SL-GMS Draw Tutorial. SL Corporation OBJECT-ORIENTED GRAPHICAL MODELING SYSTEM. Version 6.2a- 26 May Part Number DTUT

Transcription

1 SL-GMS Draw Tutorial SL Corporation OBJECT-ORIENTED GRAPHICAL MODELING SYSTEM Part Number DTUT

2 The information in this document is subject to change without notice and should not be construed as a commitment by the Sherrill-Lubinski Corporation. The Sherrill-Lubinski Corporation assumes no responsibility for any errors that may appear in this document. The software described in this document is furnished under a license and may be used or copied only in accordance with the terms of such license. This software is based in part on the work of the Independent JPEG Group. Symbol Factory TM artwork is licensed from Software Toolbox, Inc. SL-GMS Draw Tutorial This manual is for use only in connection with the described software and may not be used for any commercial purpose or copied, distributed, sold, displayed, modified, published, or posted in whole or in part without the prior written permission of Sherrill-Lubinski Corporation. SL-GMS, SL Corporation, the SL Logo, and all Sherrill-Lubinski product names referenced in this manual are trademarks or registered trademarks of the Sherrill-Lubinski Corporation; any unauthorized use of these marks is strictly prohibited. All trademarks and registered trademarks referenced in this document are property of their respective companies. SL-GMS (6.2x) 26 May 2006 Configuration: C62a1_ Copyright (c) Sherrill-Lubinski Corporation. All Rights Reserved. LIMITATIONS ON USE Use, duplication, or disclosure by the U.S. Government is subject to restrictions as set forth in the Technical Data - Commercial Items clause at DFARS , the Rights in Data - General clause at FAR , and any other applicable provisions of the DFARS, FAR, or the NASA FAR supplement. SL Corporation 240 Tamal Vista Blvd., Suite 110 Corte Madera, CA /26/06 v6.2x TECHNICAL SUPPORT Phone (inside U.S.) Fax support@sl.com

3 Part Number DTUT

4 Table of Contents 1. SL-GMSDraw Tutorial Introduction Exercises Editor Operations Introduction Starting the SL-GMSDraw editor Exiting the SL-GMSDraw editor Coordinate Space Creating Objects Selecting Objects and the Select List Graphic Properties Non-Graphic Object Properties Object Information Moving Objects Scaling Objects Rotating Objects Saving a Model Model File Formats Groups Aligning Objects Snap and Point Modes Point Editing Zooming and Panning Configuring the Editor Building Models Introduction Exercise 3-1: Project Directories Exercise 3-2: Tank Model Exercise 3-3: Adding Dynamic Behavior to the Tank Model Exercise 3-4: Testing the Tank Model Exercise 3-5: Value Display Model Exercise 3-6: Custom Input Object SL-GMS Draw Tutorial i

5 Index Exercise 3-7: Custom Palette Exercise 3-8: Using SubModels How SL-GMSDraw Finds SubModels Exercise 3-9: Using Gradient Fill for Shading SL-GMS Draw Tutorial ii

6 List of Figures Number Title Page Figure 2-1: Editor Layout (WindowsNT) Figure 2-2: Editor Layout (UNIX / Motif) Figure 2-3: Create Tools Panel (Windows) Figure 2-4: Create Tools Panel (Motif) Figure 2-5: Object Create Mode Mouse Cursor Figure 2-6: Object Selection Rectangle with Gray Handles Figure 2-7: Object Selection Rectangle with Blue Handles Figure 2-8: Select By Name Window Figure 2-9: The Select By Extent Button Figure 2-10: The Select By Properties Window Figure 2-11: Selected Objects and Focus Object Figure 2-12: Loop Control Buttons Figure 2-13: Fill Tab of the Default Graphic Properties Window Figure 2-14: Edge Tab of the Default Graphic Properties Window Figure 2-15: The Text Tab of the Default Graphic Properties Window Figure 2-16: The TRect Tab of the Default Graphic Properties Window Figure 2-17: The Marker Tab of the Default Graphic Properties Window Figure 2-18: Fill Property Examples Figure 2-19: Gradient Fill Examples Figure 2-20: Gradient Fill Properties Window Figure 2-21: Interval End Color Window Figure 2-22: Edge Property Examples Figure 2-23: Text Property Examples Figure 2-24: Marker Property Examples Figure 2-25: The Object Name Window Figure 2-26: The Object Userdata Window Figure 2-27: The Object Userword Window Figure 2-28: The Object Flags Window Figure 2-29: The Object Information Window Figure 2-30: The Object Text Window SL-GMS Draw Tutorial iii

7 Figure 2-31: Move Window Figure 2-32: The Object Scale Window Figure 2-33: The Rotate Window Figure 2-34: Rotating an Object Using a Selection Handle Figure 2-35: Contents of a GML File Figure 2-36: Group and Fill Group Examples Figure 2-37: The Snap and Point Modes Window Figure 2-38: Snap and Point Mode Buttons Figure 2-39: The View Options Window Figure 2-40: View Tools Panel (Windows) Figure 2-41: View Tools Window (Motif) Figure 3-1: Tank with Level Indicator Figure 3-2: The Grid Options Window Figure 3-3: Tank Fill Group Figure 3-4: The Parts of a DynProp Figure 3-5: Object Dynamic Properties Window Figure 3-6: Object Dynamic Property Window with Text Figure 3-7: Object Dynamic Properties Window with Accepted Text Figure 3-8: DynProp Parse Error Dialog Figure 3-9: The Edit Data File Window Figure 3-10: The Preview Options Window Figure 3-11: The Value Display Model Figure 3-12: Points for Upper Shadow of Value Display Figure 3-13: Valve Model Figure 3-14: Valve Construction Example # Figure 3-15: Custom Palette Model Figure 3-16: Available Submodels Window Figure 3-17: Extent Guides Offset from Mouse Cursor Figure 3-18: A Tank Farm Model Figure 3-19: The Available Palettes Window Figure 3-20: The Object Renamed Variables Window Figure 3-21: A Tank with Gradient Fill Figure 3-22: Gradient Fill Using Colors SL-GMS Draw Tutorial iv

8 Figure 3-23: Gradient Fill with Colordef.acad Colors SL-GMS Draw Tutorial v

9 Sherrill Lubinski SL-GMSDraw Tutorial Introduction The purpose of the SL-GMSDraw Tutorial is to teach the features and capabilities of the SL-GMSDraw graphical editor through hands-on exercises. After completing the exercises in this manual you should be able to: Invoke, use, and exit SL-GMSDraw Use SL-GMSDraw to create objects in a graphical Model 1 Move, rotate and scale objects Modify object properties Attach dynamics to an object Use Preview to activate and test dynamic objects Save a Model to disk Understand how changes in variables influence the appearance of objects Create a custom palette of objects Chapter 2 Editor Operations covers editor operations such as creating, moving, scaling, rotating and setting the properties of objects. Chapter 3 Building Models contains a series of exercises that show how to build Models for physical equipment, value display, input objects, and palettes. Terminology clarification The steps for the exercises throughout this manual often state, 1. In SL-GMS, a Model is a collection of objects and their dynamic behaviors, such as Lines, Circles, Text, and Graphs, A Model may be used as an object in other Models. SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 1-1

10 Click the... button... or Click the... Pull-Down Menu and choose... Exercises Clicking a button, unless otherwise specified, refers to pressing and releasing the left mouse button. Clicking and choosing an option from a pull-down menu in the SL-GMSDraw editor refers to dragging pressing the left mouse button on the Pull-down Menu name, moving the mouse over the popped-up menu, keeping the left button depressed, and then releasing the left mouse button on the desired option. Special keys are enclosed in angle-brackets. For example, <RETURN> specifies entry (pressing) of the Return key; it does not specify entry of the characters "<", "R", "E", "T", "U", "R", "N", and ">". Each chapter contains exercises which demonstrate the features of SL-GMSDraw, and provide experience with their use. Each exercise contains a Reference Material section. Study of the items listed in the Reference Material section is essential to a complete understanding of the features demonstrated in each exercise. SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 1-2

11 2 Editor Operations Introduction This chapter covers basic editor operations that are common to most SL-GMSDraw editing sessions. All procedures described in this chapter assume that SL-GMS is properly installed. Starting the SL-GMSDraw editor The steps required to start SL-GMSDraw editor depend on the operating system used. WindowsNT There are two ways of starting SL-GMSDraw on WindowsNT. 1. From a GMS Command Prompt window, change to a working directory and enter the name of the editor s program file: cd <directory-name><return> gmsdraw_mfc<return> 2. Using the Programs menu, find the entry for SL-GMS and select the GmsDraw_mfc entry from the list of items in the SL-GMS menu. UNIX / Motif 1. In a terminal window, change to a working directory and enter the name of the editor s program file: cd <directory-name><return> gmsdraw_xm<return> Once SL-GMSDraw is started, it will appear as shown below. SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 2-1

12 Menus, Control Icons, and Undo/Redo Tools Status bar Tool Panels Working View Graphical Properties Figure 2-1: Editor Layout (WindowsNT) SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 2-2

13 Menus, Control Icons, and Undo/Redo Tools View Tools Object Tools Active Working View Graphical Properties Status Information Figure 2-2: Editor Layout (UNIX / Motif) Figure 2-1: and Figure 2-2: show the layout the of the SL-GMSDraw editor. There are five different parts to the editor interface. SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 2-3

14 1. Main Menu bar contains pull-down menus, control icons, and the tools used to undo/redo editing functions 2. Tool Panels contain tools used to create (Create Tools), change (Change Tools), and view (View Tools) objects 3. Graphical Properties window controls the properties of objects, such as color and edge style 4. Working View contains the current Model being edited 5. Status window (Motif) and Status bar (Windows) displays status of editing operations The layout of the SL-GMSDraw user interface varies slightly between the Motif and Windows versions. However, the editor provides the same tools and functionality in both environments. Exiting the SL-GMSDraw editor To exit SL-GMSDraw, select Exit from the editor s File menu. Coordinate Space The large blank rectangular space in the center is the drawing region and is called the Working View. When SL-GMSDraw is started, the default drawing coordinates of the Working View are (0,0) in the lower left corner and (72,54) in the upper right corner. These coordinates are in an imaginary coordinate space called the World Coordinate Space which extends from ( , ) to (32767., ). Models are defined in World Coordinates. Further information about coordinate systems is provided in the SL-GMS Reference. Moving the mouse cursor around in the Working View causes continuous update of the mouse coordinates in the Cursor SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 2-4

