Cosmo(TM) Player 1.0
by Cosmo(TM) Software, a Division of Silicon
Graphics
- Cosmo Player is a Virtual Reality Modeling Language
(VRML) viewer.
- In Cosmo Player, you can move around and interact with
three-dimensional (3D) worlds.
- You can find many interesting worlds to visit at vrml.sgi.com.
The Short
Version: How to Use Cosmo Player
- In a 3D world:
- Walk: Drag with the mouse in the world to move
around.
- Slide: Alt-Drag to move straight up and down, or
to slide left and right.
- (You
will not be able to move up very far if gravity is
on.)
- Look: Ctrl-Drag to look around without moving.
- Point: Shift-Click to get closer to an object in
the world
- For an object or group of objects floating in space:
- Examine: Click on Examine, then drag in the world
to spin the object(s) in front of you.
Also see Keyboard Shortcuts.
Using Cosmo Player 1.0
Overview:
- Dashboard Controls
Interacting with Objects
- Examine
Moving Around
- Walk
- Slide
- Look
- Gravity
- Point
- Straighten
- View
Right Mouse Menu
Keyboard Shortcuts
More Information
The dashboard is the black band with text items on it at the
bottom of the screen. Dashboard items are white when they are on,
and blue when they are off. Items have black stripes through them
if they are disabled. Items will be enabled and disabled based on
the different worlds that you visit, and the types of viewing
that are appropriate for those worlds.
- gravity - turn on gravity to move on the ground,
turn off gravity to fly in the air
- Walk - move through a world
- Slide - go straight up and down, or sidestep left
and right
- Look - look around the world as if turning your
head
- Examine - rotate an object in the center of the
screen
- Point - move directly to an object by clicking on
the object
- View - return to the current viewpoint
- Left arrow - previous viewpoint
- Right arrow - next viewpoint
- Straighten - return yourself to an upright / level
position
- ? - bring up this help page
- Cosmo Logo - go to cosmo.sgi.com
and get more information on Cosmo Player
When the cursor turns into a pointing hand, that means that it
is over an object in the world that will activate when you click
or drag on it. If text appears in the status bar, that means that
the object contains a link to a different page or world. Try
clicking on objects that are under the cursor when the hand
appears. If nothing happens when you click, that might mean that
the object is activated by dragging it, rather than clicking on
it, so try dragging instead.
NOTE: When Point is highlighted, none of the touchable
objects in the world are active.
-
- WARNING: Examine is best used in worlds that have
one or a few objects floating in the middle of space.
Using Examine in worlds that have ground and sky,
or floor and ceiling is not recommended.
Spinning
an object:
- Highlight Examine by clicking on it.
- Make sure that the object you want to rotate is
in the exact center of your screen.
- Drag the mouse to tumble the object.
- If you want to move closer to or farther from the
object, you can use the up and down arrow keys.
- If the object you want to examine is also an
active object, you can hold down the SHIFT key to
highlight Point and disable the activation
while you spin it.
When the cursor is over the world and looks like an arrow,
that means that you can move through the world by clicking and
dragging in the world. If you want to move but the cursor is a
hand, you can hold down the SHIFT key to highlight Point,
and then you will be able to navigate by dragging anywhere in the
world. You can always use the arrow keys to move.
-
- Moving forward or backward:
- Highlight Walk by clicking on it.
- Place the mouse cursor in the 3D world, hold down
the left mouse button and drag up to go forward.
- Drag the mouse down to go backward.
Turning right or left:
- While Walk is highlighted, drag the mouse to the
right or left.
- You can move and turn at the same time by
dragging diagonally.
Moving faster or slower:
- The farther you drag, the faster you will move or
turn.
- If you hold down the SHIFT key on the keyboard
while dragging, your forward and backward speeds
will increase.
- You can adjust your speed using the right mouse
menu Speed option.
- "-" and "=" on the keyboard
("-" and "+" on the keypad)
set your movement slower or faster.
Arrow keys:
- The up and down arrow keys on the keyboard will
move you forward and backward, and the left and
right arrow keys will turn you left and right.
SLIDE (Alt-Drag)
- You can hold down the ALT key on the keyboard to
highlight Slide, or you can click on Slide.
Note that if you hold down the ALT key, Slide will not
light up until you drag the mouse in the world.
