[Bf-committers] Linux plugin (was: Re: NDOF -- new commit)

[Martin Poirier]

Hi Ettore and Jean-Luc

--- Ettore Pasquini <ettore_pasquini at 3dconnexion.com>
wrote:

> On 7/31/07 10:57 AM, "Jean-Luc Peurière"
> <jlp at nerim.net> wrote:
> 
> > For when can you have your binaries ready ?
> 
> I have completed the linux plugin, it's available
> here:
>
http://cubelogic.org/blender/builds/2007-07-31/3DxBlender-linux-i386.tar.gz
> 
> The tarball above  contains what I think will be the
> "final" plugin
> distribution for Blender from 3Dconnexion (for linux
> i386). With final I
> mean, for Siggraph. ;-) This is still very
> experimental and received no
> testing at all beside mine. But I believe all the
> pieces are there. Other
> platforms should follow the same structure IMHO.
> What do you guys think?
> 
> In order for that to work, the following patch
> should be applied:
>
http://cubelogic.org/blender/ndof_buttons_linux.patch
> 
> This patch basically adds button handling to the
> deal. See the readme file
> in the tarball for specific Linux set-up
> instructions.

Following the readme, When asked to map the left and
right buttons in the driver, I couldn't find any entry
AP1 and AP2 in the drop down menu. Selecting Button 1
and Button 2 seemed to do the trick though. (using
driver version 1.2.11).

Panning and Zooming speed seems to be much better than
before too (I could decrease the scaling to 100% in
Blender and reduce the sensitivity in the driver to
normal).

Thumbs up.

The Transform implementation is really bugging me
though because it floods the undo levels with
infinitesimal steps. I'm thinking it would probably be
easier and cleaner to just add Ndof as a special input
in the Transform functions (on par with Numerical
input) with the twist that you could use the device to
initiate transform and the two buttons to
confirm/cancel once done (this would give long nice
atomic undo steps, like normal). The down side is that
it could only do either translation or rotation at
once (maybe it's an upside for others though).

Sounds like a nice and easy project to do, so I'm
putting that on top of my stack (should have some time
in the coming weeks).

Too late for SIGGRAPH, obviously, but release is still
far off.

Thoughts?


Martin


       
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