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Subsections


Tool Form

Figure 4.12: The Tool form
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The Tool form is used to set up external 3D pointers, buttons, force-feedback devices, and the VMD ``tools'' that they control. VMD communicates with input devices through CAVElib, FreeVR, or via Virtual Reality Peripheral Network (VRPN), or with direct operating system interfaces. Since VRPN provides networked device abstraction, VMD doesn't have to be running on the same computer that VRPN devices are attached to. With VRPN, you may use buttons, trackers, and also force-feedback (haptic) devices such as the PHANToM. In the CAVE or FreeVR, VMD recognizes two types of devices: buttons and trackers. The built-in Spaceball driver can also be used to control tools.

Configuring input devices

To use input devices with VMD ``tools'', you need a sensor configuration file, in your home directory called .vmdsensors (see the VMD Installer Guide). In this file, any number of devices can be specified, using a universal sensor locator (USL). The format for a USL is as follows:
USL - type://place/name:nums The lines of a sensor configuration file come in four flavors:

Here is a simple example, showing some of the things you can do with a sensor configuration file, for a more complete example, please refer to the .vmdsensors file that came with your VMD distribution:

### Sensable PHANTOM via VRPN 
### http://www.sensable.com/
### The Phantom haptic device connected to the computer "odessa"
device phantomtracker   vrpntracker://odessa/Phantom0
scale 10
rot left 0 0 -1 0 1 0 1 0 0
device phantombuttons   vrpnbuttons://odessa/Phantom0
device phantomfeedback vrpnfeedback://odessa/Phantom0


Using Tools

There are several different ``tools'', each of which can be used with any of the input devices4.1: To add a new tool to a VMD session, open the Tool form and click the Create Tool button. The tool's number and type are displayed in the list to the left. Devices can be added to the tool by selecting them from the Add Device menu, or removed with the Delete Device button. Some of the options that can be specified in the sensor configuration file can be edited in using the controls below, and the tool's type can be changed with the Type menu.
next up previous contents index
Next: Simulation Form Up: Description of each VMD Previous: Render Form   Contents   Index
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