Questions and Answers

1. What is the 'Item Bar'?

The Item Bar forms an important part of the user interface. When you want to add or remove objects, or change their display properties, go to the Sheets control bar (3D sub-folder) and right-click on the item folder or object name to display a context menu. The contents of this menu will depend on the type of object selected.

2. How do I import and display a terrain wireframe surface?

Right-click the Wireframes folder and choose Import. Then, select the Driver Category and Data Type that matches the format of the wireframe surface file you wish to import, e.g. choose the [CAD] category and [Advanced DXF/DWG] type to import a wireframe surface from an AutoCad® drawing file. The new Wireframe object will be displayed under the Wireframes folder. Right-click the object and choose Properties to set and edit the wireframe rendering options.

3. How do I drape an image over a wireframe surface?

Right-click the wireframe object in the Sheets control bar, active 3D window folder, Wirerames sub-folder, choose Look At. Adjust your view position so that the entire wireframe is centered and visible. You should be looking vertically down onto the wireframe. Right-click the wireframe object again and choose Properties. Choose the browse button next to the Texture box and select your image. You can use Microsoft Paint® to edit the image attributes, or another 3rd-party package. When the image is displayed in the world view, right-click again on the wireframe object and choose Drape Mode. A red rectangle is displayed to indicate the current projection angle and position of the image relative to the wireframe surface. Use the commands available on the Texture toolbar to slide, rotate, stretch, pitch, roll and anchor the image into the correct position and projection angle. Click on any folder to exit Drape Mode.

4. There are no models listed under the Object Type folder in the Item Bar. How do I import the standard models found in the sample document?

You can add models from a system library one at a time, or you can import a list of models. Right-click the Object Type folder and choose Import. Select the Text driver category and Table driver type. Choose the file models.txt from the C:\Program Files (x86)\Datamine\#Product Name#\VR folder. Import the tab-delimited list of models. You can add models to this list or create your own model list using any text editor.

5. How can I hover over a surface at a fixed height, moving up and down and rolling side to side as the terrain changes below me?

Right-click the Object Type folder in the Item Bar and choose New. Type the name 'Hover' in the Name box. Enter the height above the surface in the Viewpoint Offset Z box. Enter a maximum Speed of '100'. Increase the Maximum Climb and Maximum Roll angles to '90' and choose OK. Right-click the Hover object type and choose Place Objects. Move the pointer inside the world view and left-click to define a start position for the Hover 1 object. The name 'Hover 1' has now been added to the VR Objects folder. Right-click on the name and choose Inside View. Right-click again on the name and choose Control. Use the mouse, keyboard or joystick to navigate.

6. Can I sit inside a vehicle and go for a drive over the terrain wireframe surface?

You can. Right-click the vehicle type in the Object Type folder and check that the Maximum Speed has been set greater than zero. Now right-click on the vehicle name in the Object folder and choose Inside View. Right-click again on the name and choose Control. Use the mouse, keyboard or joystick to navigate.

7. How do I attach a vehicle to a trace and set it in motion?

Digitize a new alignment string onto the surface or import a string file. If you have imported a 2D CAD string, you can drop the string onto the 3D surface - right-click on the string name and choose Fit to Surface. Right-click on the vehicle name in the Object folder and choose Properties. Select the string name in the Attach to String box.
Select Play from the Report ribbon (Animate command group). You can add as many vehicles to the trace as you want and stagger their positions. While the simulation is running you can also choose an Inside View on any moving vehicle. When inside the vehicle you can rotate and pitch your view direction, or lock your view with the Look At command. Try using the Look At button on the View toolbar to fix your view on a moving vehicle while you are inside another vehicle.

8. How do I use a pre-defined fly-thru path?

Import a 3D string or polyline. Attach a "hover" (see 5. above) object to the string and start the simulation. The speed of the fly-thru is governed by the properties of the "hover" object type.

9. How do I display a moving sky/cloud texture?

Choose the Environment command from the main toolbar. Choose the browse button next to the Sky Texture box and select the cldsmap.bmp file from your installation folder's VR sub-folder. Check the sample document for the tile size, segments and speed settings and adjust as required. Choose the color swatch to change the background sky color.

Panning/zooming/rotating/rolling/pitching the view with the mouse/keyboard/joystick is too slow/fast. How can I change the sensitivity of the navigation controls?

Choose the Controller Settings command from the main toolbar. Choose the tab for the device you wish to edit. Slide the controls to the right to increase the sensitivity of the controller.

How do the navigation controls work?

It all depends on which mode you are in - Floating View, Look At or Control Mode.

In Floating mode you can go anywhere without restriction.
In Look At mode your view is locked onto a single point on an object.
In Control mode you are "driving" a vehicle which is normally attached to a surface.

The actions of the navigation controls are a little different in each mode but it doesn't take long to get the hang of it (see Navigation Controls for an overview). In Floating mode use the left mouse button to move in and out (drag up and down) and change direction (drag left and right). Use the right mouse button to slide sideways and up or down. Use both buttons together to pitch (drag up and down) and roll (left and right). The other controllers have the same functions and it won't take you long to work out which does what. You can also use the mouse and keyboard keys together e.g. use the up and down arrow keys for speed control and the mouse for steering and pitch. You can use any direct control method (e.g. joystick) to navigate your world.

In Look At mode I can't rotate the view. What's wrong?

This is intentional. When you are in Look At mode, your view is locked onto a single point. You can rotate and pitch about this point but you can't pan away from it, so the controls have to be different. On the mouse, the left button will move you in and out (drag up and down), and the right button will rotate (drag left and right) and pitch (drag up and down) you around the view point. Dragging the pointer to the left and right with the left button pressed has no effect.

I'm Experiencing Slow System Performance - What Can I Do?

Download and install the latest drivers for your graphics card - Datamine are unable to supply these directly.
Save all of your project files and project, and close your application.
Right-click an empty area of your desktop and select Properties.
Select the Settings tab.
Click Advanced.
Select the Troubleshoot tab.
Move the Hardware acceleration slider to the left to disable hardware rendering. Click Apply and leave this dialog in view.
Restart your application - if your rendering issue is resolved, you can try shifting the Hardware acceleration slide one 'notch' to the right and reopening your application. If the results are good, try again, otherwise, return to the previous position.