15 Exercise 2-1: World Coordinates Reference Material The Display of Models chapter of the SL-GMS Reference Steps 1. Start SL-GMSDraw using the steps appropriate for the operating system on which SL-GMSDraw is installed. 2. If an empty Model is not displayed, create one by clicking the File menu and choosing the New item. 3. Locate the Working View. 4. Locate the Cursor Position Box in the Status Area. 5. Move the mouse cursor around in the Working View, and observe the changes in the World Coordinates displayed in the Cursor Position Box. SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 2-5

16 Creating Objects Objects are created in SL-GMSDraw using the Create Tools panel shown in Figure 2-3: and Figure 2-4:. Select Mode Point Move Line Polyline Spline Polygon Closed Spline Rectangle Circle Filled Polygon Filled Spline Filled Rectangle Filled Circle Sector 3 Point Sector Wedge Marker Duplicate Text Text Rectangle Figure 2-3: Create Tools Panel (Windows) SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 2-6

17 Select Mode Point Move Line Spline Wedge Polyline Polygon Filled Polygon Closed Spline Filled Spline Circle Filled Circle Rectangle Filled Rectangle Text Text Rectangle 3 Point Sector Sector Duplicate Marker Figure 2-4: Create Tools Panel (Motif) SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 2-7

18 The Create Tools panel contains seventeen buttons for creating graphic objects (also known as graphic primitives), a Select Mode button, a Point Move button, and a Duplicate button. Objects are created by clicking the appropriate button in the Create Tools panel, and then defining the object s points in the Working View. Object Creation Mode When an object creation button is clicked, SL-GMSDraw enters object creation mode. By default, multiple instances of the selected object type can be created one after the other. When SL-GMSDraw enters object creation mode, the mouse cursor changes from an arrow to a square and cross while it is in the Working View. Figure 2-5: Object Create Mode Mouse Cursor Defining Object Points A point is created by positioning the mouse cursor at the desired location in the Working View, and then clicking (pressing and releasing) the left mouse button. Objects in SL-GMSDraw require either a fixed number of points (line, circle, rectangle, wedge, and sector), or a variable number of points (polygon, spline). Once the required number of points are defined for objects that require a fixed number of points, an object selection rectangle with gray handles appears around the object as shown in Figure 2-6:. The appearance of the object selection rectangle indicates that the object is finished, and that a new object can be created. SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 2-8

19 Figure 2-6: Object Selection Rectangle with Gray Handles For objects that require a variable number of points, clicking the right mouse button tells SL-GMSDraw that all points for the current object have been defined. In the Windows NT version of SL-GMSDraw, terminating the current object requires two clicks of the right mouse button. Then, the object selection rectangle with gray handles appears indicating that another object instance can be created. While objects are being created, messages appear in the Status Area that describe the next object creation action. For example, when creating a Wedge, a series of messages will appear as described below. Before any points are defined: "... pick center of wedge" After the center of the wedge is defined: "... pick first wedge endpoint" After the first wedge endpoint is defined: "... pick second wedge endpoint" SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 2-9

20 Ending Object Creation Mode There are three ways to end object creation mode. 1. Click the right mouse button. 2. Click the Select Mode button. 3. Click the button for a different object from the Create Tools panel. When object creation mode is ended, the mouse cursor will return to an arrow and the last object created will be surrounded by a selection rectangle with blue handles as shown in Figure 2-7:. Figure 2-7: Object Selection Rectangle with Blue Handles Single Instance Mode SL-GMSDraw s object creation mode can be configured to only create a single object instance, and then end. To do so, click the Options menu and choose the User Preferences option. When the User Preferences window appears, click the check box next to "Create Single Objects". SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 2-10

21 Object Creation Tips Angles in SL-GMS are positive in the counterclockwise direction. This will effect how Wedge and Sector objects appear. Text and Text Rectangle objects have an additional step for entering the object s text. After the last point is defined, enter text if desired. Then, click the right mouse button to finish the current object and move on to the next one. Object Order The order in which objects are created in a Model is also the order in which the Model s objects are drawn. The first object in the Model is the first one drawn, and is behind all subsequent objects. SL-GMSDraw provides tools to change the order of objects in the Model. There are three options in the Order submenu of the Edit menu. Front of All - The currently selected object(s) is made the last object in the Model Back of All - The currently selected object(s) is made the first object in the Model. By Selection - The currently selected objects are reordered relative to each other to reflect the order in which they were selected. The Windows NT version of SL-GMSDraw provides toolbar buttons for all three order operations. SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 2-11

22 Exercise 2-2: Creating Objects Reference Material The Tools chapter of the SL-GMSDraw User s Guide Steps 1. Using the Create Tools panel, create multiple instances of each of the sixteen object types. 2. Experiment with positive and negative angles while creating Wedge and Sector objects. 3. Type text into some text objects, and leave others blank. 4. While creating objects, watch the Status Area for messages and cursor coordinates. 5. Create five overlapping Rectangle objects. 6. Click the last rectangle created. Then, click the Edit menu and choose the Back of All option of the Order submenu. The selected rectangle is moved behind the other four rectangles. 7. Click the third rectangle. Then, click the Edit menu and choose the Front of All option of the Order submenu. The selected rectangle is moved on top of other rectangles. 8. While holding down the Shift key, click the five rectangles in a random order. Then click the Edit menu and choose the By Selection option of the Order submenu. The rectangles are reordered with the first one selected behind the others, and the last one selected on top. Selecting Objects and the Select List To view or change an object s properties in SL-GMSDraw, the object must first be designated, or "selected" as the object to which property operations are applied. The simplest way to select an object is to click on it with the mouse. Clicking on an object causes a selection rectangle to be drawn around the object which provides a visual confirmation that the object is selected. The selection rectangle is drawn just outside the object s extent SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 2-12

23 and has a small square at each corner, and the midpoint of each side. The small squares are known as "handles". Multiple objects are selected by holding the Shift key and clicking on the desired objects. As each object is selected, it is added to the "Select List". The number of objects in the Select List is displayed in the Status Area next to the cursor position. The selection rectangle encloses the extent of all objects on the Select List. There are several ways to select an object. Clicking an object while the editor is in Select Mode. The editor is in Select Mode by default when started. The Select Mode button in the Create Tools Panel is used to put the editor into Select Mode when needed. Click the Edit menu, and choose the All option of the Select submenu to select all objects in the Model. Click the Edit menu, and choose the Invert option of the Select submenu to place all unselected objects on the Select List, and deselect the objects that were on the Select List. Click the Edit menu, and choose the By Name option of the Select submenu. The Select by Name window appears. Enter an object name into the window, and click the Apply button. If any object in the Model has the name entered, it is added to the select list. Figure 2-8: Select By Name Window SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 2-13

24 Define a rectangle that encloses one or more objects. Those objects which are fully enclosed by the rectangle are added to the select list. Such an operation is called "Select by Extent". There are two ways to define the selection rectangle. The first is to click and drag a selection rectangle while the editor is in Select Mode.This method works well as long as the first click to define the selection rectangle does not occur over a selectable object. The second is to click the Select By Extent button in the tool bar above the Main Working View, and then click and drag a selection rectangle. The second method is useful when there are selectable objects behind, or near the objects desired for the select list. Figure 2-9: The Select By Extent Button Use the Select By Properties window to define a set of properties used to place objects on the select list. The Select by Properties window is activated by clicking the Edit menu and choosing the By Properties... option of the Select submenu. SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 2-14

25 The Focus Object Figure 2-10: The Select By Properties Window When there is more than one object on the select list, one of the objects has a dashed rectangle around it which designates it as the focus object. The focus object is the object on the select list to which non-graphic property changes can be made. Non-graphic properties are Name, UserData, UserWord, Flags, DynProp, and text. Graphic property changes such as fill color, are applied to all objects on the select list. Move, scale, and rotate operations are also applied to all objects on the select list. SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 2-15

26 Figure 2-11: Selected Objects and Focus Object The focus object of the select list is changed using the loop control buttons on the tool bar above the Working View. Pick aperture Figure 2-12: Loop Control Buttons The pick aperture determines how close the mouse cursor must be to an object to select it. The pick aperture can be thought of as a small rectangle centered on the hot spot of the mouse cursor. If part of an object lies within the rectangle, pressing the left mouse button will select the object. The size of pick aperture is specified as a percentage of the screen width. The pick aperture is changed using the User Preferences window. To activate the SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 2-16

27 User Preferences window, click the Options menu and choose the User Preferences... option. Exercise 2-3: Selecting Objects Reference Material See Tools and Menus in the SL-GMSDraw User s Guide Steps 1. Create an empty Model by clicking the File menu, and choosing the New option, or clicking the New button on the main toolbar. If a dialog appears, click the No button. 2. Create two filled rectangles, two filled circles, and another filled rectangle. 3. Click on one of the rectangles to select it. 4. While holding down the Shift key, click on the other two rectangles. The selection rectangle will change with each additional selection to enclose all selected objects. The first rectangle selected will have a dashed line around it indicating that it is the current Focus Object. 5. Clear the select list by clicking the right mouse button until there are no objects selected. 6. Select two of the objects. 7. Click the Edit menu, and choose the Invert option of the Select submenu. The select list now contains the objects that were not selected. 8. Clear the select list. 9. Click and drag a selection extent around three of the objects. The objects fully enclosed by the selection extent are put on the select list. 10. Using the loop control buttons, step the Focus Object through all of the objects on the select list. SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 2-17

28 Graphic Properties Fill, edge, text, trect, and marker properties of SL-GMS objects are set using the three panels of the Default Graphic Properties window as shown in Figure 2-13:, Figure 2-14:, Figure 2-15:, Figure 2-16: and Figure 2-17:. Figure 2-13: Fill Tab of the Default Graphic Properties Window Figure 2-14: Edge Tab of the Default Graphic Properties Window SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 2-18

29 Figure 2-15: The Text Tab of the Default Graphic Properties Window Figure 2-16: The TRect Tab of the Default Graphic Properties Window Figure 2-17: The Marker Tab of the Default Graphic Properties Window SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 2-19

30 The object properties shown in the Default Graphic Properties window display the current values of global, or modal, object properties, not the property values of any single object. They are considered "default" properties, and contain the graphic property values used to create object instances. If one or more objects are selected when a default graphic property is changed, the new property value will be applied to those selected objects which have that property. The Object Information window (described later in this chapter) is used to display the current graphic property values for a selected object. There are two ways to access the Default Graphic Properties window. The first way is to click the Object menu and choose the Graphic... option of the Properties submenu. The second way is to click on an object to select it. Then, click the right mouse button and a pop-up menu will appear. Click the Graphic Properties option of the pop-up menu, and the Default Graphic Properties window will appear. Exercise 2-4: Fill Properties Reference Material The Color chapter of the SL-GMS Reference The Setting Object Properties chapter of the SL-GMSDraw User s Guide SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 2-20

31 Steps Figure 2-18: Fill Property Examples 1. Create a series of four Filled Rectangles that overlap as shown in Figure 2-18:. 2. Give each rectangle a different fill and edge color. 3. Experiment with the fill color, fill pattern, and fill interior of the rectangle and observe their effect on the appearance of the SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 2-21

32 rectangle and the rectangles behind it. Note that fill interior must be opaque or transparent for a fill pattern to be visible. 4. Create four additional filled rectangles. Set the fill percent of each one to Set each of the four new rectangles to a different fill direction. 6. Select one of the filled rectangles. 7. Unfill the selected rectangle, then clear the select list. 8. Try to select the unfilled rectangle by clicking in its center. 9. Click on the unfilled rectangle s edge to select it. 10. Fill the selected rectangle. 11. Set the rectangle s fill interior to hollow. 12. Clear the select list. 13. Click in the center of the hollow rectangle to select it. The rectangle is selected even though it does not look like it is filled. Note that changes made to graphic properties using the Default Graphic Properties window are modal, and will be used in the creation of subsequent objects. SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 2-22

33 Exercise 2-5: Gradient Fill Reference Material The Color chapter of the SL-GMS Reference The Setting Object Properties chapter of the SL-GMSDraw User s Guide Steps Figure 2-19: Gradient Fill Examples 1. Create a filled circle, a filled rectangle, a filled polygon, and a filled spline as shown above. 2. Select the filled circle, and set its Gradient Fill property using the Default Graphic Properties window. 3. Click the Gradient Dialog button to display the Gradient Fill Properties window. SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 2-23

34 Figure 2-20: Gradient Fill Properties Window NOTE: The Start Color Index field cannot be edited directly in the Gradient Fill Properties window. The start color is set using the Default Graphic Properties window to set the object s fill color. 4. Set the circle s End Color Index by clicking on the first End Color Index field to display the Interval End Color Index window. Then click the color cell for color 4, or enter the number 4 in the window s text edit field. SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 2-24

35 Figure 2-21: Interval End Color Window 5. Click the Elliptic button in the Gradient Fill Properties window. 6. Click the center Preset in the Gradient Fill Properties window. 7. The circle s gradient fill properties are now set to the following values: Fill Color Index: 6 Gradient Type: Elliptic End Color Index: 4 Preset: center 8. Repeat steps 2-6 for the rectangle setting its gradient fill properties to the following values: Fill Color Index: 24 Gradient Type: Acyclic End Color: 11 Preset: bottom 9. Repeat steps 2-6 as needed for the polygon setting its gradient fill properties to the following values: SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 2-25

36 Fill Color Index: 4 Gradient Type: Cyclic Preset: left 1st Interval: End Color = 2, Percentage = 33 2nd Interval: End Color = 3, Percentage = 33 3rd Interval: End Color = 1, Percentage = Repeat steps 2-6 for the spline setting its gradient fill properties to the following values: Fill Color Index: 0 Gradient Type: Cyclic End Color: 7 Preset: right Click the Advanced option and enter the following values in the four fields: Advanced: Start Point = (34.44, 30.00), End Point = (20.00, 17.02) Gradient fills on systems with limited color resources are restricted to the colors defined in the colordef.dat file. SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 2-26

37 Exercise 2-6: Edge Properties Reference Material The Color chapters of the SL-GMS Reference The Setting Object Properties chapter of the SL-GMSDraw User s Guide Steps Figure 2-22: Edge Property Examples 1. Create a Polygon 2. Create a Filled Polygon 3. Try all edge styles and widths on both objects. Use the radio buttons and the spin box. 4. Use the Open Polygon and Close Polygon buttons on both objects and observe the results. SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 2-27

38 Exercise 2-7: Text Properties Reference Material See Text and Color in the SL-GMS Reference See Setting Object Properties in the SL-GMSDraw User s Guide Hello H el Hello l o Hello Hello Hello Hello Hello Hello Hello Hello Hello Hello Hello Steps Figure 2-23: Text Property Examples 1. Create a Text Rectangle object and a Text object. While entering text, press the <RETURN> key to create multiple lines. 2. Since the Text Rectangle object includes a Filled Rectangle, experiment with different fill colors. Changing other fill properties is not recommended since they effect the erasure and update of dynamic text. 3. Use the Text Align grid to change the alignment on both objects. Try all fifteen positions. 4. Change the text height of both objects. The text height is specified in World Coordinates. Fractional numbers can be entered directly into the text height field. SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 2-28

39 5. Use the font list to change the font. 6. Click the Raster and Hershey radio buttons and observe the change in the font. Note that the radio buttons switch between last list fonts of each type selected with the font list box. 7. Click the Replace Text button. The Object Text window appears. Use it to change the text of both objects. 8. Click the Raster radio button. Click the True Type font style buttons (Bold, Italic, Underline, Strike through), and observe how they change the font style. 9. Click the direction buttons and observe their effect on both objects. The fonts available in the Default Graphic Properties window are designed for cross-platform compatibility. However, any available fonts can be added to the editor s font definition file which is discussed later in this chapter. SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 2-29

40 Exercise 2-8: Marker Properties Reference Material See Setting Object Properties in the SL-GMSDraw User s Guide Steps Figure 2-24: Marker Property Examples 1. Create five Marker objects. Note that a marker object may contain multiple symbols. Once create mode is started for a Marker, each click of the mouse defines a symbol location within the current marker object. Click the right mouse button twice to end the current object, and begin another. 2. Use the Marker tab of the Default Graphic Properties window to change the symbol for each marker object so that each marker object uses a different symbol. 3. Use the Color panel of the Default Graphic Properties window to set each marker object to a different color. SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 2-30

41 Non-Graphic Object Properties There are additional object properties that are accessible through SL-GMSDraw s Object menu. Object visibility and detectability are set directly from the Object menu. The remaining properties are set using windows that are accessed from the Properties submenu. The options available in the Properties submenu are listed below. Graphic - Provides another way to access the Default Graphic Properties window. Name - Activates the Object Name window as shown in Figure 2-25:. Named objects can be selected by their name in SL-GMSDraw, and programmatically at run time. Figure 2-25: The Object Name Window Userdata - Activates the Object Userdata window as shown in Figure 2-26:. Userdata is a string attached to an object that can be retrieved programmatically. Figure 2-26: The Object Userdata Window Userword - Activates the Object Userword window as shown in Figure 2-27:. Userword is a numeric field attached to an object that can be retrieved programmatically. SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 2-31

42 Figure 2-27: The Object Userword Window Flags - Activates the Object Flags window as shown in Figure 2-28:. Flag options are used to optimize how an object is redrawn. Figure 2-28: The Object Flags Window Information - Activates the Object Information window, as shown in Figure 2-29:, to display an object s current property values. SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 2-32

43 Figure 2-29: The Object Information Window Text - Activates the Object Text window, as shown in Figure 2-30:, which is used to edit the string property of a Text object, or Text Rectangle object. Figure 2-30: The Object Text Window SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 2-33

44 The Name, Userdata, Userword, Flags, Information, and Text windows all display values for the currently selected object. Exercise 2-9: Non-Graphic Object Properties Reference Material See Setting Object Properties in the SL-GMSDraw User s Guide Steps 1. Create a Text Rectangle object, and a Polygon object. 2. Click the text rectangle object to select it. 3. Use the Object menu to activate the Object Name, Object UserData, Object UserWord, Object Flags, and Object Text windows. 4. Set values for the object s Name, UserData, UserWord, Flags and Text properties using the windows activated in step Click the polygon object. 6. Set values for the object s Name, UserData, UserWord, and Flags properties using the windows activated in step Click the text rectangle object. 8. Observe that the contents of the property windows change to reflect those of the currently selected object. Exercise 2-10: Selecting Objects By Properties Reference Material See Tools and Menus in the SL-GMSDraw User s Guide SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 2-34

45 Steps 1. Create three filled Rectangle objects, and two filled Circle objects. 2. Click on one of the rectangles to select it. While holding down the Shift key, click on the other two rectangles and the circles to add them to the select list. 3. Set the Name and UserData properties of the Focus Object to "one". 4. Use the loop control buttons to change the Focus Object to the next object on the select list. Set it s Name and UserData properties to "two". 5. Set the Name and UserData properties of the remaining objects in the select list so they are unique to each object. 6. Use the loop controls to move the Focus Object back and forth through the select list, and observe the values displayed in the Object Name and Object Userdata windows. 7. Clear the select list by clicking the right mouse button until there are no objects selected. 8. Activate the Select By Name window by clicking the Edit menu, and choosing the By Name... option of the Select submenu. 9. Enter "two" into the Select By Name window data entry field and click the Apply button. A selection rectangle will appear around the object with that name. The selected object should also have a fill color that is blue. 10. Activate the Select By Properties window by clicking the Edit menu, and choosing the By Properties... option of the Select submenu. 11. Click the Fill Color option, and make sure that the Name matching data entry field is empty. Then click the Apply button. The selection rectangle now encloses the second blue rectangle. SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 2-35

46 12. Click the Fill Color option to clear it, click the Object Type option and then click the Apply button. The third rectangle is added to the select list. 13. Clear the select list. Object Information The Object Information window displays the properties of the currently selected object. This window is the only way to see the current values of an object s graphic properties. There are three ways to activate the Object Information window: Clicking the right mouse button and choosing the Object Information option in the popup window. Clicking the Object menu and choosing the Information option of the Properties submenu. Double-clicking an object that is one of the sixteen graphic objects. Exercise 2-11: Object Information Reference Material See Menus in the SL-GMSDraw User s Guide Steps 1. Create a Rectangle object, a Text object, and a Text Rectangle object. 2. Click on one of the objects. 3. Click the right mouse button and choose the Object Information option. The Object Information window will appear. 4. Click one of the other objects and observe the change in the data displayed in the Object Information window. 5. Close the Object Information window. 6. Double-click one of the three objects. The Object Information window will appear. SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 2-36

