Instructions:

1. The Software to be installed on the computers

Mainly there are 3 components needed to be installed on the computers. Our code is written in a programming language called Python and it is using various graphic libraries and OpenGL.

The installation of the files should be in the following order.

1. Python-2.2.3.exe
(This is not the latest version of Python, but this one is tested extensively with the other libraries)

2.PyOpenGL-2.0.0.44.win32-py2.2.exe
(This installs the OpenGL bindings for Python 2.2)

3. PIL-1.1.4.win32-py2.2.exe
(Installs various graphic and image editing functions for Python 2.2)

2. Hardware settings

These two computers need to be connected to each other via an ethernet connection.
Although they will not be connected to Internet, they will be using network sockets (UDP ) to communicate with each other. The computer that will run the graphics should be assigned a static IP address (i.e. 192.168.0.1) that needs to be entered to the GUI program.
The network settings of an Windows XP running computer can be set as follows:

-Go to the 'Start' Menu, Choose 'Settings', then 'Network Connections"
- Here choose 'Local Area Connection'. This will pop the 'Local Area Connection Properties' window.
- Hit the 'General' tab.
-Scroll down the list of connections and find 'Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) ' at the very end.
- Click on 'Properties'. Hit the 'General Tab'.
- Choose 'Use the following IP address'. Enter the desired IP address (i.e. 192.168.0.1)
- Hit 'OK'.
- And exit all other menus by hitting 'OK'.

3. Running the programs

After installing the required programs on both computers you can download
the following folder that includes the programs:

Selkirk.zip

This folder includes two main folders: GUI and Graphics.

The GUI folder should go the computer that has the monitor and mouse input.
The Graphics folder should go to the computer that is connected to the projector.
Both folders can be copied on to the desktops of the computers.

GUI

This folder has altogether five files:

- RUN_gui.py
- selkirk.py
- streetgram.py
- selkirk.pyc (red in color)
-streetgram.pyc (red in color)

The files inside the GUI folder should all stay together.

The main file is 'RUN_gui.py'.

-When you run the file by double-clicking it, a black window will appear and ask you to enter the IP address of the graphics computer. You should enter something like:
192.168.0.1 and hit " return'. (Be sure not to forget the dots)

- When the interface pops up(the gray window), click the middle button at the top right corner to make it full screen. Ignore the other black window, but please do not try to close it. It will be working at the background.

Please be sure that the computers are properly connected and the Graphics computer is
assigned the same IP address you entered into the GUI computer.

GRAPHICS

This folder has the following files and folders:

- RUN_graphics.py
- selkirk_lib.py
- selkirk_lib.pyc (red in color)
- imgs_512 folder
- imgs_bg folder

T he main file to run is 'RUN_graphics.py'. This file doesn't need any adjustments. It will automatically read the IP address from the computer and configure itself.

When you double-click on the file it will ask a display mode: "Full screen" or "Window". Choose ' Full Screen', hit "return", and it will load itself and wait for input from the GUI.

3. Notes on the files

This file waits input from the GUI and renders the graphics based on a data set.
The input from the file is triggered with the "Fire" Button.

Once the input is received, the renderer draws the graphic. While the drawing is in process, you can see that there is a counter showing the remaining time for completion.
Once it is completed, the graphic will start to move slowly while zooming in and out to show the details of the render.

However, if one repeatedly clicks on the button on the 'fire' button before waiting for the 'completed' notice on the graphics, it may stall the renderer for a second, before it re-sets itself for the new input. As this is a computationally extensive process, the renderer takes some time to refresh its memory. If one waits until the 'completed' notice, the system works quite smooth and fast.

Please also note that, based on the patterns received from the GUI, the rendered image may be too small, or dark in color. It may look like it didn't produce anything or the system had crashed. In that case, use the GUI to send other data, and watch it draw another image.

If for any reason you observe a problem in the graphics file, you can quit it by hitting the 'esc' (escape) key for a restart. Similarly, the GUI file can be closed, by hitting the 'X' button on the top right corner.


< back