Complex manipulation interaction is handled in VRML too, as I was mentioning.
They employ special objects: sensors, which kick in on certain events, for example selecting a handle object, typically providing visual feedback. Sensors constrain movement to certain sub-space, such as Plane Sensor would be used to move pieces on a game board. The sensor processes the window coordinates and responds with it's local subspace coordinates. So even if you change position and orientation of your board, you still get the same relative board coordinates. If you had a generic 3D cursor, it will still give you unrelated absolute coordinates, which you will have to match with your objects. Sensors naturally extend the basic exploratory mapping of window space to object spaces. Plus you don't need to learn multi-wheel mouse, or several sets of keys. Things, which can help make a successful editor are gluing and alignment guides, local coordinate vectors and mesh to give the sense of relativity, position and direction. You use one hand to activate keyboard modifiers and the other to move the regular mouse within corresponding constrained subspace in a predictable way. Photoshop is a very good example of such interactivity to do various complex manipulations on 2D canvases. --- "Miller, Raul D" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Zach Reiter wrote: > > Does the pickcube demo do what you want? > > That would probably work for something as regular as > a checker board. > > However, it wouldn't work for something more complex. > > For example, if I wanted to write a geometry editor: > where a person could drag regular solids into the > opengl scene, then modify them by dragging vertices > around, gluing vertices, edges or faces together, > and so on, the approach in the pickcube demo would > be inadequate. > > -- > Raul __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm
