geomview

[mbp]

Brad,
     The binary distribution of geomview is set up in the following
way: it was compiled here, so the hard-wired pathnames that it needs
are for our system.  But these can be overridden through environment
variable settings.  The "installbin" script, instructions for which
are in the README file (they basically say: run installbin), creates a
shell script that sets the relevant environment variables and then
invokes the geomview executable.  It's designed so that you should run
this shell script, not geomview itself.  To facilitate this, the
"installbin" script renames the geomview executable to "geomview.x",
and the script that it creates is called "geomview".  In other words,
after you run "installbin" there should be an executable shell script
in the geomview root directory called "geomview", and that is what you
run to invoke geomview.
     Certain modules and data files are included with the binary
version (in particular, trigrp is included); geomview should be able
to find them once set up properly as above.  To get additional
modules, get the relevant "bin.tar.Z" file from our ftp directory and
follow the instructions in the README.modulename file that comes with
it.
     We haven't packed up all the modules for distribution yet; if you
want to show off one that you have seen here but can't find in the
ftp dir, send us mail and we'll arrange something.  Or follow instructions
like the ones below.
     You shouldn't have to compile anything as long as you're working
with the binary distribution.

    As for the hyperbolic space stuff, geomview currently supports
only the projective ball model.  Oliver and I are working on adding
the conformal ball model; we may do the upper half space model at some
point but it will probably be quite a while before then.

    I think the simplest thing to illustrate hyperbolic viewing is to
load "hdodec.off" in hyperbolic mode and play around with it
interactively.  Charlie and Tamara also wrote a module which is a
software version of the Not Knot flythrough; it's not packed up for
distribution yet which means that installing it there is somewhat
complicated, but if you want to try it, here are the steps
that I think are required:

    1. grab the file /u/gcg/ngrap/bin/sgi/flythrough
       and put it in your ..../bin/sgi directory
    2. grab all the files in /u/gcg/ngrap/src/bin/flythrough/elsewhere
       and put the in your .../data/geom directory
    3. grab all the files in /u/gcg/ngrap/data/groups and put
       them in your .../data/geom/groups directory (create one
       if you don't have it already)
    4. edit your file .../data/.geomview, putting the line

	    (emodule-define "Flythrough" "flythrou")

       in it just before the closing ) at the end
    5. invoke geomview and click on "Flythrough" in the APPLICATIONS
       browser


> Another problem.
> I'd like to demonstrate Olaf's 4-d convex hull.  I have 4dview and ginsu in my
> geomview/bin/sgi directory, but I don't see how to call it from geomview.
> My applications list only shows Dihedral Angles, Corners, Triangle Groups,
> Nose, and Graffiti.  What should I do?


Just do something like step 4 above, i.e. add the lines

	(emodule-define "4dview" "4dview")
	(emodule-define "Ginsu" "ginsu")

to your .geomview.

--Mark