Digital Universe Files
Digital Universe Files
Once the Digital Universe is installed, you will find all the necessary files in one folder (called Digital Universe in the figure below). Inside that folder you will find this file structure:
Within the Digital Universe folder are the Partiview application, several start scripts, and the data folder. Within the data folder are the milkyway, extragalactic, and possibly other data folders. Down one more level within milkyway and you see the config file mw.cf for the Milky Way Atlas and the speck and images folder for the Milky Way Atlas. A similar file structure is found in the extragalactic folder.
You will find several file types in the Digital Universe distribution. Table 2.6 lists these file types by group.
| File Type | File extension | Description |
| Launcher file | *.bat *.command *.sh | Double-click on these files to launch the Milky Way Atlas or the Extragalactic Atlas. (You may have only one of these, depending on your operating system.) |
| Data Files | *.speck *.cmap *.label *.obj | Speck files hold data and data variable commands, labels files hold a text label associated with a position, cmap files hold color mapping data, and obj files are surface data. |
| Images | *.sgi | Image files |
| Configuration | *.cf | Initialization commands and configure options. Customize the atlas with these files. |
Customizing the Digital Universe
You can use the *.cf files to customize the initial look of the Milky Way Atlas and Extragalactic Atlas. These files are simply a listing of Partiview commands that are read in and executed. If an object is too bright or you want to change its color, for example, set the desired brightness or color in Partiview, then open the config file in a text editor and make the change.
Of course, it is necessary to have some familiarity with the Partiview commands. Information on these can be found in the Partiview User's Guide or from information on the Partiview website.
© 2002-2005 American Museum of Natural History
Last Modified: 2007-12-19 by Brian Abbott