From: John C Shockey To: jshockey@world.std.com Subject: *CAL* MacTechGrp Meeting - May 5, 1999 Date: Tuesday, May 04, 1999 6:26 AM MacTechGrp Meeting Wednesday May 5, 1999 7:00 PM MIT Building E51-395 (*** SEE NOTE ***) Cambridge, MA Topic: A Mathematical Visualization Program Speaker: Dick Palais Here is the description of his talk which Dick Palais sent to me. It's a little longer than what I usually send, but since he went to the trouble of writing it, and it isn't fluff, I'm including the whole thing. I will discuss a mathematical visualization program called 3D-Filmstrip that I have been developing for a number of years. If you would like to have a look at it, go to my home page: http://rsp.math.brandeis.edu/ click on 3D-Filmstrip, and follow the downloading directions. 3D-Filmstrip is a "complex" program, in the sense that it works with many different categories of mathematical objects (plane and space curves, surfaces, polyhedra, conformal maps, solutions of differential equations,...) so I must do a lot of information hiding to avoid overloading the UI at any moment with lots of irrelevant information. It took me a long time to settle on a satisfactory technique for handling this problem, and I think it might be interesting to discuss my solution as well as alternatives that others might suggest. (In particular, I will say a little about why I have avoided splitting the program into ten different programs, as has often been recommended to me.) Also I plan to talk about several special features that seem to be unique (or nearly so) to the program, such as using anaglyph stereovision to display curves and surfaces in space. This turns out to be much easier than you might think---but I have also found some "secret" touches for doing it well that I will be happy to reveal to you. (I'll bring the red/green glasses). I also have a few problems I would like to ask help with. In particular, the program creates flipbook animations in RAM and then after playback, gives the user a chance to save the resulting animation as a QT movie. It would clearly be a lot more memory efficient if I created the moov file directly on the disk, frame by frame, avoiding having to keep all the (BIG) offscreen bitmaps in RAM, and I could use suggestions for how to go about making this conversion. So come on out to the meeting, bring your questions about 3D visualization, and come prepared to discuss the design tradeoffs involved in a program of this size, as well as the ways it might be converted to direct use of QuickTime. As usual, the main presentation will be preceded by a general discussion period which is open for any and all announcements, questions, rumors, and ruminations. Bring all your Macintosh programming questions -- elementary to advanced. ********************************************************************** *** If you don't know about the pedestrian bridge across Wadsworth *** *** Street, please see "IF THE DOORS ARE LOCKED" below. *** ********************************************************************** <><>< ** MAILING LISTS AND WEB SITE ** ><><> We're gradually switching to a new set of mailing lists, rather than the current manually maintained one. More information, and increasingly urgent reminders, will be sent well before THIS list goes out of operation, but if you want more information or just general MacTechGrp information, visit the web site at: http://www.codewell.com/mactechgrp/ <><>< ** ROOM NUMBERS ** ><><> We are assigned room E51-395 from now through the first Wednesday of June 1999. Keep an eye on these announcements, in case we find we need to unexpectedly change rooms. Also, if we don't seem to be where you expect, please look around for us; we're most likely on either the first or third floor (Building E51 isn't all that big.), and we'll try to leave signs when it's necessary for us to move unexpectedly. <><>< ***************************************** ><><> <><>< *** ROOM NUMBER NOTE FOR THIS MEETING *** ><><> <><>< ***************************************** ><><> Because it is especially useful to view a program such as 3D-Filmstrip on high quality projection equipment, it is very likely that the meeting will move into one of the rooms with video projection equipment. As always, look for a note in room 395 directing you to the new room. <><>< Future Meeting Dates ><><> May 19, 1999 Unofficial discussion gathering June 2, 1999 TBA June 16, 1999 Unofficial discussion gathering (See YOUR name here! Volunteer to talk about your own work.) In general, we hold an official meeting on the first Wednesday of each month, from 7 PM to 9 PM, and an unofficial discussion gathering on the third Wednesday of each month, with very occasional additional meetings, and very rare exceptions. <><>< Group information and directions follow ><><> This is the MacTechGrp e-mail announcement list. (If you received this in some way other than my mailing it directly to you, you can send me e-mail at the address below to be placed on the list or for more information.) Feedback on what you want to see in these mailings, and when, is welcome. Volunteers to help with the running of the group are always welcome. Particularly needed are people to help arrange meeting speakers. Also welcome are those who would like to speak at a future meeting. Good topics include discussion of some part of the Mac OS and Toolbox that you've learned about the hard way, an introduction to some development environment or tool that might be of interest to others, etc. Contacts: Owen Hartnett, co-director and meeting host, owen@ids.net Steve Sisak, co-director, sgs@codewell.com John Shockey, announcements editor, jshockey@world.std.com <><>< Directions ><><> MIT Building E51 is located at the intersection of Amherst and Wadsworth Streets in Cambridge, near Kendall Square. Traveling west on Memorial Drive, Wadsworth Street is the first right after the Longfellow Bridge. Traveling east on Memorial Drive, it is the first LEGAL left turn after the Harvard (Mass. Ave.) Bridge. Look for a sign for Kendall Square. The building is the one on the corner closest to Memorial Drive and Massachusetts Avenue. A good way to get to the meeting is to take the MBTA Red Line to the Kendall Square stop. Cross Main Street and go down Wadsworth Street (near the strange looking globe/fountain) to building E51. You can see a map at (all one line): http://whereis.mit.edu/bin/map?oldstate=2&off.x=4620&off.y=1640 &hi=bldg_e51&zoom.x=89&zoom.y=38 If you enter through the big entrance at the corner of Wadsworth and Amherst Streets, go up the half-flight of stairs to your right, and walk down the corridor (with the windows to your right side) toward the elevator. (If you enter through the entrance from the parking lot on Amherst Street, the elevator will be to your left. But see below as regards parking.) To get to room 395, take the elevator to the third floor. Turn to the right and then continue on to room 395 which is all the way at the end of the corridor. (On those occasions when we're moved to room 149, it's just off to the left, as you face the elevator.) <><>< ** IF THE DOORS ARE LOCKED ** ><><> We hope MIT won't do this to you, but if it happens use the pedestrian bridge from building E52. Cross Wadsworth Street (not Amherst Street) and enter the building which has a pedestrian bridge back to building E51. (This is building E52.) Go up to the third floor, and then cross over Wadsworth via the pedestrian bridge. Continue all the way down to room E51-395 at the end of the corridor. (On those occasions when we're moved to room 149, you can then take the elevator down to the first floor and continue as above.) <><>< Parking ><><> We have been officially told that we may park in the Sloan Parking Lot. This is NOT the lot immediately next to the building where we meet. (Although we were informally told for years that it was OK to use that lot, people have very occasionally gotten an MIT ticket for using it.) The entrance to the Sloan Parking Lot in on Main Street, just a little towards Boston from Wadsworth Street. If you have turned on to Wadsworth Street from Memorial Drive, continue past Building E51 to the end of Wadsworth where it meets Main. Then turn right on Main, and the entrance to the Sloan Parking Lot will be a short distance ahead, on your right. (I don't drive, and I have these directions by word of mouth and guesswork. If they can be improved, please let me know.) <><><><><> John Shockey jshockey@world.std.com