47 Moving Objects 7. Close the Object Information window. 8. Click on one of the three objects. 9. Click the Object menu and choose the Information option of the Properties submenu. The Object Information window will appear. There are three ways to move an object in SL-GMSDraw: Click and drag the object with the mouse. Select the object, and use the arrow keys. Use the Move window to move the object to specified coordinates. As shown in Figure 2-31:, the Move window supports relative and absolute move operations. Figure 2-31: Move Window There are three settings in the User Preferences window that effect object movement within the editor. Move Delay - Sets the delay (in milliseconds) between the time the mouse begins to move and when that motion is rendered on the screen. SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 2-37

48 Move Dist - Sets the distance (in pixels) that a Move operation must cover before that motion is rendered on the screen. Keyboard Move Delta - Sets the distance (in World Coordinates) that arrow keys move an object on the screen. Transformation Matrices When an object is moved, scaled, or rotated in SL-GMS, the definition of the object does not change. Instead of changing the points that define the object, a transformation matrix is attached to the object that is used to draw the object at it s new location, size, or orientation. If the transformation matrix is removed, the object is drawn according to it s original specifications. A transformation can be "applied" to an object. To apply a transformation to an object means to apply a transformation matrix to the points that define the object resulting in a new object definition. The object no longer has a transformation matrix, and is defined as if it was created at the location, size, or orientation specified by the transformation. Exercise 2-12: Moving Objects Reference Material The SL-GMS Draw User s Guide Steps 1. Create a Rectangle object. 2. Click and drag the object to a new location. 3. Click the Object menu, and choose the Remove Transform option. The rectangle returns to its original location. 4. Click the rectangle to select it. 5. Using the arrow keys, move the rectangle to a new location. 6. Click the Object menu, and choose the Apply Transform option. 7. Click the Object menu, and choose the Remove Transform option. The rectangle stays at its current location. SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 2-38

49 Scaling Objects 8. Click the Object menu, and choose the Move option. The Move window appears with Move to point option selected. 9. Enter the value 20 in the Horizontal and Vertical fields of the Move window, and click the Apply button. 10. Use the Object Information window to verify that the center of the rectangle is now at (20,20). 11. Click the Move by amount option in the Move window, and click the Apply button. 12. Use the Object Information window to verify that the center of the rectangle is now at (40,40). There five ways to scale an object in SL-GMSDraw: Click and drag the left or right center selection handle to scale the object horizontally. Click and drag the top or bottom center selection handle to scale the object vertically. Click and drag a corner selection handle to scale the object both horizontally and vertically without restriction. Click and drag one of the object selection handles while holding down a Shift key to scale the object proportionally thereby preserving its aspect ratio. Use the Scale window shown in Figure 2-32: to enter horizontal and vertical scale factors. SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 2-39

50 Scaling Text Objects Figure 2-32: The Object Scale Window When a Text, or Text Rectangle object is scaled, the text font is scaled as well. The result is that the visual size of the text will not match the text height as reported by the Object Information window. To avoid this condition, do not change the size of Text and Text Rectangle objects by scaling them. Instead, use the Height field in the Text panel of the Default Graphic Properties window to set the size of the text. To change the rectangle size of a Text Rectangle object, use the Point Move tool to change the location of the rectangle s points (described in the Point Editing section of this chapter). Exercise 2-13: Scaling Objects Reference Material The SL-GMS Draw User s Guide Steps 1. Create a Filled Polygon object. 2. Click the polygon to select it. 3. Click and drag the polygon s top center selection handle upward. 4. While doing so, move the mouse to the left and right, and observe what happens. SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 2-40

51 5. Click and drag the polygon s right center selection handle to the left. While doing so, move the mouse to up and down, and observe what happens. 6. Click the polygon s upper right corner selection handle, and move it all directions. 7. Hold down the Shift key, and then click any one of polygon s selection handles. Move the mouse in all directions. 8. Click the polygon s top center selection handle, and drag it down past the bottom of the polygon. The polygon will flip over from top to bottom. 9. Click the polygon s left center selection handle, and move it past the right side of the object. The polygon will flip over from left to right. 10. Click the Object menu, and choose the Remove Transform option. The polygon will return to its original location and size. Rotating Objects There are two ways to rotate an object in SL-GMSDraw: Click and drag one of the selection handles while holding down a Ctrl key. The handle opposite the one used to rotate the object becomes the center of rotation. Use the Rotate window, shown in Figure 2-33:, to enter a rotation angle. The object s current reference point is used as the center of rotation. It is important to note that in SL-GMS, angles are positive in the counterclockwise direction. SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 2-41

52 Figure 2-33: The Rotate Window Exercise 2-14: Rotating Objects Reference Material The SL-GMS Draw User s Guide Steps 1. Create a Filled Polygon object. 2. Click the Object menu, and choose the Rotate option. The Rotate window will appear. 3. Enter the number 45 in the Rotation Angle field, and click the Apply button. The object rotates 45 degrees to the left, a check appears next to Rotate counterclockwise. 4. Click on Rotate counterclockwise to uncheck it. The rotation angle is changed to Click the Apply button. The object returns to its original orientation. 6. While holding down the Ctrl key, click and drag the upper right selection handle. A reference line will appear, and the mouse cursor will change as shown in Figure 2-34:. 7. Click the Object menu, and choose the Remove Transform option. The polygon will return to its original location and size. SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 2-42

53 Saving a Model Figure 2-34: Rotating an Object Using a Selection Handle A Model is saved to a file by clicking the File menu and choosing the Save, or Save As... option. There is also a Save button on the main toolbar. Model File Formats SL-GMSDraw can save Model files in two formats. The format of a Model file is designated by its file name extension. ".m1" - Model information is stored in binary form. ".g" - Model information is stored as plain text in SL-GML (SL Graphical Modeling Language). A text editor can be used to modify Models saved in GML format. In fact, some SL-GMS users actually build their Models this way. The GML format is also used to port Model files between different platforms. SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 2-43

54 Exercise 2-15: Creating and Viewing a GML File Reference Material See The Graphical Modeling Language and Appendix D in the SL-GMS Reference See Menus in the SL-GMSDraw User s Guide Steps 1. Create a Rectangle object, and a Filled Rectangle object. 2. Click the File menu, and choose the Save option. The Save window will appear. 3. Select a suitable location for the file, and enter a file name. Click the Save button. 4. Click the File menu, and choose the GML Script option of the Export submenu. Click the OK button in the confirmation window that appears. 5. Click the File menu, and choose the View GML File option. The Open.g File window will appear. 6. In the Open.g File window click the name of the file saved in step 4. Click the Open button. A window will appear that displays the contents of the GML file similar to the one shown in Figure 2-35:. SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 2-44

55 Figure 2-35: Contents of a GML File Groups SL-GMS supports three group objects. The first is a simple Group object that can contain any SL-GMS objects even other Group objects. The second is a Fill Group which is composed of open, unfilled objects which are connected with an invisible edge and then filled as a single object. The third is a Complex Fill Group which can be composed of open, and closed objects. The Complex Fill Group uses a more complex fill algorithm that can handle a group with multiple boundaries (such as "islands" or "holes"). To create a group, select the objects that will be part of the group. Then, click the Object menu, and choose the Group option, or click the Group button. The order in which the objects are selected determines their order in the group as well as the order in which the objects in the group are SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 2-45

56 drawn. The first object in the group is behind all other objects in the group and is drawn first. A Group object has properties like other SL-GMS objects. It can be assigned Name, UserData, UserWord, Detectability, Visibility, Flags, or DynProp properties. It can also be moved, scaled, or rotated. Special Ungroup and Special Regroup There are times when it is desirable to modify an object that is a member of a group, add objects to a group, or remove objects from a group. Each of these actions requires that the group be destroyed. When a group is destroyed, its properties are lost. SL-GMSDraw provides a mechanism that saves a group s properties so they are not lost when the group is destroyed. The Special Ungroup and Special Regroup options of the Object menu provide this capability. Exercise 2-16: Groups Reference Material See Tools and Menus in the SL-GMSDraw User s Guide Figure 2-36: Group and Fill Group Examples SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 2-46

57 Steps 1. Create four overlapping rectangles with different fill colors. 2. Select the objects in the opposite order in which they were created while holding down the Shift key. 3. Click the Object menu, and choose the Group option. The objects will overlap differently than when they were first created. 4. Assign a name to the group. 5. Click the Object menu, and choose the Ungroup option. The objects are placed on the select list, but the group object and its name are gone. 6. Click the Object menu, and choose the Group option to recreate the group. Reassign a name to the group. 7. Click the Object menu, and choose the Special Ungroup option. 8. Clear the select list. 9. Select the four rectangles in the order they were originally created. 10. Click the Object menu, and choose the Special Regroup option. Using the Object Name window, or the Object Information window, verify that the newly regrouped object has the original name that was saved by Special Ungroup. 11. Create four lines and arrange them to form the sides of a parallelogram. The lines should not connect or overlap. Set the edge thickness to 4 four each line. 12. Select the four lines. 13. Click the Object menu, and choose the Fill Group option of the Fill Group submenu. The gaps between four lines are connected by an invisible edge and the resulting object is filled. 14. Create an eight sided polygon, and then create a circle inside it. 15. Select both objects. SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 2-47

58 Aligning Objects 16. Click the Object menu, and choose the Fill Group option of the Fill Group submenu. An error dialog will appear since the selected objects are not allowed in a simple Fill Group. Click the dialog s OK button to dismiss the dialog. 17. Click the Object menu, and choose the Complex Fill Group option of the Fill Group submenu. The area between the outside of the circle and the inside of the polygon is filled. SL-GMSDraw Edit menu provides seven options in the Align submenu that align objects on the select list with the Focus Object. Top Moves the top of each object on the select list to the same Y coordinate as the top of the Focus Object. Bottom Moves the bottom of each object on the select list to the same Y coordinate as the bottom of the Focus Object. Right Moves the right side of each object on the select list to the same X coordinate as the right side the Focus Object. Left Moves the left side of each object on the select list to the same X coordinate as the left side the Focus Object. Evenly Spaced Evenly spaces the objects on the select list between the first and last objects on the select list. Center Vertical Moves the center of each object on the select list to the same X coordinate as the center of the Focus Object. Center Horizontal Moves the center of each object on the select list to the same Y coordinate as the center of the Focus Object. SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 2-48

