Apple Macintosh : 5


CAD / Development / Macintosh / 5	4 \| 6

Subject:	LDMC News Digest (To Get The Ball Rolling)
Newsgroups:	lugnet.cad.dev.mac
Date:	Sat, 9 Feb 2002 01:45:10 GMT
Viewed:	1062 times

Greetings everybody! As a way to launch this new newsgroup with a bang, I'm going to digest some of the curent behind-the-scenes news from LDMC (LDraw for the Macintosh Campaign - http://homepage.mac.com/ldmc/ ). James Reynolds and I have still held out hope for this project, even as we have been busy with other things. Lately, James has been able to devote some time to developing some great new relationships with some top-notch Mac programmers who really want to help. Also, Eric Olson has re-evaluated his work on BrickDraw3D, and picked a new development path that will hopefully have his efforts producing gold soon. Matt NOTE: Most of the folowing information wasn't written by me, so some things may seem out of context or non sequitur. _____ ldglite on Mac OS X As all of you hopefully know already, Don [Heyse] and I got ldglite .94 to work on Mac OS X. I am not sure exactly what features ldglite has, but it is possible to edit models with the -ledit or -LEDIT parameters. _____ Here's a movie showing the utility running...note the blazing-fast performance! http://firebolt.mlmc.utah.edu/TerminalScreenSnapz004.mov _____ 1). What are we doing anyway? 2). Steps to get ldglite to compile on Mac OS X 3). What now for ldglite (Mac OS X and Mac OS 9)? ----- What are we doing anyway? I was asked what exactly we are working on. Well, right now Don Heyse, Wiz, and I have been working on ldglite (for Mac OS X and Mac OS 9). Erik Olson is working on BrickDraw3d. Other than this, I don't know what anyone else is doing. Basically, join in on whatever you feel comfortable with. The rest of this email should get you up to date on ldglite. To get up to date on BrickDraw3d, go to Erik's webpage. After bringing ldglite up to date, I plan on getting involved with BrickDraw3d and seeing if we can get a new version of it out. Nothing has happened with the Cocoa app that I know of. I think everyone who wants to work on this is still getting to know the territory first, after all, this LDraw stuff is totally new to the people who want to work on the Cocoa app. ----- Steps to get ldglite to compile on Mac OS X This is all assuming that you have a similar setup as I do, which is Mac OS X 10.1.2 with the Dec. Dev Tools installed. I don't think my machine makes a difference (I have heard OS X is a universal install), but it is a dual 450 just in case it matters. Download the .94 source code: http://ldglite.sourceforge.net/ldglitesrc0_9_4.zip Download these modified files and replace the old ones in the ldglite folder: http://firebolt.mlmc.utah.edu/ldglite/makefile.macx http://firebolt.mlmc.utah.edu/ldglite/dirscan.c http://firebolt.mlmc.utah.edu/ldglite/platform.h http://firebolt.mlmc.utah.edu/ldglite/platform.c Add a folder named "GL" to the ldglite folder. Add these 3 files to it: http://firebolt.mlmc.utah.edu/ldglite/GL/gl.h http://firebolt.mlmc.utah.edu/ldglite/GL/glu.h http://firebolt.mlmc.utah.edu/ldglite/GL/glut.h Add an empty file to the ldglite folder. At the command line type: touch malloc.h ----- compile: make -f makefile.macx ----- You can then try to render a test file (It doesn't need the ldraw parts): http://firebolt.mlmc.utah.edu/ldglite/test.dat ./ldglite -l3 -v0 -g test.dat ----- To render models: Download parts (the parts on www.marsbase.com are incomplete, use this one) http://firebolt.mlmc.utah.edu/ldglite/LDRAW.zip Set environment variable: setenv LDRAWDIR /path/to/ldraw ldglite -l3 -v0 -g 3002.dat If part of the output is: Could not find 3002.dat then ldglite couldn't find the parts. Sometimes it would crash on my box if it couldn't find the parts. I can't figure out why sometimes it can find the parts, sometimes it can't, sometimes it will render, sometimes it doesn't. I haven't had time to try to figure it out. Anyway, this is as far as I have gotten. ----- What now for ldglite (Mac OS X and Mac OS 9)? At 9:22 AM -0500 2/6/02, Don Heyse wrote: > Somebody should run the debugger on it to find that segfault > in the ldlite parser. I can't run the debugger by proxy, and > I couldn't get it to happen on windows. > > Also, it'd be nice to compile in the png support. I commented > it out in makefile.macx because I couldn't tell if OSX comes with > a libpng, or if you need to build one, or if you should grab > a binary from the fink or darwin projects. > > Finally we should switch to the latest code from CVS, stabilize > the build across all platforms and call it 0.9.5. At 1:46 PM -0500 2/6/02, Don Heyse wrote: > I wouldn't spend too much time on 0.5 since that's been done already. > You really should be moving on to 0.94 at this point. The problems > with 0.5 and the glut console window will also need to be solved for > 0.9.4, but you're gonna want the bug fixes and the all the new features > added to current code. The one trouble spot I can predict in advance > is dirscan.c. I added a really cheesy file lookup menu at some point > that hasn't been tested on the Mac. I tried to accomodate it with > the macos_dirent.c and macos_dirent.h files that I "borrowed" from > Mesa, but I really don't know if it works. Take a look at the change > log on: > > http://ldglite.sourceforge.net > > to see what's been added since 0.5. Lots of stuff. > > As for the Mac OS X debugger, I have no idea what it's called, or > even if it comes with one. This page seems to indicate you have gdb: > > > http://www.opensource.apple.com/projects/documentation/howto/html/KEXT_Tutorials/HelloDebugger.html > > If so, then the thing to do would be to run: > > gdb ldglite > > Then type: > > r -v0 myfile.dat > > and wait for it to segfault. Then pop up the stack to a piece of > code from ldglite (I think it was in lex.yy.c) and examine the local > string variables (char *) to see which one is the NULL pointer. If > I knew which line of code and which variable, I might be able to > discern what went wrong and fix it. _____ Since many of you may be new to this whole thing, I thought I would define what one need to know to develop a virtual LEGO modeler. I honestly don't know how much is really required knowledge or just good to know. Anyway, here it is. 1). 