Simulink 3D Animation 5.2
Animate and visualize Simulink models in three dimensions
Simulink 3D Animation lets you visualize dynamic system simulations in a 3D virtual reality environment. It provides an interface between MATLAB and Simulink and virtual reality graphics represented in Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML). You can change position, rotation, size, and other properties of objects in the virtual world, enabling you to observe the dynamic behavior of your system. Simulink 3D Animation includes a viewer for rendering detailed virtual scenes and playing high-quality animations. Key Features Ability to link Simulink models with virtual reality worlds, enabling visualization and tracking of 3D object motion Tools for building, modifying, and viewing virtual reality worlds Video recording and animation playback Visualization of real-time simulations Connection to common hardware input devices, including joysticks and 3D mice Client/server architecture, enabling collaboration among teams in multiple locations
Visualization of Simulink based applications, clockwise from far left: magnetic ball levitation, aircraft over terrain, automotive vehicle dynamics, self-balancing robot, and trajectory of aborted spacecraft mission. Click on image to see enlarged view.
Working with Simulink 3D Animation Simulink 3D Animation provides insight into your Simulink model of a dynamic system through 3D visualizations. You can create virtual worlds by using standard VRML and then control them from Simulink. Simulink 3D Animation includes a comprehensive set of tools that let you: Build virtual reality worlds using VRML authoring tools Import VRML worlds, including CAD models View virtual reality worlds using VRML viewers Link and interact with virtual worlds using MATLAB functions and Simulink blocks Work in a collaborative, virtual environment Building Virtual Reality Worlds Simulink 3D Animation provides tools for authoring and importing virtual reality worlds. Working with the VRML Editor The V-Realm Builder in Simulink 3D Animation is a native VRML authoring tool that enables you to create views and images of physical objects using VRML. The V-Realm Builder GUI offers a hierarchical, tree-style view of objects that make up the virtual world. The GUI contains a set of object, texture, transform, and material libraries that are stored locally for reuse. You can author virtual scenes with any 3D authoring tool and export models in the VRML97 standard for use with Simulink 3D Animation. Importing CAD Models Simulink 3D Animation lets you import and process VRML files created from CAD assemblies that were authored in tools such as SolidWorks and Pro/ENGINEER. You can then automatically create visualizations based on these VRML files for models that have been created from the same CAD assemblies by using the SimMechanics Link utility.
V-Realm Builder GUI showing a hierarchical, tree-style view (far left) and scene preview (near left) of various components of the lunar module. Click on image to see enlarged view.
Viewing Virtual Reality Worlds Simulink 3D Animation includes VRML viewers that display your virtual worlds and record scene data. VRML Viewers The Simulink 3D Animation viewer integrates with MATLAB figures so that you can combine virtual scenes with Handle Graphics objects and multiple views of one or more virtual worlds. You can navigate the virtual world by zooming, panning, moving sideways, and rotating about points of interest known as viewpoints. In the virtual world, you can establish viewpoints to emphasize areas of interest, to guide visitors, or to observe an object in motion from different positions. During a simulation, you can switch between these viewpoints. Recording Scene Data Simulink 3D Animation enables you to control frame snapshots (captures) of a virtual world, or to record animations into video files. You can save a frame snapshot of the current viewer scene as a TIFF or PNG file. You can schedule and configure recordings of animation data into Audio Video Interleaved (AVI) files and VRML animation files for future playback. Additionally, Simulink 3D Animation lets you create video output from virtual worlds to develop control algorithms by using a visual feedback loop through the link with a virtual reality environment. Viewing Object Trajectories Simulink 3D Animation includes functionality that can trace the trajectory of an object in the associated virtual scene. For example, you can visualize the flight path of a spacecraft.