Moving
up (off the ground):
- Click gravity to turn it off (blue is
off), then highlight Slide.
- Place the mouse cursor in the 3D world, hold down
the left mouse button, and drag up.
- You will not be able to move up off the ground
very far if gravity is on.
Moving down:
- To move straight down, drag the mouse down while Slide
is highlighted.
- You will not be able to move down if the ground
or other objects are below you.
Moving sideways (slide or sidestep):
- Highlight Slide, place the mouse in the 3D
world, and drag to the left or right.
Arrow keys:
- While Slide is highlighted, the up and
down arrow keys on the keyboard will move you up
and down, and the left and right arrow keys will
move you left and right.
CAUTION: Using ALT plus the left and right arrow keys
will NOT slide you. These are the Netscape shortcuts for
Back and Forward. To use the left and right arrow keys to
slide, click on Slide on the dashboard to
highlight it.
LOOK (Ctrl-Drag)
- You can hold down the CTRL key on the keyboard to
highlight Look, or you can click on Look.
Looking
around without moving:
- Highlight Look and drag in the direction
that you want to look.
- You can not turn yourself upside down by looking
around.
Arrow keys:
- While Look is highlighted, the up and down
arrow keys on the keyboard will tilt you up and
down, and the left and right arrow keys will turn
you left and right.
-
- Gravity On:
- When gravity is on (white), you cannot
move up off the ground very far.
- If you walk along an uneven surface, you will
follow the ups and downs of that surface.
- If you are up in the air, and you turn gravity
on, then you will fall to the ground if there is
a surface beneath you.
Gravity Off:
- When gravity is off (blue), you can fly up
off the ground.
- You can use Slide to move straight upward.
- You can use Look to tilt up or down, and
then when you walk, you will move in the
direction you are looking.
POINT (Shift-Click)
- You can hold down the SHIFT key on the keyboard to
highlight Point, or you can click on Point.
Moving
to a object:
- Highlight Point and click on the object in
the world that you want to move closer to.
- As long as Point is highlighted, a single
click on an object will move you up to that
object.
- Dragging while Point is highlighted will
behave like Walk, Slide, Look,
or Examine, depending on which is
highlighted at the same time (see note below).
- While Point is highlighted, objects in the
world that respond to the mouse are not active,
so you can move by dragging anywhere in the
world.
NOTE: The SHIFT key also adds a "turbo
boost" to your movement in the world, so you will
move faster while you are holding it down.
-
- Click on Straighten to set your view upright and
straight ahead, on a plane level with the ground.
Pressing
and releasing the END key on the keyboard will also
activate Straighten.
-
- Viewpoints are interesting places in the world. Clicking
on the arrow to the right of View will take you to
the next viewpoint in the list of viewpoints in the
world. Clicking on the left arrow will take you to the
previous viewpoint. If you go to a viewpoint, and then
use other controls (like Walk) to move around,
clicking on View will bring you back to the
viewpoint.
You can get a list of all the viewpoints in
the world by clicking and releasing the right mouse
button and selecting the first item in the right mouse
menu.. Select a viewpoint from the list in order to go
there.
Pressing and releasing the HOME key on the keyboard
will also activate View.
Click and release the right mouse button to bring up the right
mouse menu.
- Viewpoints - list all available viewpoints; select
a viewpoint to go there
- Speed - change the speed at which you move through
the world
- Straighten - return yourself to an upright / level
position
- Gravity - turn gravity on or off (also available
from the dashboard)
- Headlight - turn on or off a light that shines
ahead of you in the world
- Show Dashboard - show or hide the dashboard
buttons along the bottom of the screen
- Collision Detection - turn on or off the ability
to collide with objects in the world
- Cosmo Player Info
- About Cosmo Player 1.0 - get product
information
- Get Latest Cosmo Player - go to cosmo.sgi.com to
download the latest version
- Show Release Notes - get the latest
behind-the-scenes info on Cosmo Player
- Help - bring up this page
- CTRL: Look
- ALT: Slide
- SHIFT: Point, "turbo boost"
- "-" on the keyboard,
"-" on the keypad:
Move speed down one
notch on the Speed menu
- "=" on the keyboard,
"+" on the keypad:
Move speed up one
notch on the Speed menu
- PgUp: Previous viewpoint
- PgDn: Next viewpoint
- Home: View - return to current viewpoint
- End: Straighten