About monorail widget (Merged threads)

[KAN]

[COLOR=navy]

Originally Posted by DVkid07

There is a keyboard patch inside QC that allows you to use any key as a binary value. When # key is pressed, the value is 1. When its not pressed the value is 0.


However, in the Dashboard, it becomes very difficult to use keystrokes. My understanding is that the mouse would have to be over this particular widget in order for the keystrokes to be received by the code.

A simple solution might be to use the left and right passenger cars as control areas that let you cycle through the available colors. If the order was ROYBGP and the widget was showing red then pressing the right car would make it orange. Pressing again would make it blue, again green, again purple. The same would work in reverse using the left car.

I've seen this sort of thing done on widgets, where the "instructions" are overlaid on the layout when the widget first loads (when dashboard is initiated each time) for a second or two before fading. That way, each time you see the widget you're reminded of the controls.

I can implement this on the QC side pretty quickly and upload the .qtz somewhere.

I still like the console idea, though implementation on a widget might be tough.

Well, that was actually how I wanted it to be formatted. I wanted it to be more controlled than just a random keystroke, as the key may accidently be bumped. I ran out of time for my intial post, I was planning to also make a mouse scroll/up/down control for modifying the colors. I was going to make a math patch, and multibly the binary by 0.XXX, creating a numerical value to change the color value. If the value is 0, the value is too low, the logic will not pass the value. If it is over 0.001, it will be multiplied by one (the binary) and change the color. I would also use the sample and hold patch.

As for the background, I was planning to try and find a patch for video speed (know anywhere?) and hook it to the current coordinates of the lever, multiplied by X... The video speed would change, making the appearance of the movement slower... The actual video and console would be in the same document. The honk would be in the console image, but would actually be overlaid with a button (opacity=0 ) to turn on the sound (with JS).

The video and console would be set in, and moved to the back layer.

Will this work?

[DVkid07]

Originally Posted by KAN

[COLOR=navy]

Well, that was actually how I wanted it to be formatted. I wanted it to be more controlled than just a random keystroke, as the key may accidently be bumped. I ran out of time for my intial post, I was planning to also make a mouse scroll/up/down control for modifying the colors. I was going to make a math patch, and multibly the binary by 0.XXX, creating a numerical value to change the color value. If the value is 0, the value is too low, the logic will not pass the value. If it is over 0.001, it will be multiplied by one (the binary) and change the color. I would also use the sample and hold patch.

As for the background, I was planning to try and find a patch for video speed (know anywhere?) and hook it to the current coordinates of the lever, multiplied by X... The video speed would change, making the appearance of the movement slower... The actual video and console would be in the same document. The honk would be in the console image, but would actually be overlaid with a button (opacity=0 ) to turn on the sound (with JS).

The video and console would be set in, and moved to the back layer.

Will this work?

If I'm understanding your currently, you want the "console" to be invisible? Simply a hot-spot of sorts that the user uses to interact with the model in a similar fashion to the current doors? That would be doable in QC alone in the same way the door control works. When the user clicks, the logic patches check to see if the mouse was in a particular hot-zone at that time. If so, it triggers an action based on that click. If they just click somewhere else on the train then nothing happens.

As far as the lever goes to control the speed of the video, that isn't possible using the patches included in the OS. There might be a third-party patch that does this, but it wouldn't work on anybody's computer that didn't have the patch installed. A better option might be to build a background image with a large vertical dimension. This image could then be scrolled past the windows to show the scenery passing by. Of course, this would be kind of difficult to composite...

Building on your idea of making the monorail shimmer in the sun (love that idea) what if thats tied in with the "speed"? The faster the monorail is "moving" the more frequently it shimmers. You could even have some movement lines like in simple cartoons that show the trains "motion."

Alternatively, we could just go back to the moving pylon idea. Certainly would be simpler, I think.

[KAN]

Yesterday, I got the keyboard to work. I also added a function to use the arrow keys to change the color in .005 increments. It resets the hot keys (out of neccesity) and the hot keys reset it. Best of all, it works exactly how I wanted to -- by not resetting the actual color, but the actual value, so it keeps the color when you add it up...

[KAN]

Now that I have made the color functions acceptable, I will shift my focus to making it compatible for Tiger...

I'm at school right now, but I think I may have figured out a way to make the second slide work. It will involve subtracting the first patch's value from itself.

Maybe it could involve sample and hold?

That seems to be may favorite new patch.

The thing I've noticed is only the first stop watch patch works...

And that it works perfectly.

I wonder if it involves the two patches conflicting with themselves.

Any way, just typing out loud here, like always...

[DVkid07]

Not sure what you meant with regard to the keyboard shortcuts resetting themselves in your first post, but if it works then it works.

As far as making the door movement work in Leopard, the biggest limitation I've met is that the stopwatch patch doesn't behave exactly the same way in Tiger and Leopard. It has been a while since I last tried to diagnose the problem, but it had to do with what values could and could not be true when the start value was sent. In Leopard, it doesn't matter is stop or reset (or both) are set to true. Once start is set to true, the watch begins. However, in Tiger, it reacts differently if all three checkboxes are set to true at the same time.

