"dune", what's that ?

dune is a graphical VRML97 editor and animationtool in development. It can read VRML97 files, display and let the user change the scenegraph, fields and routes. This can be used to make simple VRML97 animations and interactions. Dune is normally not suited to work as VRML97 3D modelling tool. It makes sense, to use it together with a static 3D modelling tool with VRML97 export (like wings3d for example).
In difference to most 3D modelling tools the lightning/coloring of dune is based on the VRML97 standard, therefore it can be used to postprocess their export VRML97 files.

What is scenegraph, fieldvalues, routes etc. about ?

Dune is a lowlevel tool to make/change VRML97 Files. It is supposed, the user knows the basic structure of VRML97.
You can find informations about VRML97 (except in a range of books) in the official ISO specification at http://www.web3d.org/technicalinfo/specifications/vrml97/index.htm. For the use of dune, especially the node reference http://www.web3d.org/technicalinfo/specifications/vrml97/part1/nodesRef.html is important.

The 5 windows of "dune"


Beside some toolbars with icons and messages "dune" essentially contains 5 windows. Beside the "3D Preview" window you can switch on/switch off this windows via the menu "View". Switch on/off this windows, when they match your current work status.

Changing the scenegraph

The most simple way to change the scenegraph is to add new node by clicking to the matching VRML node icon.
To identify a VRML node icon, move the mouse to it and wait. A descriptive text will occure in the status bar at the bottom of the dune window.
Dune tries either to include the new node at the point of selection in the scenegraph,

or to the root of the scenegraph ("Scene" icon).
Dune will gray out all node icons, that are impossible to add.

The following table shows the requirements for this nodes in the VRML97 standard:

Appearence need Shape Material need Appearence ImageTexture need Appearence MovieTexture need Appearence PixelTexture need Appearence TextureTransform need Appearence FontStyle need Text Coordinate need IndexFaceSet or IndexedLineSet or PointSet Color need IndexFaceSet or IndexedLineSet or PointSet Normal need IndexFaceSet TextureCoordinate need IndexFaceSet AudioClip need Sound

For example a Appearence node need to be selected, to include a ImageTexture node, or a Shape node need to be selected to include a Appearence node.
All of the matching node fields in the VRML97 are of type SFNode, therefore only one node can be inserted. A icon is also grayed, if there is already a matching node. For example you can not include two ImageTexture Nodes to a Appearence node. Therefore the ImageTexture is also grayed, if a Appearence node is selected, but a ImageTexture node is already there.

Another way to change the scenegraph is to drag parts of it with the mouse.
Dune will show you with a icon of a stop sign, if the target node is not possible

If the target node is possible, dune will show the normal mousepointer.

Input/erase of ROUTEs

ROUTEs are made in dune by finding the right icon in the RouteView Window (if you click to the icons, the matching icons in the scene tree windows are selected) and click to the boxes of the matching events. The name of the matching event is shown, and you can draw a line to the next icon/event.

As required by the VRML standard, only events with the same type (same color of boxes) can be made.
To erase ROUTEs, simply cut the line.

Changing fieldvalues

There is more than one way to change fieldvalues:

Navigation

To navigate in the 3D Preview Window, you have

Additional you have from version 0.16 a SGI like navigation. Please note, that a misconfigured windowmanager can eat up this input.... Instead of pressing keyboard buttons, you can also switch with the mouse in a navigation mode by pressing the icon since version 0.19beta. When a 6D inputdevice is active and the Scene icon is selected in the Scene Tree you can navigate depending on the transform icons in the VRML file.

"dune" crashed, work lost ?

Dune is work in development and it is not as stable as it should be.
If dune crashed, is your work lost ?

Not automatically, "dune" will try to save the VRML97 file short before crash. If this is sucessfull, dune will write under Unix/Linux something like

   Internal Crash !
   Try to save Files
  attempt to write file to /home/someone/.dune_crash_NUMBER_NUMBER.wrl
  write successfull
to standard error of the starting window and to system console (eg. to the window of the xconsole application).
Under M$Windows you get a similar Messagebox

When you restart dune and use the file menu, you should see the filename of this .dune_crash file.

Just click to it and save to another file.

Common tips for working with "dune"

You can find some typical VRML examples (you can load into dune) here.