Linking to Virtual Reality Worlds Simulink 3D Animation provides MATLAB and Simulink interfaces to virtual reality worlds. It also contains functionality to visualize real-time simulations and connect with input hardware. Simulink Interface to Virtual Reality Worlds The Simulink 3D Animation library provides blocks to directly connect Simulink signals with virtual reality worlds. You can control position, rotation, size, and other properties of a virtual object in a scene to visualize its motion and deformation. A set of vector and matrix utilities for axis transformations enables flexible associations of Simulink signals with properties of objects in your virtual world. You can adjust views relative to objects and display Simulink signals as text in the virtual world. MATLAB Interface to Virtual Reality Worlds Simulink 3D Animation provides a flexible MATLAB interface to virtual reality worlds. You can read and change the positions and other properties of VRML objects, read signals from VRML sensors, create callbacks from GUIs, record animations of virtual scenes, and map data to virtual objects from MATLAB. You can use MATLAB Compiler to generate redistributable, standalone applications that include Simulink 3D Animation functionality. Visualization of Real-Time Simulations You can use C code generated from Simulink models using Real-Time Workshop to drive animations. This approach enhances your real-time simulations by providing a visual animation of your dynamic system model as it connects with real-time hardware. Support for Input Hardware Simulink 3D Animation includes Simulink blocks and MATLAB functions for user interaction and virtual prototyping with 3D input devices, including 3D mice from 3Dconnexion and force-feedback joysticks.
Dynamics of an automotive internal combustion engine, modeled (left, top) with Simulink and SimMechanics. The virtual world (far left) is linked through the VR Sink block (near left) and viewed with the Simulink 3D Animation viewer. Click on image to see enlarged view.
Working in a Collaborative Environment Simulink 3D Animation enables you to view and interact with simulated virtual worlds on one machine that is running Simulink or on networked computers connected locally or via the Internet. In a collaborative work environment, you can view an animated virtual world on multiple client machines connected to a host server through TCP/IP protocol. When you work in an individual (nonnetworked) environment, your modeled system and the 3D visualization run on the same host.

MATLAB code (far left) that uses the MATLAB interface of Simulink 3D Animation to create a GUI (near left). The GUI combines virtual scenes with a Handle Graphics object, showing two 3D views of an industrial robot arm and its end-effector trajectory. Click on image to see enlarged view.

Resources

Product Details, Demos, and System Requirements www.mathworks.com/products/3d-animation Trial Software www.mathworks.com/trialrequest Sales www.mathworks.com/contactsales Technical Support www.mathworks.com/support Online User Community www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral Training Services www.mathworks.com/training Third-Party Products and Services www.mathworks.com/connections Worldwide Contacts www.mathworks.com/contact
2010 The MathWorks, Inc. MATLAB and Simulink are registered trademarks of The MathWorks, Inc. See www.mathworks.com/trademarks for a list of additional trademarks. Other product or brand names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

VRML Browser Plug-In blaxxun Contact

Windows x64

blaxxun Contact
Linux kernels Linux x8664 kernels Sun Solaris 64 Mac OS X

Yes Yes Yes Yes

No No No No

Host Computer

The host computer is a desktop computer where you install the MATLAB, Simulink, and Simulink 3D Animation products, a VRML editor and, optionally, a Web browser with a VRML plug-in. You can also install the Simulink Coder product with Real-Time Windows Target or xPC Target software to run and view a real-time application. The following table lists the minimum resources the software requires on the host computer. Host Computer Hardware Requirements Hardware CPU Graphics card RAM Peripherals TCP/IP communication Description Intel Pentium, Athlon or higher (PC) Graphics card with hardware 3-D acceleration 128 Mbytes or more Hard disk drive with 45 Mbytes of free space DVD-ROM drive If you want to allow a connection from a client computer, you need a network connection between the host computer and the client computer.
The following table lists the minimum software the software requires on your host computer. For a list of optional software products, see http://www.mathworks.com/products/3d-animation/related.jsp. Host Computer Software Requirements Software MATLAB product Simulink product Simulink 3D Animation product Description Version 7.9. Version 7.4. The Simulink product is not required, but highly recommend. Version 5.1.
Host Computer Software Requirements (Continued) Software VRML editor Description The 3D World Editor works on all supported platforms for the Simulink 3D Animation product. The 3D World Editor is installed as part of the Simulink 3D Animation installation. It is the default VRML editor. The V-Realm Builder is also included with the Simulink 3D Animation software, on Windows platforms. See Installing the V-Realm Editor (Windows) on page 2-26. For other VRML editor options, see Editors for Virtual Worlds on page 5-2. Web browser On PC platforms, you can use a Web browser and the Blaxxun Contact plug-in to view virtual worlds. This is an alternative to using the Simulink 3D Animation viewer. Use Internet Explorer software Version 4.0 or later, or Netscape Navigator 4.0 or later with Sun Java enabled. VRML plug-in If you are using a Web browser instead of the Simulink 3D Animation viewer, you need to install a VRML97 plug-in with External Authoring Interface (EAI) support. If you have Blaxxun Contact (Windows) on your computer, you have already installed a VRML plug-in. Windows platforms You can install the Blaxxun Contact 4.4 plug-in provided with the Simulink 3D Animation product. For information on how to install the Blaxxun Contact plug-in, see Installing a VRML Plug-In (Windows) on page 2-17.