The biggest thing that has limited me from completely throwing out the method I have now and rewriting from scratch is that my ideal goal was a "recyclable" door motion. The ability to reverse the doors motion at any point during the movement seems more realistic. Every substitute method I've tried causes the doors to jump if the door signal is hit while its in motion.

[KAN]

Originally Posted by DVkid07

As far as making the door movement work in Leopard, the biggest limitation I've met is that the stopwatch patch doesn't behave exactly the same way in Tiger and Leopard. It has been a while since I last tried to diagnose the problem, but it had to do with what values could and could not be true when the start value was sent. In Leopard, it doesn't matter is stop or reset (or both) are set to true. Once start is set to true, the watch begins. However, in Tiger, it reacts differently if all three checkboxes are set to true at the same time.

What if we found a way to set them both to false when both of them are true? That could be do-able?


Also, I found my favorite patch does not work in tiger

[DVkid07]

Originally Posted by KAN

What if we found a way to set them both to false when both of them are true? That could be do-able?


Also, I found my favorite patch does not work in tiger

I had a hunch that Sample & Hold wasn't available in Tiger. Gone through one too many QC upgrades to remember what has been officially available in what version.

I've tried a couple of logic functions to shutoff the checkboxes that need not be set. However, it all tends to lead to those things not being set back to true in a timely fashion.

I've got a pretty killer cold, so I'm making use of my extra out-of-office time to take a second look at this. I'm thinking of working with an interpolator and a single stopwatch.

[KAN]

Originally Posted by DVkid07

I had a hunch that Sample & Hold wasn't available in Tiger. Gone through one too many QC upgrades to remember what has been officially available in what version.

I've tried a couple of logic functions to shutoff the checkboxes that need not be set. However, it all tends to lead to those things not being set back to true in a timely fashion.

I've got a pretty killer cold, so I'm making use of my extra out-of-office time to take a second look at this. I'm thinking of working with an interpolator and a single stopwatch.

Get well soon!!!

Mwuhahahahahahahahaha!

I can steal you from work as my smart QC minion!!!

[DVkid07]

Originally Posted by KAN

Get well soon!!!

Mwuhahahahahahahahaha!

I can steal you from work as my smart QC minion!!!

Cannot... resist... devilish... QC... needs...

[KAN]

So I was thinking maybe I could make a macro patch of to change the values of the timer from negative to positive... It would involve taking the input values, making them both false, when one turns turns false, the other turns positive. This would be done with math, mathmatical function (I think thats what it's called) and logic...

Also, I realized that the key function does not work in Tiger, but the arrows still do...

So will this work?



Made on a PC

[KAN]

Man, that didn't work as planned, I'm working on it right now...

[DVkid07]

Originally Posted by KAN

Man, that didn't work as planned, I'm working on it right now...

The biggest problem (aside from inputs being attached to other inputs :P) is that the stop and reset functions are being activated at different times, so I'm not sure an either-or scenario will work. Worth a shot tho.

[KAN]

Now I am severely confused!!!!


When I connect a true boolean to a logic, the true shows false on the input of logic and true on the original patch...


(Merged photographs)

Note how the note box of the output on reverse trigger says "true", but the note box of Logic's input says "false"

[DVkid07]

Originally Posted by KAN

Now I am severely confused!!!!


When I connect a true boolean to a logic, the true shows false on the input of logic and true on the original patch...

IMG Removed
(Merged photographs)

Note how the note box of the output on reverse trigger says "true", but the note box of Logic's input says "false"

A common issue that I think is at fault here is that when the output of a patch isn't being connected to a consumer patch (pink) it won't evaluate properly. Try connecting the output of the last patch in your image to an Image With String patch that feeds into a Billboard. That way, all values will be required to evaluate legitimately.

The combination of an Image With String and Billboard is also really helpful when creating a quick preview of how something is evaluating at any given point in the chain.

[DVkid07]

So... my cold is still causing me some annoyance. But, I was back on campus yesterday and in the office today. While I was there, I stumbled upon a fun idea for another widget that I'd like to pursue. But... Before I run off to another project, I want to take care of some of the things I've wanted to do with the monorail first.

My biggest issue with the widget as it stands now, is the lack of interior. I started on a simple interior graphic that would be visible when the doors open and plan to wrap that up tonight some time.

The other problem, as I see it, is the control for color. KAN, it seems like you've got some good ideas here. However, keyboard shortcuts in Dashboard Widgets are still a little buggy in my opinion. I'm liking the idea of toggling through colors, and will give another look at trying to achieve that in a clean way tonight or tomorrow.

Of course, Tiger incompatibility is a big problem. However, unless we were to create a separate Tiger version of the module, I fear that the modifications necessary to make it work would hinder the way the module works in Leopard. Ideally, we could build a new version of the door controller IN TIGER and have that made available for Tiger users by specific download.

Before I get into this other project (beyond the extensive brainstorming in my head) I'll be doing some more work on QuartzOnstage.com That site was supposed to (and probably still will) serve as a hub for my Quartz-related interactive media projects. A big part of that will be the versioning and download hosting for projects like this, so keeping separate forks of the design for Tiger and Leopard isn't a terrible idea. And if the only difference is one macro patch, it wouldn't be difficult to make design changes in the Leopard version, save as, and paste in the Tiger door control patch.