59 Exercise 2-17: Aligning Objects Reference Material See Menus in the SL-GMSDraw User s Guide Steps 1. Create a rectangle object, a circle object, a polygon object, and a spline object. 2. Select all four objects. 3. Click the Edit menu, and choose Left from the Align submenu. The left side of each object is moved to align with the left side of the Focus Object. 4. Press Ctrl-Z to undo the alignment operation. 5. Use the loop control buttons to change the Focus Object, and then repeat step Continue the process described in steps 2-5 with the remaining alignment operations available in the Align submenu. Test each alignment operation using each object as the Focus Object. Snap and Point Modes SL-GMSDraw provides advanced tools for picking points while creating or transforming objects. There are three snap modes that control how points are placed and three point modes that determine the reference point used to move, scale, rotate, or mirror objects. The snap and point modes are selected using the Snap and Point Modes window, or the PointSelection Control toolbar buttons. To activate the Snap and Point Modes window, click the Options menu and choose the Snap and Point Modes... option. SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 2-49

60 Figure 2-37: The Snap and Point Modes Window Motif Windows Figure 2-38: Snap and Point Mode Buttons SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 2-50

61 Object Reference Point An object s reference point is the point on an object about which transformations are performed. The default object reference point is the center of the object s extent. An object s extent is defined as the smallest rectangle that completely encloses the object. SL-GMSDraw provides tools to change an object s reference point under the Point menu. An object s reference point does not have to be within the object s extent. It can be outside the object s extent. However, an object with such a reference point is more difficult to move and align since the reference point is not visible while tansforming the object. In most cases, the snap and point modes are used to set an object s reference point to a predefined point on the object s edge. Snap Modes The three snap modes control how points are picked during object creation or transformation. Snap to Grid The next point picked is placed at the nearest grid intersection. Grid divisions, color, and line style are set using the Grid Options window. Click the Options menu and choose the GridOptions... item to activate the Grid Options window. Snap to Grav The next point picked is placed at the nearest predefined point of the closest object clicked. If an object is not clicked on, the location of the mouse cursor is used. Snap Off The next point picked is placed at the location of the mouse cursor. Point Modes The three point modes control the reference point used to move, scale, rotate or mirror objects. Point Mode The nearest predefined point on the object is used as the reference point for subsequent operations. SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 2-51

62 Center Mode The point at the center of the object s extent is used as the reference point for subsequent operations. Reference Mode The object s current reference point is used as the reference point for subsequent operations. The snap and point modes combined with the Enter Point window, provide the tools needed to create objects at exact locations in World Coordinates, and to create objects with specific connections and relationships to each other. A little design and planning when combined with these tools, greatly reduces the need to move, or align objects after they have been created. Exercise 2-18: Snap Modes and Object Creation Reference Material See Editor Layout and Options Pull-Down Menu in the SL-GMSDraw User s Guide Steps 1. Click the Options menu, and choose the Grid Options... entry. The Grid Options window appears. 2. Set the horizontal and vertical divisions to zero. Set the horizontal and vertical size to five. Make sure that the Solid Lines option is unchecked In the Grid Options window, divisions controls how far apart the grid "+" markers are. Size determines how far apart the grid dots are, and how far apart the grid lines are when the Solid Lines option is checked. 3. Click the Apply button in the Grid Options window. 4. Click the Options menu, and choose the Snap and Point Modes... option. The Snap and Point Modes window appears. SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 2-52

63 5. Click the To Grid button in the Snap and Point Modes window. Then, click the Center button Snap and Point Modes window. 6. Create one instance of each object type. While doing so, do not click directly on the grid intersection points. Click between them and observe where they are moved. 7. Click the To Grav button in the Snap and Point Modes window. 8. Create more objects. For some object points, click on the center or edge of other objects, and observe where the points are moved. Experiment with how object points can be attached to each object type. Exercise 2-19: Snap and Point Mode Interactions Reference Material See Editor Layout and Options Pull-Down Menu in the SL-GMSDraw User s Guide Steps 1. Create one instance of each object type. 2. Set the snap mode to Snap to Grid, and the point mode to Center using the Snap and Point Modes window or the toolbar buttons. 3. Click on objects and move them with the mouse. The center of each object is snapped to a grid intersection point. 4. Set the point mode to Point using the Snap and Point Modes window or the toolbar buttons. 5. Move objects again by clicking and dragging them, but this time click on various location on each objects edge. The nearest predefined point on the object is the point that is snapped to the grid when the mouse is released. Experiment SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 2-53

64 Point Editing moving each object type in this way trying different points on each object. 6. Set the snap mode to Snap to Grav using the Snap and Point Modes window or the toolbar buttons. 7. Move each object using the various predefined points. When the mouse is released on top of another object, the point being used to move the object is snapped to the nearest predefined point on the object over which the mouse was released. 8. Set the point mode to Center using the Snap and Point Modes window or the toolbar buttons. 9. Move each object. When the mouse is released on top of another object, the center of the object being moved is snapped to the nearest predefined point on the object over which the mouse was released. 10. Click on a filled rectangle object to select it. 11. Set the snap mode to Off using the Snap and Point Modes window or the toolbar buttons. 12. Click the Point menu, and choose the Set Reference Point option. 13. Click an arbitrary point inside the rectangle s extent. 14. Set the point mode to Reference, and experiment moving the object with both snap modes. The location of the reference point is used instead of the location where the mouse is released. After an object has been created, its points can be changed using the Point Move Mode. Clicking the Point Move button in the Create Tools panel puts the editor into Point Move Mode that allows individual points in multi-point objects to be moved. While in Point Move Mode, points can be moved, added, or deleted from Spine, Polygon, and Polyline objects. SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 2-54

65 Exercise 2-20: Point Editing Reference Material See Tools in the SL-GMSDraw User s Guide Steps 1. Create an instance of each object type except Text. 2. Click the Select Point button. 3. Click on a polyline object to select it. A dashed rectangle appears showing the object s extent, and a small circle appears centered at each of the object s points that can be changed. 4. Click on one of the polyline s points. A red "X" appears over the point to show it is selected. 5. Click and drag the point to a new location. 6. Press the Delete key to delete the point. 7. Move the remaining points on the polyline by clicking and dragging each to a new location. 8. Experiment moving and deleting points on the other object types. Points can only be deleted from spline, and polyline objects. 9. Click a spline object to select it. 10. While holding down the Ctrl key, click on one of the spline s points and drag the mouse to the left. A new point is added to the spline. Move the new point to a suitable location and release the mouse. Points can only be added to spline, polygon, and polyline object s. A new point is always added to the left of the point clicked. 11. Try adding points to the end of a spline, and a polyline. SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 2-55

66 Zooming and Panning The View Tools panel provides eight buttons that control the portion of World Coordinates visible in the Working View. The parameters that control zoom and pan operations are set using the View Options window. The View Options window is activated by clicking the View menu, and choosing the View Options... entry. Figure 2-39: The View Options Window The parameters that control zoom and pan behavior are on the right side of the View Options window. Pan Percent The maximum rate of panning in continuous pan mode. The value is entered as a fraction. Boundary Percent Specifies the maximum view of the Model. The value is the fraction of the Model s width added to each side and the fraction of the Model s height added to the top and bottom. Must be greater than zero. Zoom Limit Minimum zoom factor allowed when zooming in. Zoom Percent Percentage change of the current zoom factor for a single zoom operation. The value is entered as a fraction. SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 2-56

67 Grabber Pan Pan Zoom In Continuous Zoom Out Continuous Zoom In Once Zoom Out Once Zoom Rect Reset View Figure 2-40: View Tools Panel (Windows) Grabber Pan Pan Zoom In Continuous Zoom Out Continuous Zoom In Once Zoom Out Once Zoom Rect Reset View Figure 2-41: View Tools Window (Motif) SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 2-57

68 Grabber Pan The mouse is used to click and drag a point in the Working View to a new location. Pan This is a continuous pan mode as long as the left mouse button is held down. The pan direction is determined by the position of the mouse cursor relative to the center of the Working View. If the mouse cursor is above the center of the Working View, the objects move up. The speed of the pan is increased based on the distance of the mouse cursor from the center of the Working View. When the mouse cursor is near the center of the Working View, the panning is slow. As the mouse is moved farther from the center of the Working View, the pan speed increases. Zoom In Continuous The visible area in the Working View will continuously decrease while the left mouse button is held down. Zoom Out Continuous The visible area in the Working View will continuously increase while the left mouse button is held down. Zoom In Once Perform one zoom operation that decreases the view. Zoom Out Once Perform one zoom operation that increases the view. Zoom Rect Define a rectangle that encloses the new view. The rectangle s extent is defined by clicking twice in the Working View. Reset View Reset the view to its original coordinates. SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 2-58

69 Exercise 2-21: Zoom Operations Reference Material See Tools in the SL-GMSDraw User s Guide Steps 1. Create several objects in the Working View. 2. Activate the View Options window by clicking on the View menu, and choosing the View Options... entry. 3. Click the Zoom Out Once button several times. Watch the Zoomfactor display in the View Options window. 4. Click the Zoom In Once button several times. 5. Click the Reset View toolbar button. The view returns to its original coordinates. 6. Set the Zoom Percent value in the View Options window to 0.20, and click the Apply button. 7. Use the Zoom Out Once button and the Zoom In Once button several times each. The changes in the view for each zoom operation are larger than before. 8. Set the Zoom Percent value in the View Options window to 0.05, and click the Apply button. 9. Click the Reset View toolbar button. 10. Click the Zoom In Continuous button. 11. Click the left mouse button in the Working View and hold down the left mouse button. The view will continue to change as long as the mouse button is held down. 12. Move the mouse button around while the view is changing. The point clicked in the view acts like an anchor point keeping the point clicked under the mouse cursor. 13. Click the Reset View toolbar button. 14. Click the Zoom Out Continuous button. SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 2-59

70 15. Click the left the mouse in the Working View and hold down the left mouse button. The view will continue to change as long as the mouse button is held down. 16. Click the Reset View toolbar button. 17. Click the Zoom Rect button. 18. Click twice in the Working View to define a rectangular area for the zoom operation. After the second click the view will change. The new view is adjusted to maintain the current aspect ratio, and may not show exactly the area selected. Exercise 2-22: Pan Operations Reference Material See Tools in the SL-GMSDraw User s Guide Steps 1. Create several objects in the Working View. 2. Activate the View Options window by clicking on the View menu, and choosing the View Options... entry. 3. Click the Grabber Pan button. 4. Click and drag the mouse cursor in the Working View. The point clicked stays under the mouse cursor. The effect is like grabbing a point in the Working View and dragging it to a new location. 5. Click the Reset View toolbar button. 6. Click the Pan button. 7. Click the mouse cursor near the center of the Working View. 8. The view will pan in the direction of the mouse cursor s offset from the exact center of the view. If the mouse is a little to the left of center, the view will pan to the left. If the mouse is a little up and to the right of center, the view will pan diagonally up to the right. SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 2-60