1 Start the MATLAB software. 2 In the MATLAB Command Window, type
vrinstall -install viewer
The MATLAB interface displays the message
Do you want to use OpenGL or Direct3d acceleration? (o/d)
3 Check the graphics card manual to determine the acceleration method to
select. If you are not sure, select Direct 3d by typing
The blaxxun installer starts running and displays the following dialog box.
4 Follow the instructions on the remaining screens. 5 In the MATLAB Command Window, type

vrinstall -check

If the viewer installation was successful, the MATLAB Command Window displays the following message:
External VRML viewer: installed
If the viewer installation was unsuccessful, the MATLAB Command Window displays the message

VRML viewer:

not installed
Known Issue with the Blaxxun Contact Plug-In
The Blaxxun Contact VRML plug-in can fail to update the virtual world when used with the Simulink 3D Animation and Internet Explorer 5.5 and later products. Netscape Navigator users do not experience this problem. If you are using Internet Explorer 5.5 or later, you must manually change a network security setting before you can use Blaxxun Contact 4.4 with Simulink 3D Animation Version 3.0 or later. Upgrading your version of the Blaxxun Contact plug-in does not resolve this problem.
Changing the Default Network Security Setting
You must change your default network security setting before using the Blaxxun Contact plug-in with Internet Explorer 5.5 and later to ensure that the virtual world is updated appropriately. You can use this workaround for the following: PC platform is Windows XP Service Pack 1. The PC platform is not one of the above, but you have installed the Microsoft Java Virtual Machine (JVM) on the PC.
1 Open Internet Explorer. 2 From the Tools menu, choose Internet Options.
The Internet Options dialog box opens.
3 Select the Local Intranet icon. 4 Click the Security tab. 5 Click the Custom Level button.
The Security Settings dialog box opens.
6 Scroll down until you see Microsoft VM. The first subheading is Java

permissions.

7 Select Custom.

Default: 'logical'

Default VRML Viewer
'internal' | 'internalv4' | 'internalv5' |'web'

Default: 'internal'

'single' | 'double'

Default: 'double'

'int32' | 'double'

HTTP Port

Numeric Default: 8123 Numeric Default: 5

Transport Buffer

Transport Timeout

Numeric Default: 20

VRML Editor
Value Built-in 3D World Editor | V-Realm Builder | MATLAB Editor | Custom Numeric Default: 8124
Description Specifies which VRML editor to use. Path to the VRML editor. If this path is empty, the MATLAB editor is used. The path setting is active only if you select the

Custom option.

VR Port
IP port used for communication between the Simulink 3D Animation server and its clients. If you change this preference, you must restart the MATLAB software before the change takes effect.
Simulink 3D Animation 3D World Editor Preferences
The Simulink 3D Animation preferences include the following preferences for the 3D World Editor.

Property

Position
Value Two pairs of pixel locations, establishing the upper-left and lower-right corners for the 3D World Editor Default: Depends on current screen resolution
Description Specifies the default location for the 3D World Editor. If you select Save position on exit, then the default position changes to the position of the 3D World Editor when you exited that editor. Causes the 3D World Editor to open in the same location where the editor was when you exited that editor.

Save position on exit

'off' | 'on'

Default: 'on'

Simulink 3D Animation Canvas Preferences
The Simulink 3D Animation preferences include a Navigation panel preference.

Navigation panel

'none' | 'translucent' | 'opaque'
Description Controls the appearance of the navigation panel in the canvas.

Default: 'none'

Simulink 3D Animation Figure Preferences
The Simulink 3D Animation figure has a number of preferences, presented in the following categories: Simulink 3D Animation Figure Appearance Preferences on page 2-35 Simulink 3D Animation Figure Rendering Preferences on page 2-36 Simulink 3D Animation Figure 2-D Recording Preferences on page 2-39 Simulink 3D Animation Figure Frame Capture Preferences on page 2-40
Simulink 3D Animation Figure Appearance Preferences
To access the virtual figure appearance preferences:
1 From the MATLAB software desktop, select File > Preferences. 2 In the left pane of the Preferences dialog box, select Simulink 3D

