[Gzz] WheelViews (Re: [Gzz-commits] loom ./TODO org/fenfire/loom/ViewSettings.java ...)

[Asko Soukka]

Mon, 7 Apr 2003, Benja Fallenstein wrote:
>Oh, and we MUST NOT show connections in the wrong direction, even if we
>don't have stubs-- rather don't show them at all! This is *really bad*
>right now ;-)

Indeed. And this is also the biggest reason for the problems with 
interpolation in WheelView. But I still wanted to test and see that 
myself :) I'll fix that, create a rotable stubs and use it to 
mark connections to other direction (which don't have space to show in 
WheelView).

> An easier point is that for the 'virtual space' perception, we must be 
> able to see what we move to if we take *two* steps right or left. I.e., 
> let's say we have four nodes ::
> 
>     A -- B -- C
>            \
>             D
...
>             C
>            /
>     A -- B -- D

This almost works in SundewWheelView. The only problem left is that the 
connection to focused cell is not placed right. Actually, I currently 
remove that before drawing :) Well, I could leave that, recognize it and 
place it right, but on little problem; if there is two connections with 
similar properties between two cells, probably it's possible to recognize 
only the first one?

So, the node B and its surroundings will be always shown from the node A 
in similar way. Well, mayby this is minor, since who wants two similar 
connections between two cells :)

                C                         C  E
       /--a--\ /                          | / 
  --- A --a-- B -- E     ==>    --- A --- B - D
               \                        /
                D                      A

              C   E      ==>
              | /
  --- A --a-- B -- D
       \--a--/

> Also, we need billowing.

What do you mean here by billowing? I tried variable angles between 
branches, varying by the size of the branch. But it was really difficult 
and complicated to make work with different left and right side, and it 
looked awfull. Now, with fixed angles the rotation of Wheel could be 
excepted and "illusion of a virtual space" could be easier to create.

Well, we could have variable angles for fitting maximum amount of nodes 
into single screen, but interpolating between such screens is difficult :/ 

The first fix to current situation is add scaling. The nodes farther away 
are also drawn smaller and connections are shorter. Something like 
Vanishing, like Sundew in Gzz 0.6. I'll also try the oval shaped 
"Wheel".

> What's the problem with the rotated stubs, btw? It should just be 
> calculating the lines' ends a little differently?

Probably there isn't any problems :) I guess the View could create and 
store as class attribues reasonable amount (~36pcs at first) of 
rotated+immutable stubs.

-- 
Asko Soukka <address@hidden>
<http://www.iki.fi/asko.soukka/>