71 9. Still holding down the left mouse button, drag the mouse farther away from the center of the view. The farther the mouse is from the center of the view the faster the pan will be. Configuring the Editor SL-GMSDraw has many parameters that are used to tailor editor operations to personal preferences, or project requirements. There are three ways to set SL-GMSDraw parameters. Some parameters are set in configuration files. Some parameters are set through the editor s command line arguments, or through a message file specified on the command line. Other parameters are set in windows within the editor. The parameters and the methods used to set them are summarized below. Configuration Files Colors Color definitions for all SL-GMS applications, including SL-GMSDraw, are contained in the colordef.dat file located in the lib subdirectory of the SL-GMS installation directory. Individual SL-GMS applications can override the standard color definitions. See Color in the SL-GMS Reference for more information about color definition files and their use. Fonts Font definitions for all SL-GMS applications are contained in the fontdef.dat file located in the lib subdirectory of the SL-GMS installation directory. Individual SL-GMS applications can override the standard font definitions. See Text in the SL-GMS Reference for more information about font definition files and their use. SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 2-61

72 Command Line Arguments Additional Model Directories [-i<directory_path>] This option can be used as many times as needed to add directories that contain models and palettes. Process Message File [-f<msg_file_name>] Preview Update Period [-u<milliseconds>] Enable Timing Reports [-t] Console Output (Windows only) [-o] Standard output messages are directed to a console window. Editor Windows User Preferences Sets parameters that control basic usability such as the size of the Undo/Redo stack, blinking selection handles, and how far an object is moved when using the arrow keys. Model Properties Sets model object properties which are DynProp, UserData, UserWord, Flags, Background flag. The size, color, and detectability of a background rectangle is set using this window. Grid Options Sets the size, divisions, style, color and visibility of the grid. View Options Sets zoom and pan parameters and limits. Background Color and Erase Color SL-GMS makes a distinction between background color and erase color. The background color is the color defined for index zero in the colordef.dat file. The erase color is the color used to erase an object when it is changed, moved, or transformed before it is redrawn. By default, the background color, and the erase color are both defined by color index zero. The Model object background property is used to define the erase color as a different color than the background color. The Model object background property is an on/off flag. When a Model s background property is set, the fill color of the first object in the Model is SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 2-62

73 used as the erase color for that Model. Top level Models are Models that are not used in other Models as SubModels. Top Level Models often use a rectangle as the first object in the Model to define the Model s extent, and to define a non-default erase color. Most SubModels (Models designed for use in other Models) use the default erase color, and do not use a background rectangle. SL-GMS uses color index zero as the default background color of all Models. The standard SL-GMS color definition file uses white for color index zero. A custom colordef.dat file can define a different color for color index zero. If an SL-GMS application detects the presence of a colordef.dat file in the current directory during startup, the application uses the colordef.dat file in the current directory instead of the default one. SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 2-63

74 3 Building Models Introduction This chapter provides exercises that use the basic editor operations discussed in the previous chapter in typical Model building sessions. All exercises in this manual assume a working knowledge of basic operating system commands and tools. Users of UNIX systems should be able to create terminal windows and use the ls, cd, and mkdir commands. Users of Windows NT systems should be able to use the dir, cd and md commands from a Command Prompt window, as well as their equivalent operations in Windows NT Explorer. Exercise 3-1: Project Directories Objective To create a working project directory and subdirectories that facilitate organization of the Models built in this manual s exercises. Steps 1. Select, or create a working directory. This directory will be referred to in subsequent exercises as the Draw Tutorial Directory. 2. Create the following subdirectories in the working directory: SUBMODS GISMOS PALETTES On UNIX systems, use a terminal window and the mkdir command to create the directories. On Windows NT systems, use a Command Prompt and the md command, or Windows NT Explorer to create the directories. SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 3-1

75 Building Models Exercise 3-2: Tank Model Objective The objective of this exercise is to build a Model that contains a graphical representation of a vertical tank that includes a level indicator as shown in Figure 3-1:. Since this Model will be used as an object in Models created later, it is saved in the working directory s SUBMODS directory. Reference material Figure 3-1: Tank with Level Indicator The SL-GMS Draw User s Guide Features used This exercise makes use of the following SL-GMSDraw features: Objects - Line, 3 Point Sector, Polyline, Filled Rectangle Default Object Properties Grid Options Snap-to-Grid, Snap to Gravity Fill Group Enter Point Model Properties SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 3-2

76 Building Models Steps 1. Start SL-GMSDraw. 2. Create an empty Model. If needed, click the File menu and choose the New option. 3. Verify that SL-GMSDraw s current directory is the same as the Draw Tutorial Directory. Click the File menu and choose the Change Directory option. If needed, change the current directory using the controls in the Change Directory window. 4. Click the Options menu and choose the Grid Options entry. 5. The Grid Options window appears as shown in Figure 3-2:. 6. Change both the horizontal and vertical Division fields to 6, and then click the Apply button. 7. Turn on Snap-to-Grid, or use Enter Point with the coordinates given. 8. Create two vertical lines. Create the first line using the coordinates (40,40 40,20). Create the second line using the coordinates (50,20 50,40). Figure 3-2: The Grid Options Window SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 3-3

77 Building Models 9. Create two 3 Point Sectors for the end caps. Create one 3 Point Sector using the points (40,40 50,40 45,45), and the other with the points (40,20 50,20 45,15). 10. Select all four objects. 11. Click the Object menu and choose the Fill Group option of the Fill Group submenu. 12. Use the Default Graphic Properties window to set the fill color of the tank to 14, and the edge color of the tank to 7. The tank should now look as shown in Figure 3-3:. Figure 3-3: Tank Fill Group 13. Create a Filled Rectangle in the middle of the tank using Snap to Grid and 5 grid divisions, or using Enter Point with the coordinates (44,20 46,40). 14. Attach two Polylines to the rectangle as shadows using Snap to Gravity. Set the edge color of the upper left polyline to 15, and the edge color of the lower right polyline to 13. Set the edge width on both polylines to 3. The tank Model should now match the one shown in Figure 3-1:. 15. Save the Model in the SUBMODS directory by clicking the File menu and choosing the Save option. Double click the SUB- MODS directory in the Save window. Enter "tank" (without quotes) in the File name field. Then, click the Save button. SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 3-4

78 Building Models Exercise 3-3: Adding Dynamic Behavior to the Tank Model Objective The objective of this exercise is to add dynamic behavior to the rectangle in the center of the tank Model that makes it function as a level indicator. The fill level of the rectangle should respond to the value of a designated variable. The rectangle has three colors which are configurable: A normal color which is used when the fill value is within normal limits. A low alarm color which is used when the fill value is below a specified minimum level. A high alarm color which is used when the fill value is above a specified maximum level. All values that drive the rectangle s dynamic behavior are defined as configurable variables. This will allow the tank Model to represent any number of separate physical tanks. Reference material The Dynamics chapter of the SL-GMS Reference Features used This exercise makes use of the following SL-GMSDraw features: Object Dynamic Properties Dynamic Behavior in SL-GMS A dynamic behavior in SL-GMS is a description of one or more dynamic actions that change an object based on an input event, or change in a data value. The desired actions are contained in a string, and are described using SL Graphical Modeling Language (SL-GML). The string and its contents is called a DynProp (short for Dynamic Property). A DynProp is a non-graphic object property that is saved with the object like the Name, and UserData properties. SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 3-5

79 Building Models A DynProp consists of several parts, or blocks. Each part is optional, but has a specific place in a DynProp when used as shown in Figure 3-4:. The parts of a DynProp are: Input dynamics One or more input actions are preceded by a pound-sign ("#"). Each action is executed when the object receives a mouse or key event. When present, input dynamics are the first dynamics in a DynProp. Display Dynamics Display dynamics specify changes to an object as a result of changes in application variables. There are two types of display dynamics: Unconditional Display Dynamics One or more unconditional actions are preceded by an asterisk ("*"). All actions are executed when any variable used in any action in this block changes value. If unconditional display dynamics are used, they occur after any input dynamics, but before all conditional display dynamics. Conditional Display Dynamics Each conditional display dynamic specifies an action that is performed only when a condition is satisfied. Input Unconditional Conditional Conditional # call gms_flash() * fcolor stat_var movex var2 movey var3 var1 = 4 ewidth 3 volts = 0:120 rotate 0:-90 Figure 3-4: The Parts of a DynProp SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 3-6

80 Building Models Dynamic behavior is accomplished through a set of predefined actions which are listed in the Dynamics Reference section of the SL-GMS Quick Reference. The available actions provide a wide range of useful building blocks such as: Object property changes Any object property can be changed dynamically. Object transformation Objects can be scaled, translated, rotated, or moved on a predefined path dynamically. User-defined function execution The call action allows for the execution of user-defined functions which can directly manipulate SL-GMS objects. Expressions Any action can use boolean, and arithmetic expressions which can contain constants variables and function calls. Steps 1. Start SL-GMSDraw and open the Model "tank.m1" if needed. 2. Select the Filled Rectangle in the center of the tank. 3. Click the Dynamics menu and choose the Object Dynamic Properties option. 4. The Object Dynamic Properties window appears as shown in Figure 3-5:. SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 3-7

81 Building Models Figure 3-5: Object Dynamic Properties Window 5. Click in the Object Dynamic Properties window. A text cursor will appear. 6. Type the following unconditional display dynamic into the Object Dynamic Properties window: * fpercent level_pct fcolor normal_color When value in the variable level_pct or the value in the variable normal_color change, the rectangle is filled to the level specified by the value in the variable level_pct, and the fill color of the rectangle is set to the value in the variable normal_color. 7. Add the following conditional display dynamic to the text in the Object Dynamic Properties window: level_pct <= low_alarm_pct fcolor low_alarm_color SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 3-8

82 Building Models When the value in the variable level_pct is less than, or equal to the value in the variable low_alarm_pct, the fill color of the rectangle is set to the value in the variable low_alarm_color. 8. Add the following conditional display dynamic to the text in the Object Dynamic Properties window: level_pct >= high_alarm_pct fcolor high_alarm_color When the value in the variable level_pct is greater than, or equal to the value in the variable high_alarm_pct, the fill color of the rectangle is set to the value in the variable high_alarm_color. 9. When all of the text is entered, the Object Dynamic Properties window will look as shown in Figure 3-6:. SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 3-9

