| Video and Virtual Reality page The vrml worlds use the Cortona browser plug-in, which supports vrml animation, and you can wander around the worlds. Most of these vrml worlds link to each other, but in case you have difficulty, separate urls are listed below. A page of 3d JPG dials you may easily see, using just your eyes (based on the old antique stereoscope system). |
| OTHER NON ANIMATED CAD FILES IN TCW AND DXF FORMAT Click here for TurboCAD Professional VBS scripts for the h-dial and v-decliner Click here for TurboCAD etc usable CAD files and a cube dial plus solar mesh and notes on using it also - TurboCAD 11 Or here to see some JPG files of virtual dials in 3d (antique stereogram technique). |
| STUFF ABOUT BUILDING VIRTUAL WORLDS These worlds can be browsed with any VRML browser, i.e. Mozilla, Netscape, and Internet Explorer with the Cortona vrml plugin, These worlds were created with the ISB product from Parallel Graphics using the PUBLISH function. These worlds are also on the CD that goes with the book. The animation was added after the basic worlds were created using ISA from Parallel Graphics also, and they use the PUBLISH function, and also require the SAVE function. The ISB and ISA programs have trial download versions. Use ISB to first build the main world, and to establish viewports, and only when happy with it, then and only then use ISA to animate it. The ISB builder user may wish this BASIC program to cross check urls of a published .wrl world, written using Just BASIC which is free here. COSMO didn't work on my browsers, and Octaga worked except the hyperlinks didn't (yes I know of the hyerlink issue with MIDI . |
| Other vrml files are here as links on the main web page. |
| VRML WORLD OF SUNDIALS ~ you can walk around them, manipulate them. FIRST: a browser plug-in is needed, I use Cortona Before using any virtual world (.wrl), you must have a browser plug-in. Otherwise all you will see is coding. I have only tested and used the Windows versions of this software. Don't proceed without the plug-in. WINDOWS: Browser: Cortona (4.2 and 5.0) Scene builder: ISB MAC: Browser: Cortona OSX and Cortona MAC Axel Scene builder: AXEL (I have not used AXEL) |
| NON ANIMATED CAD |
| The Sundial Primer's virtual dial web site |
| THE FINE PRINT STUFF ~ IF YOU HAVE TROUBLE READ THIS Internet Explorer MAY block the VRML as a pop-up, let it proceed. Consider the TOOLS, INTERNET OPTIONS, ADVANCED, ACTIVE CONTENT feature in IE. Internet Explorer may need you to tell it to check the cache versus the web site. Consider TOOLS, INTERNET OPTIONS, GENERAL, TEMPORARY INTERNET SETTINGS, EVERY VISIT TO THE PAGE or AUTOMATIC. FIT helps if the vrml model seems tiny, but only with models, avoid using it on full worlds.. STUDY lets you manipulate the object Mouse and arrow keys allow navigation. RIGHT CLICK brings up options, including other viewports. SHIFT key speeds movement. Right click get good things, especially viewports. The main world is simon.wrl, it links to simonHA (hour angle dials), simonJAIPUR, and simonWEBSITE (vrml version of main index page - under construction) worlds, and those worlds have links back to the main world. Some have links to detailed vrml dial models you can manipulate. These web urls ARE CASE SENSITIVE. Some models are not in the link, so separate urls are available below. PLEASE report any failed links to illustratingshadows at yahoo dot com |
| ANIMATED CAD ~ three actual ZIP files of MPG videos from TurboCAD |
| NOTE: The DeltaCAD, Euler, Scilab and other free sundial programs provide animation based on declinations, latitudes, and so on. Great for improved understanding. |
| Starting place: has two animations, one of the moon/earth/sun, another of solstices, and links to the other worlds Jaipur: also has links to three good html web sites on Jaipur Hour angle dials: links to individual rotatable dials for you to explore eg arm, equ, durer, etc, and these are the actual figures used in the book. House with dials is a vrml model with a number of my garden dials, and a number of ones used for the CASE STUDIES part of this web site. Do you have a virtual sundial world? If so let me know. Also, check out some pictures of other virtual sundials here at the Sundial Primer web site. The Parallel Graphics repositary or virtual worlds is here (not sundial related, but excellent). |
| vrml user rotatable model of the ecliptic and also multiple armilary spheres |
| Jaipur you can walk around this world, click on dials to explore them, and so on |
"*" means
animation in
the model
animation in
the model
ANIMATIONS: The main world has the moon, earth, and sun in orbit, and the sun
orbiting the earth at the solstices and equinox. Jaipur has an earth, moon, sun orbit
system. The sundial garden has the moon, earth, and sun in orbit, and polaris
together with cassiopeia and ursa minor rotating.
Above are a few hot links, the worlds link to many vr models you can explore, walk
around or manipulate and see how they are made.
orbiting the earth at the solstices and equinox. Jaipur has an earth, moon, sun orbit
system. The sundial garden has the moon, earth, and sun in orbit, and polaris
together with cassiopeia and ursa minor rotating.
Above are a few hot links, the worlds link to many vr models you can explore, walk
around or manipulate and see how they are made.
| This is 2mb so use DSL/cable ==>> |
| Note: Many of this sites CAD and programming systems have animation, e.g. DeltaCAD, Euler, Scilab, etc which enhances understanding of sundials interacting with the date, time, location, and orientation. |
| A house and the dials that are discussed in the CASE STUDIES part of this site |
| BACKGROUND INFO Animated TurboCAD using TurboCAD release 9.2 deluxe (around $100 or so), with the ANIMATION package (around $250 or so) for the IMSI TurboCAD. This produces .avi files, however, clicking on them in Internet Explorer causes a download but in invoking Windows Media Player, it says the file was corrupt. So these files are ZIPPED and MPG format instead. All files on this web site are virus free, however, PLEASE ALWAYS run a virus checker on each file you download. PROCEDURE * Please click on the link, it is a ZIP file, and it will give you some options. Select SAVE. * Once saved, use My Computer to explore the downloaded ZIP file. Click on EXTRACT ALL. * Go to the extracted directory with My Computer and find the real AVI or MPG file. * Double click on that, and it will run. DOWNLADABLE ANIMATED CAD FILES (Download and EXTRACT the file. Do NOT run from within the ZIP file) The sun orbiting a vertical conic gnomon. DOWNLOAD (about 300k) and save and THEN unzip it and THEN used in Windows Media player. The sun using the sun-travel mesh (see CAD page) on a style and vertical pole. DOWNLOAD (about 300k) and save and THEN unzip it and THEN used in Windows Media player. The sun using the sun-travel mesh (see CAD page) on a style, vertical pole, and vertical dial. DOWNLOAD (about 300k) and save and THEN unzip it and THEN used in Windows Media player. The CAD model for this is on the CAD page. The earth/moon/sun orbit into the vrml worlds here OTHER NON ANIMATED CAD FILES IN TCW AND DXF FORMAT ~ Click here for TurboCAD etc usable CAD files. |
| 2008 |