Tutorial:ScenePicking-Plugins

From Aristoteles

Writing Picking PlugIn for Aristoteles3D

by Petar Tasev 10/2005

Prerequests

SourceForge.net account
Eclipse
Java experience

You have to write a class that does something or calls other classes(for example JDialog). Then you have to invoke this class by editing the /config/plugin.xml file. This way your class(your PlugIn) can be loaded into Aristoteles3D.

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Steps

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1.

Start Eclipse

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2.

Make a CVS Connection to SourceForge.net, so you can download the source code of the project.

a. Window -> Open Perspective -> Other -> CVS Exploring Repository.

b. Generate new ‘repository location’, enter username, host, connection typ=extssh, etc..

Finally, if everything's gone well you'll see something like this:

If you have any problems see www.sourceforge.net. You can find more information there.

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3.

The Project is on your PC. You can make a new package, for example ‘myPlugIn’:

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4.

Make a new class with the following code (manage imports with Eclipse) in ‘myPlugIn’:

Package myPlugIn;
public class Test extends AbstractPickingOperator{

  public Object clone() {return this;}
  public String getDescription() {return "This is my first Picking PlugIn :)";}
  public String toString() {return "TestPickingPlugIn";}
  public void mouseClicked(MouseEvent e) {
    pickcanvas.setShapeLocation( e );
    PickResult result = pickcanvas.pickClosest();

    if (result != null) {
      ExtendedShape3D shape = (ExtendedShape3D) result.getObject();
      //we have the ExtendedShape3D which represenst one shape in the
      //3DScene
      //we can print all the Nodes of this shape for example
      LinkedList nodes = shape.getExterior();

      double[][] coord = new double[nodes.size() ][3];
      for (int i = 0;i < nodes.size();i++ ) {
        Object obj = nodes.get( i );
        Point3f point = (Point3f) nodes.get( i );
        coord[i][0] = (double) point.x;
        coord[i][1] = (double) point.y;
        coord[i][2] = (double) point.z;
        System.out.println(coord[i][0]+" "+coord[i][1]+"
  "+coord[i][2]);
      }
    }
  }
  public void mousePressed(MouseEvent e) {}
  public void mouseReleased(MouseEvent e) {}
  public void mouseEntered(MouseEvent e) {}
  public void mouseExited(MouseEvent e) {}
  public void keyTyped(KeyEvent e) {}
  public void keyPressed(KeyEvent e) {}
  public void keyReleased(KeyEvent e) {}
}

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5.

Update the configuration file which can load your plugIn into the program. This configuration file can be found in /config/plugin.xml.

All you have to do is adding the following line below the other <picking class=”…”/>:

<picking class="aquin.aristoteles.plugin.picking.InfoPickingOperator"/>
<picking class="myPlugIn.Test"/>

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6.

Save and Run the program. Your PlugIn is now visible under plugin->picking->available. Apply it and select any shape in the current scene. You will get the coordinates of the nodes of the selected shape in the Eclipse Console.

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