83 Building Models Figure 3-6: Object Dynamic Property Window with Text 10. Click the Apply button. If there were no typographical errors, the Object Dynamic Properties window will look as shown in Figure 3-7: with each line automatically indented. SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 3-10

84 Building Models Figure 3-7: Object Dynamic Properties Window with Accepted Text 11. If an error is detected in the DynProp, an error dialog appears. The dialog will contain a description of the error, the line number on which the error occurred, and the text of the line where the error occurred. If the last line in the sample DynProp is changed to begin with zfcolor the error dialog shown in Figure 3-8: appears. Figure 3-8: DynProp Parse Error Dialog SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 3-11

85 Building Models Correct the line containing the error, and then click the Apply button. 12. Save the changes made to the tank Model using the Save option of the File menu, or clicking the Save button. Exercise 3-4: Testing the Tank Model Objective The objective of this exercise is to test the dynamic property that was added to the tank Model in the previous exercise. The testing is performed within SL-GMSDraw using the capabilities of Preview to generate and assign data values to the variables that drive the dynamic properties in the Model. Reference material Appendix D Model Utilities of the SL-GMS Reference for the syntax of actions used in Preview data files. Features used Edit Data File Preview Options Steps 1. Start SL-GMSDraw and open the Model "tank.m1" if needed. 2. Click the Dynamics menu and choose the Edit Data File option. 3. The Edit Data File window appears as shown in Figure 3-9:. SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 3-12

86 Building Models Figure 3-9: The Edit Data File Window 4. Click in the Edit Data File window, and a text cursor will appear. 5. Enter the following lines into the text field of the Edit Data File window to set variables to constant values: normal_color 4 low_alarm_color 3 high_alarm_color 1 high_alarm_pct 90. low_alarm_pct Enter the following line to generate values for the level_pct variable: level_pct step The line above uses the Preview keyword step to generate values for the variable level_pct. The syntax of the step keyword is: variable_name step min max start delta SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 3-13

87 Building Models See Previewing dynamics in the SL-GMS Quick Reference for a complete description of all keywords supported by Preview. 7. Click the Save File button in the Edit Data File window. The data is saved in the Preview data file "tank.dat". 8. Test the Model by clicking the Dynamics menu and choosing Preview Options. 9. The Preview Options window appears as shown in Figure 3-10:. Figure 3-10: The Preview Options Window 10. Click the Start button. Preview generates new data values after each update period. 11. Observe the fill level of the rectangle changing. Observe the change in fill color at the designated levels. The fill color should start yellow near the bottom of the rectangle, change to blue, and then change to red near the top of the rectangle. 12. Click the Stop button in the Preview Options window. 13. Experiment with the Start, Pause, and Stop buttons as well as the Update Period until you are comfortable with using them. 14. If the background of the filled rectangle was white, change it by clicking the Model menu and choosing the Properties option. Click the box next to "Erase in Background Color". Save the Model, and retest it using Preview. 15. Save any changes made to the tank Model using the Save option of the File menu, or the Save button. SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 3-14

88 Building Models Exercise 3-5: Value Display Model Objective The objective of this exercise is to create a Model that can be used to display numerical values in other Models. The value display Model has parameters that specify the variable to display, the format used to display the value, an alarm flag, an alarm color, and the value s engineering units. The value display should look as if the value is printed in a raised three-dimensional button as shown in Figure 3-11:. xxx.xx units Reference material Figure 3-11: The Value Display Model The SL-GMS Draw User s Guide Features used Objects - Filled Rectangle, Filled Polygon, Text Grid Options Zoom Rect Snap to Grid Default Graphic Properties Object Dynamic Properties Edit Data File Preview Options SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 3-15

89 Building Models Steps 1. Start SL-GMSDraw. Click the File menu and choose the Change Directory option. Use the Change Directory window to make the current directory the Draw Tutorial Directory. 2. Create a Text Rectangle for the numeric value at coordinates (-5,-1 1,1). Set the following attributes using the Default Graphic Properties window: Text = "xxx.xx" Text Size = 1.0 Text Alignment = Right Center Fill Color = 13 Edge Style = invisible 3. Create a second Text Rectangle for the engineering units at coordinates (1,-1 5,1). Set the following attributes using the Default Graphic Properties window: Text = "units" Text Size = 1.0 Text Alignment = Right Center Fill Color = 13 Edge Style = invisible 4. Create a Polygon for the upper shadow. Use Zoom Rect to zoom into the rectangle. Set the grid divisions to 40. Click the Snap to Grid button. Create the six points that define the shadow as shown on Figure 3-12:. Set the edge and fill colors of the shadow to 12. SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 3-16

90 Building Models Figure 3-12: Points for Upper Shadow of Value Display 5. Create a Polygon for the lower shadow. Set the edge and fill colors of the shadow to Add the following DynProp to each shadow using the Object Dynamic Properties window. alarm_on =1 ecolor alarm_color fcolor alarm_color 7. Add the following DynProp to the numeric value object using the Object Dynamic Properties window: * stext value value_format warning_on =1 tcolor warning_color SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 3-17

91 Building Models 8. Add the following DynProp to the engineering units object using the Object Dynamic Properties window: * stext units_string "%s" 9. Save the Model in the SUBMODS directory with the name "value_disp". 10. Create a data file with the following data using the Edit Data File window: value_format "%6.1f" value step units_string "volts" warning_on step warning_color 3 alarm_color 2 alarm_on step Save the data file. 12. Test the value display Model using the Preview Options window. 13. Observe the change in the numeric value displayed, and the color of the shadows when the alarm flag is on. SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 3-18

92 Building Models Exercise 3-6: Custom Input Object Objective The objective of this exercise is to create a Model that visually shows the open and closed states of a valve. The valve should switch between its open and closed states when it is clicked with the mouse. The dynamic behavior of the valve is performed by dynamic functions supplied with SL-GMS. An SL-GMS Model, or object that responds to input events is called a GISMO (Graphical Interactive Screen Management Object) in SL-GMS. Open Closed Reference material Figure 3-13: Valve Model The Dynamics chapter of the SL-GMS Reference The GISMOs chapter and Appendix A of the SL-GMS Reference The SL-GMS Draw User s Guide Features used This exercise makes use of the following SL-GMSDraw features: Enter Point Zoom Rect Constrained Move Snap to Gravity SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 3-19

93 Building Models Duplicate Rotate Edit Data File Preview Options Steps 1. Start SL-GMSDraw. Click the File menu and choose the Change Directory option. Use the Change Directory window to make the current directory the Draw Tutorial Directory. 2. Bring up the Enter Point window by clicking the Point menu and choosing the Enter Point option. Use it to create all circles in this exercise. 3. Click the Snap Mode Off button. 4. Create a Filled Circle object with edge and fill colors set to 26 with its center at (0,0) and an edge point at (0, 1.25). 5. Use the Working View scrollbars to get the circle closer to the center of the Working View, and then use Zoom Rect to enlarge the view of the circle. 6. Create a Filled Circle object with edge and fill colors set to 0 with its center at (0, 0) and an edge point of (0, 0.25). 7. Move the small white circle near the top edge of the big circle by holding down the shift key and dragging the small circle into place. 8. Create another Filled Circle object with edge and fill colors set to 0 with its center at (0, 0) and an edge point of (0, 0.25). 9. Move the small white circle near the bottom edge of the big circle by holding down the shift key and dragging the small circle into place. The Model should look similar to the example shown in Figure 3-14:. SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 3-20

94 Building Models Figure 3-14: Valve Construction Example #1 10. Click the Snap to Gravity button. 11. Create a Filled Rectangle object by clicking inside the white circle on the top near the left edge, and then clicking inside the white circle on the bottom near the right edge. 12. Set the rectangle s fill and edge colors to Select all four objects and put them in a group. 14. Click the Duplicate button. 15. Use the Enter Point dialog to put the duplicate group at (0, 0). 16. Click the right mouse button once. The new group will be selected. 17. Click the Object menu and choose the Rotate option. The Rotate dialog appears. 18. Use the Rotate dialog to rotate the selected group 90 degrees. 19. Click the Model menu and choose the Dynamics option to bring up the Model Dynamic Properties window. 20. Enter the following DynProp into the Model Dynamic Properties window. SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 3-21

95 Building Models # call gms_cycle_var(callback, &variable) * call gms_hilite_cycle(&variable) The above DynProp performs the following actions: When an input event occurs within the extent of the Model, call gms_cycle_var( ). When the value stored in variable changes call gms_hilite_cycle( ). Note that the dynamic property was assigned to the Model, not to parts within the Model. This is common when input behavior is required, and is also determined by the design of the input function used. See SL-GMS GISMO Action Functions in the SL-GMS Quick Reference for a complete description of gms_cycle_var( ) and gms_hilite_cycle( ). 21. Save the Model in the GISMOS directory as "valve". 22. Create a data file that contains the following line: variable Use the Preview Options window to test the Model. 24. Click on the valve to see it switch between the open and closed representations. SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 3-22

96 Building Models Exercise 3-7: Custom Palette Objective The objective of this exercise is to build a custom palette that contains the tank, valve, and value display Models constructed earlier in this chapter. Palettes streamline the graphical editing process in SL-GMSDraw by providing easy access to Models that are used as objects in other Models. The custom palette built in this exercise is shown in Figure 3-15:. My First Palette xxx.xx units Reference Material Figure 3-15: Custom Palette Model The SL-GMS Draw User s Guide Features used New with Background Model Properties Available SubModels SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 3-23

97 Building Models Steps 1. Start SL-GMSDraw. Click the File menu and choose Change Directory option. Use the Change Directory window to make the current directory the Draw Tutorial Directory. 2. Click the File menu and choose the New with Background option. 3. Click the Model menu and choose the Model Properties option. In the Model Properties window set the following fields: Set the Background Color to 13 Set background width field to 30 Set background height field to Click the Apply button in the Model Properties. A gray rectangle appears in the Working View. 5. Click the Palettes menu and choose the Available Submodels option. The Available Submodels window will appear as shown in Figure 3-16:. Figure 3-16: Available Submodels Window SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 3-24

