From octave-graphics-request at bevo dot che dot wisc dot edu  Fri Aug 25 07:32:16 2000
Subject: Re: VTK for octave
From: Etienne Grossmann <etienne at anonimo dot isr dot ist dot utl dot pt>
To: octave-graphics at bevo dot che dot wisc dot edu
CC: etienne at isr dot ist dot utl dot pt
Date: Fri, 25 Aug 2000 13:35:14 +0100


From: Kai Habel <kahacjde at calvados dot zrz dot TU-Berlin dot DE>
#  > Now, who would like to write the code necessary to allow it to be used
#  > from Octave?  :-)
#  > 
#  > jwe
#
#  Hello,
#
#  Let me tell what I have done with vtk before. Writing specific DLD
#  functions using vtk is not difficult. I have written a some small
#  functions for an old vtk version. (2D surfaces in 3D,...)
#
#  The first problem one gets is, the vtk function has its own loop and
#  waits for inputs (mouse or keyboard), so as long as the vtk window is
#  open the octave input is blocked.
#  I don't know how to solve this kind of problems. Could we merge the vtk
#  loop into octave's? Anyone with more insight?

  Maybe spawn a hand-crafted vtk sever, and communicate through
signals and files (or popen2 if not broken)? I do that with success to
launch a vrml browser and have it reload the input file when it
receives a USR1 signal.

#  The graphic classes for matlab are well documented and could be
#  reimplemented in octave, too. Of course, starting with a minimal set.
#  I.e. a figure class which holds a surface object and set, get
#  functions...

#  To get a start, I will rewrite my old functions next week, to show what
#  is possible.

#  Bye Kai

  Cheers,

  Etienne