setpoint = getfield(nh, 'translation'); setpoint = nh.translation; setpoint = wh.Grab_Sensor.translation;
To use the setpoint value in a Simulink model, you can write an S-function or an MATLAB Function block that reads the sensor output periodically. For an example of such an S-function:
1 Right-click the VR Sensor Reader block of Magnetic Levitation Model
(vrmaglev) model and select Look Under Mask. The vrmaglev/VR Sensor Reader model displays. This model contains the vrextin block, which is an S-function block. The vrextin S-function synchronizes the sensor field in the setup method and periodically reads its value in the mdlUpdate method.
2 To examine the S-function parameters, right-click vrextin and select
S-Function Parameters. The parameters defined in the mask supply the sample time, virtual world, and the node/field to read. Note the following about the vrextin S-function: Instead of setting its own block outputs, the vrextin S-function sets the value of the adjacent Constant block value_holder. This setting makes the VR Sensor Reader block compatible with Simulink Coder code generation so that the model can run on Simulink Coder targets. The signal loop between user action (grabbing the ball to a desired position using a mouse) closes through the associated Simulink model vrmaglev.mdl. As a result, grabbing the ball to a new position works only when the model is running and when the model sets the blue selection method switch to the virtual reality sensor signal path. To experience the behavior of the PlaneSensor using the virtual scene only, save the maglev.wrl file under a new name and remove the comment symbol (#) to enable the last line of this file. This action activates direct routing of sensor output to a ball translation. You can then experiment with the newly created scene instead of the original maglev.wrl world.
ROUTE Grab_Sensor.translation_changed TO Ball.translation
You can use this method to input information from all VRML node fields of the type exposedField or eventOut, not only a Sensor eventOut field. See VRML Data Class Types for more information about VRML Data class types. For fields of class exposedField, you can use an alternate name using the field name with the suffix, _changed. For example, translation and translation_changed are alternate names for requesting the translation field value of the above Grab_Sensor node.

Recording Offline Animations
In this section. Overview on page 4-10 Animation Recording File Tokens on page 4-12 Manual 3-D VRML Animation Recording on page 4-14 Manual 2-D AVI Animation Recording on page 4-16 Scheduled 3-D VRML Animation Recording on page 4-20 Scheduled 2-D AVI Animation Recording on page 4-22 Viewing Animation Files on page 4-25 MATLAB Animation Recording of Virtual Worlds Not Associated with Simulink Models on page 4-27
The Simulink 3D Animation software enables you to record animations of virtual scenes that are controlled by theSimulink or MATLAB product. You can record simulations through either the Simulink 3D Animation viewer (described in Chapter 7, Viewing Virtual Worlds) or the MATLAB interface (described in this section). You can then play back these animations offline, in other words, independent of the MATLAB, Simulink, or Simulink 3D Animation products. You might want to generate such files for presentations, to distribute simulation results, or to generate archives. Note Optimally, use the Simulink 3D Animation viewer (Chapter 7, Viewing Virtual Worlds) to record animations of virtual worlds associated with Simulink models. This method ensures that all necessary virtual world and vrfigure properties are properly set to record simulations. The Simulink 3D Animation viewer is the recommended interface to record animations. If you are working with virtual scenes controlled from MATLAB, you can still record virtual scenes through the MATLAB interface.
You can save the virtual world offline animation data in the following formats: 3-D VRML file The Simulink 3D Animation software traces object movements and saves that data into a VRML file using VRML97 standard interpolators. You can then view these files with the Simulink 3D Animation viewer. 3-D VRML files typically use much less disk space than Audio Video Interleave (AVI) files. If you make any navigation movements in the Simulink 3D Animation viewer while recording the animation, the Simulink 3D Animation software does not save any of these movements. Note If you distribute VRML animation files, be sure to also distribute all the inlined object and texture files referenced in the original VRML world file. 2-D Audio Video Interleave (AVI) file The Simulink 3D Animation software writes animation data into an.avi file. The Simulink 3D Animation software uses vrfigure objects to record 2-D animation files. The recorded 2-D animation reflects exactly what you see in the viewer window. It includes any navigation movements you make during the recording. Note While recording 2-D.avi animation data, always ensure that the Simulink 3D Animation viewer is the topmost window and fully visible. Graphics acceleration limitations might prevent the proper recording of 2-D animation otherwise.

Object positions Object rotations
Send to VR Sink all positions in global coordinates. Send to VR Sink all rotations in global coordinates, with center of rotation defined as the coordinate system origin. (As the default center of rotation of VRML Transform objects is [0], it is usually not necessary to define it for each part in the VRML file.
When all parts in Simulink model follow hierarchical relations, and the virtual world has a nested structure, use the following positions and rotations. Object positions Send to VR Sink all positions in local coordinates (relative to their parents or predecessors in the object hierarchy). For example, send the robots tool position relative to the robots hand. Send to VR Sink all rotations in local coordinates (relative to their parents or predecessors in the object hierarchy). For example, send the robots tool rotation relative to the robots hand. To visually match the positions of joints between objects, it is usually necessary to coincide the center of rotation defined in the virtual world with the center of rotation defined in the Simulink model, as joints between parts are usually positioned not in the origin, [0], of the parents coordinate system. To define a center of rotation different from the default value, [0], define the center field of the childs Transform node in the VRML file. For example, define the robots tool center of rotation to coincide with the joint connecting the hand and the tool in the hands local coordinates. In a hierarchical scene structure, when the parts are connected by revolving joints, it is easy to define the relative rotations between parts. The joint axis directly defines the VRML rotation axis, so constructing the [axis angle] four-element VRML rotation vector is trivial.