98 Building Models 6. Click the entry for tank.m1 in the Available Submodels window. Move the mouse pointer to the lower left corner of the Working View. 7. The extent guides that show the size of the object to be instanced are not near the mouse cursor as one would expect. Instead the extent guides are in the upper right area of the Working View as shown in Figure 3-17:. Figure 3-17: Extent Guides Offset from Mouse Cursor This condition occurs because the default reference point used when placing a Model in another Model is (0,0). In this case, the tank Model is a SubModel to the palette Model under construction. The location (0, 0) in the tank Model is used as a reference point for placing it in the palette Model. The offset between the extent guides and the mouse cursor occurred because the parts that define the tank Model were not centered, or oriented near (0, 0). Therefore, Models that are designed for SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 3-25

99 Building Models use in other Models as SubModels should be designed around or near the point (0,0). 8. Click the right mouse button to exit object instance mode (click twice if using SL-GMSDraw on Windows). 9. Save the current Model in the PALETTES directory as "MyPalette". 10. Open the Model "tank.m1" in the SUBMODS directory. 11. Click the Edit menu and choose the All option from the Select submenu. 12. Click the Object menu and choose the Move option. The Move dialog will appear. Make sure the coordinates are set to (0,0) and that Move to point is checked. 13. Click the Apply button in the Move dialog. All of the tank parts will move so that the center of the extent of all the selected parts is at (0,0). 14. Save the changes to the tank Model, and then open the Model "MyPallete.m1" from the PALETTES directory. 15. Repeat steps 5 and 6. The extent guides are now centered around the mouse pointer. 16. Create an instance of the tank Model by clicking near the left side of the background rectangle. 17. Using the same procedure, create one instance of "value_disp.m1" on the right side of the background rectangle. 18. Create one instance of "valve.m1" above the value display instance. 19. Create a Text object instance near the top of the background rectangle, and set its text to "My First Palette". 20. With the text object selected, click the Object menu and choose the Detect Off option. When this Model is used as a palette only the tank, valve, and value display instances will be detectable. 21. Save the changes made to the Model. SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 3-26

100 Building Models Exercise 3-8: Using SubModels Objective The objective of this exercise is to build and test a Model using the palette constructed in the previous exercise. The resulting Model is shown in Figure 3-18:. T 403A T 412 xxx.xx % xxx.xx % Reference materials Figure 3-18: A Tank Farm Model The SL-GMS Draw User s Guide Features used Available Palettes Custom Palette Object Renamed Variables SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 3-27

101 Building Models Steps 1. Start SL-GMSDraw. Click the File menu and choose Change Directory option. Use the Change Directory window to make the current directory the Draw Tutorial Directory. 2. Click the File menu and choose the New with Background option. 3. Click the Model menu, and choose the Model Properties option. The Model Properties window appears. 4. In the Model Properties window set the Background field to 8. Set the Erase in Background Color option, and clear the Background Detectable option. 5. Click the Apply button in the Model Properties window. 6. Click the Palettes menu and choose the Available Palettes option. The Available Palettes window will appear as shown in Figure 3-19:. Figure 3-19: The Available Palettes Window SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 3-28

102 Building Models The custom palette appears in the list because one of the locations in which SL-GMSDraw looks for palette Models is in the PALETTES subdirectory of the current working directory. 7. Click on the "MyPalette.m1" entry in the Available Palettes window. A window will appear containing the "MyPalette.m1" Model. 8. Click on the tank in the "MyPalette" Palette window. 9. Create two tank instances in the Working View. 10. Create a value display instance below each tank. 11. Create a Filled Rectangle object with fill and edge colors set to 14 that connects the two tanks. The height of the rectangle should be no more than 1.5 World Coordinate units. 12. Create a valve instance in the center of the filled rectangle. 13. Create two Text objects. Place one over each tank. Set the text of the one on the left to "T-403A", and the text of the one on the right to "T-412". 14. Click the tank on the left to select it. Then click the Dynamics menu and choose the Object Renamed Variables option. The Object Renamed Variables window will appear as shown in Figure 3-20:. 15. Set the renamed variables for first tank instance to the values listed below by clicking on each one, and typing its new value in the edit field. The new values are to the right of the two colons on each line. high_alarm_color :: 1 high_alarm_pct :: LI403A_hi level_pct :: LI403A_pct low_alarm_color :: 3 low_alarm_pct :: LI403A_lo normal_color :: 5 When finished, click the Apply button. SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 3-29

103 Building Models Figure 3-20: The Object Renamed Variables Window 16. Click the value display below the left tank. Then, set the renamed variables for left tank s value display to the values listed below by double-clicking on each one, and typing its new value in the edit field. alarm_color :: 1 alarm_on :: (LI403A_pct >= LI403A_hi) units_string :: "%" value :: LI403A_pct value_format :: "%6.1f" warning_color :: 3 warning_on :: (LI403A_pct <= LI403A_lo) When finished, click the Apply button. SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 3-30

104 Building Models 17. Click the tank on the right. Then, set the renamed variables for second tank instance to the values listed below by clicking on each one, and typing its new value in the edit field. high_alarm_color :: 1 high_alarm_pct :: LI412_hi level_pct :: LI412_pct low_alarm_color :: 9 low_alarm_pct :: LI412_lo normal_color :: 8 When finished, click the Apply button. 18. Click the value display below the right tank. Then, set the renamed variables for right tank s value display to the values listed below by clicking on each one, and typing its new value in the edit field. alarm_color :: 25 alarm_on :: (LI412_pct >= LI412_hi) units_string :: "%" value :: LI412_pct value_format :: "%6.1f" warning_color :: 19 warning_on :: (LI412_pct <= LI412_lo) When finished, click the Apply button. 19. Click the valve instance to select it. Then, set the renamed variables for the valve instance to the values listed below by clicking on each one, and typing its new value in the edit field. variable :: valve1 When finished, click the Apply button. 20. Click the rectangle connecting the two tanks to select it. Using the Object Dynamic Properties window, add the following dynamics to the rectangle. SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 3-31

105 Building Models valve1 =1 fcolor 14 =0 fcolor Save the Model in the Draw Tutorial Directory as "tank_farm". 22. Create a preview data file with the following lines: LI403A_hi 90. LI403A_lo 10. LI403A_pct step LI412_hi 95. LI412_lo 15. LI412_pct step valve Test the tank farm Model using the Preview Options window. Observe the tank levels changing. Observe the fill color of each tank level changing. Observe the numeric value of each value display changing. Observe the text color of each value display changing. Observe the shadows of each value display changing. 24. Click on the valve and observe the change in the valve and in the fill color of the rectangle connecting the tanks. SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 3-32

106 Building Models How SL-GMSDraw Finds SubModels SL-GMS applications, including SL-GMSDraw, look in certain directories for Model files. The list of locations searched is called the Model Search Path. The directories in the Model Search Path may be used to categorize and organize an application s Models so they may be easily located for maintenance, support, or replacement. The list of directories are provided below in the order searched. 1. The current directory 2. The following subdirectories of the current directory: Windows NT Systems.\gismos,.\graphs,.\submods UNIX Systems./GISMOS,./GRAPHS,./SUBMODS 3. The following directories at the same level as the current directory Windows NT Systems..\gismos,..\graphs,..\submods UNIX Systems../GISMOS,../GRAPHS,../SUBMODS 4. Any directories added with the -i command line argument to SL-GMSDraw 5. The standard SL-GMS lib directory Windows NT Systems %GMS_HOME%lib UNIX Systems $GMS_HOME/lib 6. The following directories of the SL-GMS demo directory (%GMS_HOME%demo, or $GMS_HOME/demo) SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 3-33

107 Building Models Windows NT Systems demo\gismos\gismos demo\graphs\graphs demo\models\submods UNIX Systems demo/gismos/gismos demo/graphs/graphs demo/models/submods 7. The directory in which SL-GMS is installed. SL-GMSDraw Palettes SL-GMSDraw looks in specific directories for palettes. 1. The PALETTES subdirectory of the current directory. 2. The PALETTES subdirectory of the SL-GMS gmsrun directory. Windows NT Systems %GMS_HOME%\work\gmsrun\PALETTES UNIX Systems $GMS_HOME/work/gmsrun/PALETTES SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 3-34

108 Building Models Exercise 3-9: Using Gradient Fill for Shading Objective The objective of this exercise is to build a tank model that uses gradient fill for shading. The resulting model is shown in Figure 3-21:. Reference Material Figure 3-21: A Tank with Gradient Fill The Color chapter of the SL-GMS Reference The Setting Object Properties chapter of the SL-GMSDraw User s Guide Features used Gradient Fill Steps 1. Create a rectangle with the lower left corner at (30, 20), and the upper right corner at (40, 40). 2. Set the rectangle fill color to black. 3. Turn on Snap to Gravity. SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 3-35

109 Building Models 4. Create two sectors as end caps on the top and bottom of the rectangle. 5. Set the fill property for both sectors and then fill them with black. 6. Select the rectangle. 7. Use the Default Graphic Property window to set the fill interior to Gradient, and then click the Gradient Dialog button. The Gradient Fill Properties window appears. 8. Change the End Color Index for the first interval to zero in the Gradient Fill Properties window. 9. Click the Acyclic button, click the middle left preset, and then click the Apply button. 10. Select the sector on top of the rectangle and set its fill interior to Gradient using the Default Graphic Property window. 11. Change the End Color Index for the first interval to zero in the Gradient Fill Properties window. 12. Click Elliptic button, click Advanced check box, click the upper left preset, change the Height to 10, and then click the Apply button. 13. Select the sector on the bottom of the rectangle and set its fill interior to Gradient using the Default Graphic Property window. 14. Change the End Color Index for the first interval to zero in the Gradient Fill Properties window. 15. Click Elliptic button, click Advanced check box, click the lower left preset, change the Height to 10, and then click the Apply button. The gradient fill properties used in this exercise simulate a light source on the left of the tank. The gradient fill properties can be changed to simulate light sources from other angles. Note that on systems with limited color resources (256 colors or less) the colors used in the gradient fill are confined to the colors specified in the colordef.dat file. If the tank built in this exercise is displayed on such a system, it may appear as shown in Figure 3-22: because only the colors 0-7 are available. SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 3-36

110 Building Models Colors 256 Colors Figure 3-22: Gradient Fill Using Colors 0-7 Gradient fills can be designed to work on a variety of color depths by creating a custom colordef.dat file with sequences of colors that can be used when colors are limited. There are also three sets of gradients in the default colordef.dat file that can be used (12-15, 20-23, & 28-31). The tanks in Figure 3-23: show the difference in appearance when the color indexes from the colordef.acad file are used to define the gradient fill. SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 3-37

111 Building Models Colors 256 Colors Figure 3-23: Gradient Fill with Colordef.acad Colors SL-GMS Draw Tutorial 3-38