dune is a graphical VRML97 editor and animationtool in development.
It can read VRML97 files, display and let the user change the
scenegraph, fields and routes.
This can be used to make simple VRML97 animations and interactions.
Dune is normally not suited to work as VRML97 3D modelling tool.
It makes sense, to use it together with a static 3D modelling tool with
VRML97 export (like wings3d for example).
Dune is a lowlevel tool to make/change VRML97 Files.
It is supposed, the user knows the basic structure of VRML97.
You can find informations about VRML97 (except in a range of books) in
the official ISO specification at
http://www.web3d.org/technicalinfo/specifications/vrml97/index.htm.
For the use of dune, especially the node reference
http://www.web3d.org/technicalinfo/specifications/vrml97/part1/nodesRef.html
is important.

Beside some toolbars with icons "dune" essentially contains
5 windows. Beside the "3D Window" you can switch on/switch off
this windows via the menu "View". Switch on/off this windows,
when they match your current work status.
-
Scene Tree
This window contains the scenegraph. This shows the structure
of a VRML file, the information, how the VRML nodes are arranged.
-
Field View
This window contains the fieldvalues, the numbers (or
character strings) in a VRML file. Only the fields
of the current selected node are shown.
-
Route View
This windows contains the ROUTEs, the ways of information
different VRML nodes can send messages between them.
-
Channel View
This window is only valid for interpolator nodes.
Interpolator nodes are most important for animations
in VRML97.
-
3D Window
This Window can not be switched off and shows a
preview of the graphical output of a VRML file.
In difference to the other windows, the implementation
of the VRML97 standard in this window is very incomplete.
Some nodes like "Extrusion", "PointSet", "Inline",
"Background", self defined "PROTO", "EXTERNPROTO"
are not shown
at all and some nodes like the "Text" node under Unix
should be seen as "better than nothing".
Additional, not all fieldvalues are shown correctly.
Most eye-catching is the error about the "ColorPerVertex"
and "NormalPerVertex" fieldvalues in the often used
"IndexedFaceSet" (Shape made of several polygons):

Correct and false image of a IndexedFaceSet
with "ColorPerVertex false" in Cosmoworlds/Cosmoplayer (left)
and Dune (right)

More correct image of a IndexedFaceSet
with "ColorPerVertexflag true" in Cosmoworlds/Cosmoplayer (left)
and Dune (right)
A comparable problem is about "NormalPerVertex".
"NormalPerVertex" have some influences to the accounting of
light (shading).
Of course, such a false image in the 3D window of a read in
VRML object in the 3D window to not mean, there is a error in the
VRML file.
If in doubt, use File->Preview to start a VRML browser.
The most simple way to change the scenegraph is to add new node
by clicking to the matching VRML node icon.
To identify a VRML node icon, move the mouse to it and wait. A descriptive
text will occure in the status bar at the bottom of the dune window.
Dune tries either to include the new node at the point of selection in
the scenegraph,

or to the root of the scenegraph ("Scene" icon).
Dune will gray out all node icons, that are impossible to add.

Another way to change the scenegraph is to drag parts of it with the
mouse.
Dune will show you with a icon of a stop sign,
if the target node is not possible

If the target node is possible, dune will show the normal mousepointer.

ROUTEs are made in dune by finding the right icon in the
RouteView Window (if you click to the icons, the matching
icons in the scene tree windows are selected) and click to
the boxes of the matching events. The name of the matching
event is shown, and you can draw a line to the next icon/event.

As required by the VRML standard, only events with the same
type (same color of boxes) can be made.
To erase ROUTEs, simply cut the line.


There is more than one way to change fieldvalues:
-
Keyboard input
By clicking with the mouse to the matching value and releasing the
button. The will open a text input window to input values from
the keyboard.
-
Mouse input
By clicking with the mouse to the matching value and not releasing the
button, but moving the mousepointer to left or right. This will
decrease or increase the value.

Changing fieldvalues are not implemented completely yet for "MF fields"
(multiple Fields). "MF fields" are those, which open via a "+" sign.
-
Changing FieldValues in the 3D Window
Changing in the 3D Window is also a chainging of the fieldvalues.
Mainly transform nodes are changed.
During interactive work with the mouse in the 3D window, the icons
select between a
- translation
- rotation
- scale
- changing center
(new in version 0.19beta)
Please note, you can not use this tools, when there
is no transform node
in the branch
of the scenegraph.
Beside the Transformnode, other fieldvalues can be changed in
the 3D window. This is about moving small white boxes, like
in ElevationGrid, PointLight, Box or the VRML200x Nurbsurface Node.
-
6D Input (new in version 0.19beta)
Since version 0.19beta Dune supports 6D inputdevices
(6D is about the 6 degrees of freedom) under Unix/Linux.
Currently, only transform nodes at the 3 deepest levels of the scenegraph
are correctly supported.

Of course, the problem exist only for 6D Inputdevices (not complete yet)
not for Datainput with mouse or keybord.
is pressed, you can move a Transform node (and the containing objects)
in all 6 degrees of freedom. The icon
limits the movement to translations, the icon
limits to rotations.
The classic
6D inputdevice is the spaceball, a sort of joystick which allows
only small excursions, but in all directions, including rotations.

If you press the top of the spaceball for example, the object moves
down. When you twist the spaceball, the object will follow this
movement.
The configuration of 6D inputdevices (still) works exclusively
via commandlineparameters. Beside the type of the 6D inputdevices
a scale of the inputvalues is needed for example:
dune -xinput spaceball -allxyz=20,200 -allrot=40,400
Beside the support via the Xinput protocol, also Linux joystick and
libsball are supported. For details to the commandlineparameters
see the man page.
Another 6D inputdevice are the dials.
Per default, the inputaxes are awkward placed.

Via Commandlineparameters
dune -xinput dialbox-1 -x=0 -y=2 -z=4 -xrot=1 -yrot=3 -zrot=5 -all=100,100,wheel
you can exchange the axes.

-
6D Local Mode Input: Do you know RC planes ?
(new in version 0.19beta)
When the 6Dlocal icon
is pressed, you can steer via
the local axes of a transform node.
For example, if you move a spaceball into z-direction ("into the screen")
the transform node (and the containing objects) move to the direction
of it's local z axis, it follows the blue z-arrow.
For example, if you move a spaceball into y-direction ("up")
the transform node (and the containing objects) move to the direction
of it's local y axis, it follows the green y-arrow.

This is usefull, when object and transformnode are similar arranged.
Normally the object is not in the direction of the arrows of it's
transform node.

Therefore the transform node should be put into another and the
transform node of the object should be rotated accordingly.


When you use this type of steering, you will see a effect, which
is not surprising for users of RC planes:
If the object is moving "toward you", a roll to the left of the
spaceball leads to a roll to the right of the object.
Of course, the 6D local mode works in all Levels of the Scenegraph.
-
Changing FieldValues in the ChannelView Window
The ChannelView Window is used to show or change
interpolator nodes.
In a interpolator node, input values between 0 and 1 are assigned to
a range of output values.
Interpolators are used in VRML for simple animations in the form
ROUTE TimeSensorDEFNAME.fraction_changed TO ???InterpolatorDEFNAME.set_fraction
ROUTE ???InterpolatorDEFNAME.value_changed TO ???DEFNAME.set_???
The output "fraction_changed" of a TimeSensor node
(deliver values between 0 and 1) ist routed into the "set_fraction"
Input of a interpolator node. The interpolator node select a
matching intermediate value between the output values. The
result can be routed into a another VRML node, this leads to
a animation without jerk.
In the following example:

the output of a PositionInterpolators with the input values
0, 0.3, 1 and the output values x=1/y=0/z=3, x=1/y=2/z=3, x=3/y=3/z=0
is routed to the set_translation Input for a transform node.
For example, the transform node (and the containing object) will
move in the timecycle from 0 to 0.3 from y=0 to y=2 (to the top).
Some of the VRML97 interpolators are not supported (yet), they are hard to
input, to much data.
-
Easy usable (cause of the Channel View) are:
-
ColorInterpolator:
Interpolate between Colors.
Route targets for colors you will find at Shape->Appearance->Material
-
PositionInterpolator:
Interpolate between Positions.
Route target can be Transform.set_translation for example.
-
OrientationInterpolator:
Interpolate between rotations.
Route target can be Transform.set_rotation for example.
-
ScalarInterpolator:
Interpolate between single (floating point) numbers.
Single numbers are possible EventIn's of multiple VRML Nodes.
There are multiple possibilities of usage.
-
The following interpolators are not supported (yet), cause they require
too much data to input:
-
CoordinateInterpolator:
Interpolate between points in a IndexFaceSet.
Animations, which use the CoordinateInterpolator are called
"morphing".
-
NormalInterpolator:
Interpolate between the Normales of a IndexFaceSet.
Some simple interpolator animation can be created in dune via
changes in the 3D window.
PositionInterpolator/Transform.set_translation
and OrientationInterpolator/Transform.set_rotation based animations
can also created with the recording of 6D inputdevices.
If you want to work with the tools
like a VCR recorder (record and playback animations) the following
must be true:
When only the recordbutton is pressed
,
you have to change the timecursor first and then input a value (via
keyboard, mouse or 6D inputdevice).
When the recordbutton is pressed together with the playbutton
, the change of the values
(via mouseinput or 6D inputdevice) is recorded
continuesly.
ColorCircle (new in Version 0.19beta)
There is a special inputwindow for colors, it takes place of the
fieldView Window. To get it, a colorfield must be selected in the
fieldView Window and the Colorcircle Icon must be pressed.

With a mouseclick, you can select a color in the color circle and
in the bar beside it, you can select a darker variant.

Currently, the display of the color circle is slow....
When the "OK" button is pressed, the normal fieldView window returns.
To navigate in the 3D Window, you have
-
Shift-Mouse 1: Zoom View
-
ctrl-Mouse 1: Rotate View
Additional you have from version 0.16 a SGI like navigation.
Please note, that a misconfigured windowmanager can eat up this input....
-
Alt-Mouse1: Rotate View
-
Alt-Mouse2: Move View
-
Alt-Mouse1-Mouse2: Zoom View
Instead of pressing keyboard buttons, you can also switch with the
mouse in a navigation mode by pressing the icon
since version 0.19beta.
When a 6D inputdevice is active and the Scene icon
is selected in the Scene Tree
you can navigate depending on the transform icons
in the VRML file.
Dune is work in development and it is not as stable as it should be.
If dune crashed, is your work lost ?
Not automatically,
"dune" will try to save the
VRML97 file short before crash. If this is sucessfull, dune will write
under Unix/Linux something like
Internal Crash !
Try to save Files
attempt to write file to /home/someone/.dune_crash_NUMBER_NUMBER.wrl
write successfull
to standard error of the starting window and to system console
(eg. to the window of the xconsole application).
Under M$Windows you get a similar Messagebox

When you restart dune and use the file menu, you should see the filename
of this .dune_crash file.

Just click to it and save to another file.
-
Dune is not suited as modelling tool (yet).
Only primitive shapes like box, sphere, cone, cylinder and text
(text will not be displayed good enough yet)
have easy input features.
Other shapenodes like for example IndexFaceSet (a shape made of multiple
facets), IndexLineSet, PointSet and ElevationGrid would require the input
of a big amount of numbers, therefore this is not implemented yet.
The remaining shapenode "nurbsPlane" is not part of the VRML97 standard.
It will be part of the next VRML200x Standard.
When you want to work with a "IndexedFaceSet"
VRML-modell instead of primitive shapes,
you work better with the result of a modeller (like e.g. ac3d, maja,
ppe, ppmoder, catia, i3d, wings3d etc.) or search for a free 3D modell in
the world wide web.
-
To test interactions and script programming, you need "File -> Preview"
(or you have to save
the file and use it in a VRML Browser). Dune has no testmode for
this yet.
You can find some typical VRML examples (you can load into dune)
here.