Object rotations

Initial Conditions
A Simulink models initial conditions must correspond to the initial objects positions and rotations defined in the virtual world. Otherwise, the object controlled from Simulink would jump from the position defined in the VRML file to the position dictated by the Simulink software at the start of the simulation. You can compensate for this offset either in the VRML file (by defining an another level of nested Transform around the controlled object) or in the Simulink model by adding the objects initial position to the model calculations before sending to the VR Sink block. You should align the Simulink models initial conditions with the virtual worlds object positions, while maintaining the correct position of the object relative to the surrounding scene. To do so, you may need to adjust the position of the objects surroundings (e.g., move the road position so that the car at position [0] stays on the road, with the wheels neither sinking nor floating above the road surface).
Use of VR Placeholder and VR Signal Expander
The VR Sink block accepts only inputs that define fully qualified VRML field values. Dynamic models that describe the system behavior in only one dimension still require full 3D positions for all controlled objects for their virtual reality visualization. To simplify the modeling in such cases, you can use the VR Placeholder and VR Expander blocks of the Simulink 3D Animation library. The VR Placeholder block sends out a special value that is interpreted as unspecified by the VR Sink block. When this placeholder value appears on a VR Sink input, whether as a single value or as an element of a vector, the appropriate value in the virtual world remains unchanged. The VR Signal Expander block creates a vector of predefined length, using some values from the input ports and filling the rest with placeholder signal values. To control the position of a virtual object in a one-dimensional dynamic model, use the VR Signal Expander block with the controlled dimension as its input. For its output use a three-component vector in the VR Sink block. The remaining vector elements are filled with placeholder signals.

Settings that Affect the VRML Output
In the CATIA environment, the properties that affect the VRML output are available in two options dialog boxes: Display Performances dialog box VRML Compatibility dialog box

Level of Detail

The level of detail of the exported VRML file (accuracy of the tessellation mesh of objects) corresponds to the setting of CATIA general visualization mesh. In the CATIA menu, select Tools > Options > General > Display > Performances. In the resulting dialog, select the 3D Accuracy options to control the visualization mesh detail.
You can achieve best results by using the proportional method of tessellation (arcs are substituted by line segments based on their relative, not absolute, accuracy). This method works for models regardless their dimensions. For maximum accuracy of the exported VRML model, set the slider at the rightmost position. If the resulting file is too complex to be handled effectively with VRML rendering tools, experiment with this accuracy setting. You want to find the setting that gives you the smallest possible VRML model, but it must still be visually acceptable.
VRML Export Filter Settings
The CATIA software enables you to tune some VRML export options. These are available in the Tools > Options > General > Compatibility > VRML: Select VRML97 as the export format The Simulink 3D Animationsoftware uses VRML97 standard format. Select the Save normals check box This option affects whether or not to export explicit face normals definitions. Clear the Save edges check box Clear this check box for optimum performance. Selecting this check box directs the CATIA software to also export object edges (in the form of IndexedLineSets). Select the appropriate Save textures check boxes to the desired settings In particular, if you want to save textures, select the Save textures in external files option. This option generates external JPG files for object textures. Select the VRML model background color This option applies only to exporting products.
Structure of VRML Models Exported from the CATIA Environment
The CATIA software exports CATProducts and their CATParts as VRML transforms. The structure of these transforms corresponds to the CATIA model hierarchy. In addition to transforms that represent physical elements, the CATIA software creates several transforms and groups in the VRML file
to represent relationships between objects and other model properties defined in the CATIA environment. Some of these additional nodes can be empty. Many CATIA model properties do not have equivalents in the VRML language. Each part transform contains a hierarchy of nested transforms, groups and shapes that correspond to the part internal structure. Some of these elements have synthetic DEF names (for example, _0161DC70). For the most part, you will only need to work with the main transforms that represent each part. The following contains the VRML model of a cylinder assembly consisting of four parts:

at the MATLAB command prompt. The Inverted Pendulum demo starts, and the viewer displays the following scene.
2 In the Simulink model window, from the Simulation menu, choose Start.

The demo starts running.

