WAVEFRONT(1)

NAME
Wavefront - 3D modeling and animation software, otherwise known as the Advanced Visualizer.

GETTING STARTED
For new users, the first step in running the Wavefront software is adding the following lines to the end of your .login file:

if (`hostname` == i1) then
   setenv WF_PRJ_DIR ~/wavefront
   source /usr/local/wave/lbin/RC/wfrc
endif

Once added, Wavefront directories will be appended to the search path and Wavefront environment variables will be set whenever a new shell is opened. After adding this line, the .login file must be "sourced" or the user must log out and then log back in in order for the changes to take effect.

The "WF_PRJ_DIR" is the directory under which all of the Wavefront projects will be done.

The next thing one must do is create a directory for a Wavefront project. This is done by using the "new_dir" command. One should already be in the WF_PRJ_DIR directory before running this command. It requires one argument -- the name of the directory to be created. When run, this command will create a directory of the supplied name as well as several sub-directories and files. It is important to use this command to create a Wavefront directory as other commands will depend on the files and links created in this step.

After creating this directory, one can move into this directory and use any of the Wavefront programs such as model, pv, or image.

DESCRIPTION
The Wavefront software package is made up of a number of individual programs and utilities, each performing a unique function. Although there are many Wavefront programs (see $WF_AV_DIR/bin), the following three are typically used in the order shown.

model    - create 3D models of the objects in the animation

pv    - assign motion to these objects

image    - render each scene defined in your .pv file

VALUE ADDED TOOLS
When creating animations, there are often many commands and options that are repiticiously used. A number of commonly performed functions have been incorporated into both shell and Wavefront scripts. A list of these scripts is shown below.

Model Command Scripts:

CMD/extbvlin    -extrude polygons and bevel inside of edges
CMD/extbvlout    -extrude polygons and bevel outside of edges
CMD/extrude    -extrude polygons
CMD/bevel    -create a bevel on the front of polygons
CMD/bevel2    -create a bevel on the front and back of polygons

Wavefront Shell Scripts:

composite    -composite a series of images over a background
fade    -create a fade from one image to another
wmovie    -automatically generate an entire movie
new_dir    -create a new directory in which to run Wavefront
new_pv    -create a new Wavefront preview file

EXAMPLES

To create a new Wavefront directory type:
    cd $WF_PRJ_DIR
    new_dir name

    A new directory called "name" will be created with default files and links.

To send files to the Abekas using smart_vfr type:

    smart_vfr -fs 1 -fe 100 -base im -a 0

    This will send files im.0001.rla through im.0100.rla to the Abekas A60 starting at location 0.

To create an entire Wavefront movie type:

    wmovie -r -dest abekas 50 text_file

    This will create a movie of the text found in the file "text_file". The text will "roll" (-r) from the bottom of the screen to the top. As the movie is being completed, it will be sent to the Abekas A60 starting at frame 50.

To create a fade between two images type:

    fade -f image1.rla -l image2.rla -base fade

    This will create a smooth transition (30 frames) between the image files called image1.rla and image2.rla. The resulting image will be placed in files fade.0001.rla through fade.0030.rla.

IMAGE OPTIONS
The Wavefront rendering program is called "image". This program accepts a number of options, the most popular of which will be described below.

image -fs 1 -fe 100 -os 3 -fmt qtl_ntsc pv_name >& junk &

-fs is used to specify the first frame to be rendered.

-fe is used to specify the last frame to be rendered.

-os is used to specify the amount of over-sampling.

Normally (without this option) one value is computed for each pixel in the scene. When oversampling is used, each pixel is divided into equal squares and the values for all squares is averaged into one representative value for that pixel. This results in reducing the "stair step" effect on edges of polygons. A value of 2 causes the pixel to be divided into 4 equal parts. A value of 3 causes the pixel to be divided into 9 equal parts. A value of 3 is commonly used when the image is to be displayed on an NTSC destination. A higher value should be used when going to a higher quality output device.

-fmt is used to specify the size of the output image.

Acceptable formats include "ntsc_4d", "qtl_ntsc" (default, Abekas format), 1k_square, and about 1000 others.

pv_name is the name of the preview file from which scene data is obtained.

>& junk causes all resulting textual output to be saved in a file called junk for later viewing.

& causes the imaging program to be run in the background.

ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES
The following environment variables are set when the "wfrc" file is sourced.

WF_AV_DIR=/usr/local/wave/TAV3.0    -Wavefront top level directory
WF_BUFFER=full    -Display buffer size
WF_OBJ_DIR=./OBJECTS    -Object file directoryy
WF_SCMP_DIR=./PREVIEWS    -Preview file directory
WF_TEX_DIR=/usr/local/wave/lbin/TEXTURES    -Texture file directory
WF_DSPL_EXIT=1    -Exit display program after a keystroke
WF_FRB_DEV=irgt    -Display buffer format
WF_CMD_DIR=/usr/local/wave/lbin    -Value added tools location

PATHS, EXTENSIONS, AND IMAGE TYPES
The following paths and extensions are commonly seen when using Wavefront.

 .obj    -object file
 .pv    -scene definition (preview) file
 .tex    -texture file
 .mtl    -material file
 .lgt    -light file
 .rla    -default Wavefront imagefile
 .qtl    -Quantel image format (suitable for Abekas)
 .yuv    -YUV image format (same as Quantel)
 qtl_ntsc    -(default) image size for Abekas A60 (720x486)
 ntsc_4d    -(646x485)

SEE ALSO
abekas(1), modelcmds(1), texttoobj(1), wmovie(1)

AUTHOR
Wesley C. Barris (wes@msc.edu)
Army High Performance Computing Research Center (AHPCRC)
Minnesota Supercomputer Center, Inc.