3D. If you know what I mean with the following terms, you know 3D: matrixes, transformations, rotations, rendering engine, z buffering, clipping, shading, camera positioning, local coordinates, world coordinates, local to world transformations, triangles, quadrilaterals, line drawing functions, points, and vectors. If you don't know this stuff, I suggest reading somehting. I read the "Black Art of 3D Game Programming" (old and written for DOS, but ok I guess). Here is a list of webpages I found by searching for "3d matrix" on google.com: http://www.makegames.com/3drotation/ http://www.gamedev.net/reference/articles/article695.asp http://web3d.about.com/cs/mathfor3d/ (displays pop-behind ad, just a FYI) http://www.niac.man.ac.uk/Tina/docs/programmers_guide/node83.html http://www.flipcode.com/portal/issue03.shtml http://www.programmersheaven.com/search/download.asp?FileID=6225 2). OpenGL, QuickDraw3D or Quesa. OK, I don't know much about these, but I think a good description is that it they are 3d frameworks libraries so that you don't have to write your own rendering engine. To learn more about OpenGL: http://www.opengl.org/developers/index.html http://developer.apple.com/opengl/ http://developer.apple.com/techpubs/macosx/Carbon/graphics/OpenGL/OpenGL/index.html Erik says: Try to rebuild the Atlantis example project. It uses glut and it's cute. To learn more about QuickDraw 3D: http://developer.apple.com/macos/quickdraw.html http://developer.apple.com/techpubs/quicktime/qtdevdocs/QD3D/qd3d_book.htm http://developer.apple.com/techpubs/macos8/Legacy/QuickDraw3D/quickdraw3d.html To learn more about Quesa: http://www.quesa.org/ 3). The ldraw file format. This is a must. And it isn't that much reading anyway. Read: http://homepage.mac.com/ldmc/dat.html Oh, the file extension has changed. I believe it is just the file extension that is changed and nothing else: http://www.ldraw.org/news/2002-01-21-file-extension 4). Lugnet CAD newsgroup and the LDraw official website. Not really required, but if you want to know what others are doing, you will find out here. This is where all of the Windows/Linux developers hang out. http://www.lugnet.com/ http://news.lugnet.com/cad/ http://www.ldraw.org/ http://www.ldraw.org/reference/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Summary of all current projects ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Just as a recap, here is a list of the current projects and some things you should have if you want to help: ------------------ First, everyone (even the end user) has to have the LEGO parts: http://www.marsbase.com/macparts.shtm ------------------ BrickDraw 3D - This is targeted for Mac OS 9 and perhaps Carbon Mac OS X. Main webpage: http://olson.pair.com/brickdraw3d/ Developer webpage: http://sourceforge.net/projects/brickdraw3d/ Source code: http://cvs.sourceforge.net/cgi-bin/viewcvs.cgi/brickdraw3d/ ------------------ ldglite - Several directions this is going. Wiz has been updating the .5 version to CW 7 and OpenGL 1.2 and Carbon for Mac OS X. At some point, we are going to tackle .94 version. Don Heyse and I have been working on compiling .94 on Mac OS X with a makefile on the command line. LDMC webpage (info on macLDGLite, Mac version of LDGLite): http://homepage.mac.com/ldmc/ldglite.html LDGLite homepage (OpenGL version of LDLite) http://ldglite.sourceforge.net/ LDLite homepage (windows version) http://www.gyugyi.com/l3g0/ldlite/ OpenGL 1.0 SDK ftp://ftp.apple.com/developer/Development_Kits/OpenGL_1.0_SDK.sit.hqx OpenGL 1.2 SDK ftp://ftp.apple.com/developer/opengl/SDK/OpenGL_SDK_1.2_Core.img.bin (http://developer.apple.com/opengl/downloads.html) .5 version of the source code from (has been successfully compiled on Mac): http://ldglite.sourceforge.net/macLDGLite_source.sit.hqx the latest source .9.4 from (hasn't been successfully compiled on Mac): http://ldglite.sourceforge.net/ldglitesrc0_9_4.zip ------------------ Mac OS X carbon app. Hasn't been started yet. This is the plan: Byron Han suggested: Build a Cocoa application shell. The .DAT -> OpenGL parser can probably be ported over lock stock and barrel. No need to reimplement. Use Cocoa for the GUI part, use existing code for the file parsing/OpenGL stuff.

Message has 1 Reply:

		Re: LDMC News Digest (To Get The Ball Rolling)
Matt, thanks for posting that. I was too busy to get anything out earlier. In addition, I just wanted to add the following. Don has gotten ldglite to compile on Mac OS X and I tested it and it works. The steps to compile it are in Matt's email (the (...) (23 years ago, 9-Feb-02, to lugnet.cad.dev.mac)

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		------( Welcome to lugnet.cad.dev.mac )------
Welcome to lugnet.cad.dev.mac, a LUGNET discussion group. CHARTER/PURPOSE: lugnet.cad.dev (group and hierarchy): CAD developers forum: in-depth technical discussions, software architecture, interoperability, tools, parts planning & tracking, (...) (23 years ago, 8-Feb-02, to lugnet.cad.dev.mac)

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