3 Click inside and outside the sensor area of the viewer window. Note that
the sensor takes precedence over navigation with the left mouse button. The shape of your pointer changes when it is located over the sensor area. If the sensor covers the entire navigable area, mouse navigation is effectively disabled. In this case, use the control panel or the keyboard to move about the scene. For a three-button mouse or a mouse with a clickable wheel, you can always use the middle button or the wheel to move about the scene. The middle mouse button and wheel do not trigger sensors within the virtual world.
Keyboard You can also use the keyboard to navigate through a virtual world. It can be faster and easier to issue a keyboard command, especially if you want to move the camera repeatedly in a single direction. The following table summarizes the keyboard commands and their associated navigation functions. Note that the letters presented do not need to be capitalized in order to perform their intended function. Simulink 3D Animation Viewer Keyboard Navigation Keyboard Command Backspace Ctrl+R Ctrl+I Ctrl+T F9 +/F6 F7 F5 F8 Esc Home Page Up, Page Down F10 Shift+W Shift+E Shift+F
Navigation Function Undo move. Start/stop recording. Capture frame. Start/stop simulation. Straighten up and make the camera stand on the horizontal plane of its local coordinates. Zoom in/out. Toggle the headlight on/off. Toggle the navigation zones on/off. Toggle the wireframe option on/off. Toggle the antialiasing option on/off. Go to default viewpoint. Return to current viewpoint. Move between preset viewpoints. Camera is bound/unbound from the viewpoint. Set the navigation method to Walk. Set the navigation method to Examine. Set the navigation method to Fly.
Simulink 3D Animation Viewer Keyboard Navigation (Continued) Keyboard Command Shift Up/Down Arrow Up/Down Arrow
Navigation Function Move the camera forward and backward. Pan the camera up and down.
Pan the camera right and left. Left/Right Arrow, Shift+Left/Right Arrow Alt+Up/Down Arrow Alt+Left/Right Arrow Slide up and down. Slide left and right.
Ctrl+Left/Right/ Pressing Ctrl alone acquires the examine lock at the Up/Down point of intersection between the line perpendicular to Arrow the screen, coming through the center of the viewer window, and the closest visible surface to the camera. Pressing the arrow keys without releasing Ctrl rotates the viewpoint about the acquired center point. Shift+Alt+Left/ Right Arrow Tilt the camera right and left.

1 Place your mouse pointer over a virtual world, then right-click. A menu

appears.

2 On the menu, point to Movement. A submenu appears. 3 Choose Walk, Slide, Rotate, Examine, Fly, Pan, or Jump.
A letter in the center of the dial indicates the current movement mode. For example, in the preceding illustration, the large E stands for Examine mode. Initially, you should use Examine mode, which is for examining objects from various angles. You will find that the functions of the left/right button controls in Examine mode are the easiest for beginners to master.

Movement Modes

The following table lists the movement modes. Movement Mode Walk
Description Drag the mouse toward the top or the bottom of the screen to move forward or backward, and drag toward the left or right to turn left or right. Drag the mouse to move up, down, left, or right within a plane that is perpendicular to your view. Press the left mouse button to select a rotation point within the scene. Then drag the mouse toward the top or bottom to move forward or back, or drag the mouse left or right to rotate around the fixed point. Press the left mouse button to select a rotation point within the scene. Then drag the mouse up, down, left, or right to rotate the object. Press the left mouse button to start flying. Drag the mouse toward the top or bottom to rise or sink, and drag left or right. Drag the mouse toward the top or bottom of the scene to loop up and down, and drag left or right to turn left or right. Place your mouse pointer over an object, then left-click. Your view moves to that point.

Slide Rotate

blaxxun Contact Settings
For PCs, the Simulink 3D Animation software includes the blaxxun Contact VRML plug-in for Web browsers. The viewer allows you to select several working configurations, and its performance depends on several factors: The speed of your hardware System display driver settings
Method of 3-D rendering blaxxun Contact parameters The size of the window in which you display the 3-D visualization You might want to test the various combinations possible on your system to find an optimal configuration for the best performance in 3-D visualization. With respect to the 3-D rendering method, you can install blaxxun Contact with two basic configurations using OpenGL and Direct3D drivers. You can tune the viewer performance by setting the parameters in the Settings-Preferences dialog box of the viewer floating menu, accessible by right-clicking when you are viewing a virtual scene. In Direct3D configuration, you can select the speed and quality on the fly from the top level of the menu. You can, depending on the system capabilities, select one of the options on the menu. For example, you can select High Speed, High Quality, Hardware Acceleration, and MMX Speed. In the OpenGL configuration, you can set similar rendering properties. From the floating menu, choose Settings, and then choose Preferences.

