Testing Partiview
Testing Partiview on Your System
The test data set was designed for you to see how your computer performs while running Partiview. The data set consists of 27 points that form a cube around the point (x, y, z) = (0, 0, 0).
After downloading and installing the Partiview User's Guide Data, the compressed file will extract the files shown in Table 2.1.
| File Name | Description |
| halo.sgi | Texture (image) file. |
| test.speck | Formatted data file. |
| test.label | Labels for the data points. |
| test.cf | Pre-loaded configuration commands. |
| testdata.bat | Windows start script. |
| testdata.sh | Linux and IRIX start script |
| testdata.command | Macintosh start script |
These files make up a basic data set. The .speck file contains the data and is in the format
x y z texturenumber
while the .label file contains the labeling information in the format
x y z text label number 1
where the word text is a Partiview command and “label number 1” is the label you would like to see at the point x, y, z. The .cf file is the config file that loads the data set with the appropriate commands and settings. For example, the config file tells Partiview how to color particles, how large to make the points, what the field of view should be, etc. Finally, the .sgi files are images, or textures, that are placed on points or polygons.
The testdata.bat, testdata.sh and testdata.command files are used to start Partiview and load the appropriate config file (test.cf). They take the form (without the square brackets):
[path to partiview executable] [path to .cf file],
so, for example, if we have the start script in the same directory as the executable, then for Windows users, the testdata.bat file looks like:
partiview ./data/mandata/test.cf
while the UNIX-based script looks like:
./partiview ./data/mandata/test.cf
a difference of one “./”.
Starting Partiview with the Test Data
Let's start Partiview with the test data by running the testdata start script for your operating system. If you are getting errors and Partiview is not starting, the most likely culprit is that the data files aren't in the correct place for Partiview to find them.
Test 1: Flying Around
Once you have these data displayed in Partiview (you should see the data set loaded if you've run the start script for the Test Data), begin by moving these data around a bit. Make sure you're in Orbit Flight Mode. You should see an [o]rbit just below the flight mode pull-down menu. If the active flight mode is not [o]rbit, then change it to the Orbit Flight Mode by selecting it from the menu or by typing an ‘o’ in the Graphics Window (where the data are displayed). Now, with the left mouse button pressed, drag the mouse to move the data cube.
As you fly, you are actually tracing out a path around the data set (hence the name: Orbit Flight Mode). The central point of the orbit is called the Point of Interest. In this data set, the Point of Interest is located at the center of the data cube and is always indicated by a 3-D Cartesian axis. In Partiview, the red axis points in the direction of positive x, green is in the positive y direction, and blue is in the positive z direction.
How's your flying? Do these data move smoothly across the screen? Do these data move at all? If it takes several seconds for the data cube to move, then your graphics support will not be able to run Partiview effectively. If these data move freely without too much computational delay, then proceed to the next test.
Test 2: Turning on the Polygons
Our next test involves turning on the polygons for each of these points, thereby increasing the amount of information your computer must redraw. Let's turn on the polygons by either clicking the Polygon Toggle Button or typing poly on in the Command Line. Now, you are displaying a polygon on each point, upon which a texture (or image) is drawn. Do you notice any difference in performance with the polygons on? If so, you may have trouble handling larger data sets. If your performance is still good, move on to the final test.
Test 3: Increasing the slum Value
The slum command adjusts the luminosity scale factor, thereby increasing the brightness of your data. You can increase this scaling factor by using the Slider. While these data are in motion, click on the slider value selector and slowly drag the slider up (to the right). The polygons should be getting brighter (larger) and will continue to grow, eventually filling the entire display. The motion might slow down or stop with an increased slum value.
Depending on your performance, you may raise the slum value to such a level that your computer freezes up. If this occurs, simply click the mouse on the lower (left) side of the slider and wait for the computer to catch up. It could take a minute or two. If, however, you are able to use the slider pretty easily and your computer doesn't freeze up while redrawing the graphics, then, with the slum value down to a reasonable level (i.e., the Graphics Window isn't completely illuminated), try to increase the window size as you would any other window. If a larger window still performs well, maximize the window to see if you can run Partiview full screen.
If you are still running without significant slowdown, then you are in good shape to display larger, more complex data sets. However, if you experienced some sluggish motion and some delay when changing the slum slider, then you may have to experiment to see what happens when larger data sets are loaded. An upgrade to an accelerated graphics system might be necessary to display large data sets. However, an adjustment to the config files for data display is a possible solution as well (for example, displaying the data with a decreased polygon size, or without polygons).
If Partiview runs well on your system, you are now ready to begin learning about how to use the software. In the following chapter, we will explore the software in depth so that you become familiar with using Partiview and its commands to visualize your own data.
© 2002-2005 American Museum of Natural History
Last Modified: 2006-04-28 by Brian Abbott