set up your PATH environment variable later. For now just type the command

/usr/sbin/explorer

Launching a Map

First we'll do it the long way.

• Go to the File menu on the Module Librarian and select Open.
• In the Filter type-in box at the top, replace what's there with /usr/explorer/maps/* and hit the Filter button at the bottom. It now shows you the directories and files in that directory.
• Scroll down the Files until you see koreaContour.map.
• Double-click on koreaContour.map, or single-click and hit the OK button at the bottom.

The modules of the map are placed in the Map Editor. When they are all there and connected you should notice the modules Firing. Explorer works by taking in data, and processing it using modules. As a module begins its work (fires) you notice the title-bar is highlighted, and it remains so until processing is complete and the data is passed on to the next module.

"The seven modules in the map have the following functions:

• ReadImg reads in the first image file (2D aerial image of a region of Korea).
• ReadImg reads in the second image file (altitude data for the same region).
• DisplaceLat produces the aerial image vertically displaced by the topographical data.
• DisplaceLat produces the same data as DisplaceLat, but with greater vertical distortion.
• LatToGeom creates polygons of the displaced data for Render.
• Contour shows contours colormapped according to height.
• Render renders the image with contours overlaid."

Viewing the Image

• Move the cursor into the image window. You should notice a hand.
• Click with the left mouse button, and drag for a little bit before releasing.
• Notice how the Rotx, Roty, Zoom, and Dolly tools work.

Adjusting Module Parameters

• Click on the Minimize button a few times and see its effect.
• Click on the Maximize button to see an enlarged view of the control panel.
• Notice that the widgets acn be adjusted on either.
• To close a maximized control panel, go to the upper left hand corner and pull down the menu to Close.

Opening Another Map

• Go to the Edit menu in the Map Editor and select Destroy All. If you open up another map without doing this they both will be in the Map Editor.
• In the Module Librarian, below the list of Modules, is a horizontal scrollbar. Use it to move over to the Maps. This should list all the Maps in /usr/explorer/maps as well as some other places we've told Explorer to look (like our explorer directory).
• Drag the cfd map into the Map Editor.
• You may have to maximize the Render module to view the image.
• If you like the Decorations on the side, then click with the right mouse button in the image window and select Decorations. You don't need them to manipulate the image, however. Clicking the left and middle mouse buttons simultaneously allows you to zoom in and out.

Next: Building Maps

Johnny Humphrey