Buttons

Vector of doubles 0 Button released 1 Button pressed

Point of view

-1 Selector inactive <0; 360> The angle of the POV selector, in degrees

Input Port Force

Value Vector of doubles in the range < -1; 1 >
Description Port active only for force-feedback devices. Inputs correspond to the desired force to be applied in the given axis. Usually not all of the device axes have force-feedback. The size of the Force vector is then smaller than the Axes vector size.

Normalize Vector

Unit vector parallel to input vector Simulink 3D Animation Takes an input vector of any size and outputs the unit vector parallel to it.
Maximum modulus to treat vector as zero The output is set to zeroes if the modulus of the input is equal to or lower than this value.
Rotation Between 2 Vectors
VRML rotation between two 3-D vectors Simulink 3D Animation Takes input of two 3-by-1 vectors and returns a VRML rotation (specified as a four-element vector defining axis and angle) that is needed to transform the first input vector to the second input vector.
Rotation Matrix to VRML Rotation
Convert rotation matrix into representation used in VRML Simulink 3D Animation Takes an input of a rotation matrix and outputs the axis/angle rotation representation used for defining rotations in VRML. The rotation matrix can be either a 9-element column vector or a 3-by-3 matrix defined columnwise.
Maximum value to treat input value as zero The input is considered to be zero if it is equal to or lower than this value.

Rotation Matrix

A representation of a three-dimensional spherical rotation as a 3-by-3 real, orthogonal matrix R: RTR = RRT = I, where I is the 3-by-3 identity and RT is the transpose of R.

R11 R = R21 R 31

R12 R22 R32
R13 Rxx R23 = Ryx R33 Rzx

Rxy Ryy Rzy

Rxz Ryz Rzz
In general, R requires three independent angles to specify the rotation fully. There are many ways to represent the three independent angles. Here are two: You can form three independent rotation matrices R1, R2, R3, each representing a single independent rotation. Then compose the full rotation matrix R with respect to fixed coordinate axes as a product of these three: R = R3*R2*R1. The three angles are Euler angles. You can represent R in terms of an axis-angle rotation n = (nx,ny,nz) and with n*n = 1. The three independent angles are and the two needed to orient n. Form the antisymmetric matrix:

CameraPositionAbs CameraUpVector
Vector of three doubles Vector of three doubles
CameraUpVectorAbs CaptureFileFormat

String. Default:

'%f_anim_%n.ext'

Fullscreen

Headlight 'off' | 'on'
Description Specifies whether the lighting is taken into account when rendering. If it is off, all the objects are drawn as if uniformly lit. Read/write. Sets the maximum pixel size of a texture used in rendering vrfigure objects. The smaller the size, the faster the texture can render. Increasing this value improves image quality but decreases performance. A value of 'auto' sets the maximum possible pixel size. If the value you enter is unsuitable, a warning might trigger. The Simulink 3D Animation software then automatically adjusts the property to the next smaller suitable value. Specifies the name of this
vrfigure object. Read/write.
'auto' | 32 <= x <= video card limit, where x is a
power of 2 (video card limit is typically 1024 or 2048)

Name NavMode

'fly' | 'examine' | 'walk' | 'none'
Specifies navigation mode. Read/write. Controls the appearance of the navigation panel in the Simulink 3D Animation viewer. Read/write.

Default: 'examine'

NavPanel 'opaque' | 'translucent' | 'none' | 'halfbar' | 'bar'

NavSpeed

'veryslow' | 'slow' | 'normal' | 'fast' | 'veryfast'
Description Specifies navigation speed. Read/write.

Position Record2D

Toggles navigation zones on/off. Read/write. Specifies the screen coordinates of this vrfigure object. Read/write. Enables 2-D offline animation file recording. Read/write. Specifies the compression method for creating 2-D animation files. The codec code must be registered in the system. See the MATLAB function documentation for avifile. Read/write. Specifies the quality of 2-D animation file compression. Read/write. Specifies the 2-D offline animation file name. The string can contain tokens that are replaced by the corresponding information when the animation recording takes place. For further details, see Animation Recording File Tokens on page 4-12. Read/write.

DefaultFigureAnti Aliasing
DefaultFigureCapture FileName
DefaultFigureDeleteFcn DefaultFigureLighting
DefaultFigureMax TextureSize

DefaultFigureNavPanel

Description Specifies the default appearance of the control panel in the viewer. Valid values are 'opaque', 'translucent', 'none', 'halfbar', 'bar', and 'factory'. Default is

'halfbar'.

DefaultFigureNavZones
Specifies whether the navigation zone is on or off by default for new vrfigure objects. This preference also applies to new vr.canvas objects. Valid values are 'off' and 'on'. Sets the default initial position and size of the Simulink 3D Animation viewer window. Valid value is a vector of four doubles. Specifies the default compression method for creating 2-D animation files for new vrfigure objects. Valid values are '', 'auto', 'lossless', and 'codec_code'. Specifies the default quality of 2-D animation file compression for new vrfigure objects. Valid values are 0-100. Specifies the default 2-D offline animation file name for new vrfigure objects. Specifies the default frames per second playback speed.

DefaultFigurePosition

DefaultFigureRecord2D CompressMethod
DefaultFigureRecord2D CompressQuality
DefaultFigureRecord2D FileName DefaultFigureRecord2DFPS

DefaultFigureStatusBar

Description Specifies whether the status bar appears by default at the bottom of the Simulink 3D Animation viewer for new vrfigure objects. Valid values are 'off' and 'on'. Specifies whether textures should be rendered by default for new vrfigure objects. This preference also applies to new vr.canvas objects. See vrfigure/get for detailed description. Default is 'on'. Specifies whether the toolbar appears by default on the Simulink 3D Animation viewer for new vrfigure objects. Valid values are 'off' and 'on'. Specifies whether or not transparency information is taken into account when rendering for new vrfigure objects. This preference also applies to new vr.canvas objects. Valid values are 'off' and 'on'. Specifies whether objects are drawn as solids or wireframes by default for new vrfigure objects. This preference also applies to new vr.canvas objects. Valid values are 'off' and 'on'.

DefaultFigureTextures

DefaultFigureToolBar
DefaultFigure Transparency

DefaultFigureWireframe

DefaultViewer
Description Specifies which viewer is used to view a virtual scene. 'internal' Default Simulink 3D Animation viewer. This is the same as setting the value to 'internalv5' for all platforms except the Linux platform. 'internalv4' Legacy Simulink 3D Animation viewer. 'internalv5' Viewer based on MATLAB figure windows. 'web' Web browser becomes viewer. This is the current Web browser VRML plug-in. Note For Linux platforms, 'internal' sets the default viewer to the legacy viewer, and 'internalv5' sets the default viewer to the viewer based on MATLAB figures.

Description Specifies the handling of the VRML float data type for vrnode/setfield and vrnode/getfield. Valid values are 'single' and 'double'. If set to 'single', the VRML Float and Color data types are returned as 'single'. If set to 'double', the Float and Color data types are returned as 'double'. Default is 'double'. Controls the appearance of the control panel in the vr.canvas object. Values are:
Specifies default units for new vr.canvas objects. See vr.canvas for detailed description. Default is 'normalized'. Determines whether antialiasing is used by default for new vrfigure objects. This preference also applies to new vr.canvas objects. Valid values are 'off' and 'on'.
Description Specifies default file name for capturing viewer figures. See vrfigure/get for detailed description. Default is '%f_anim_%n.tif'. Specifies the default callback invoked when closing a vrfigure object. Specifies whether the lights are rendered by default for new vrfigure objects. This preference also applies to new vr.canvas objects. Valid values are 'off' and 'on'. Specifies the default maximum size of a texture used in rendering new vrfigure objects. This preference also applies to new vr.canvas objects. Valid values are 'auto' and 32 <= x <= video card limit, where x is a power of 2. Specifies the default appearance of the control panel in the viewer. Valid values are 'opaque', 'translucent', 'none', 'halfbar', 'bar', and 'factory'. Default is 'halfbar'. Specifies whether the navigation zone is on or off by default for new vrfigure objects. This preference also applies to new vr.canvas objects. Valid values are 'off' and 'on'. Sets the default initial position and size of the Simulink 3D Animation viewer window. Valid value is a vector of four doubles.
Description Specifies the default compression method for creating 2-D animation files for new vrfigure objects. Valid values are '', 'auto', 'lossless', and 'codec_code'. Specifies the default quality of 2-D animation file compression for new vrfigure objects. Valid values are 0-100. Specifies the default 2-D offline animation file name for new vrfigure objects. Specifies the default frames per second playback speed. Specifies whether the status bar appears by default at the bottom of the Simulink 3D Animation viewer for new vrfigure objects. Valid values are 'off' and 'on'. Specifies whether textures should be rendered by default for new vrfigure objects. This preference also applies to new vr.canvas objects. See vrfigure/get for detailed description. Default is 'on'. Specifies whether the toolbar appears by default on the Simulink 3D Animation viewer for new vrfigure objects. Valid values are 'off' and 'on'.