Pulsar Guided Tour

[zikmu] + [monitor] = [rocket] !


http://www.powerpulsar.com

R'alf, July 27, 1997.
This brief guided tour helps you start with Pulsar v0.6.
It's mainly a good base for demoing the app at Boston.

Launch the app

First of all, double click the Pulsar icon. You will get a screen looking like this :

This screen has a resolution of 640x480.
You can note that the application interface has been designed to fit in that resolution. The interface window automatically expand to the size of the workspace minus some pixels. This way you can always grab the window by its corners and move it around, zoom it, resize it, etc.

Show Info

Then press the Info button on the upper left corner of the interface window. You will see a window like this :

If you're showing the app in the middle of a BeOS presentation, you may comment marketroid things like : "this application is BeOS specific, see the logo ; it's definitively BeOS compliant, takes the most of the OS, uses multithreading, supports the game kit and the media kit. It features a direct Audio CD interface via Posix calls, etc." Your mileage may vary.

Set refresh rate

Now comes the real usefull thing.
We're going to step throught a typical usage of the application. Thus you can comment what you do while you do it.
Close the About and the Info windows.

First of all, let's switch the application frame rate. By default it's setup at 42 Hz. I mean the game kit blit occurs at no more than 42 frames per seconds. I may be slower but not faster. Why defaulting to 42 fps ? Well it's a reasonable refresh rate, but let's be nut and rock this : switch it to 220 Hz. You know you will never reach this :-) !
The popup is located in the bottom on the interface, just above the fullscreen button.


Show Bitdepth

Just have a look at the Colors popup, located just at the right of the refresh rate popup. It's currently fixed at 8 bpp, but actually the application can issue 32 bpp. It's coded by just disabled since it's not safe. The final version will probably promote 16 bpp support instead of 32. In fact, 32 is good, it gives you millions of colors but noone cares. 16 bpp is fine, since it's faster and gives you a really neat graphic look.
Of course, the bit depth only affect the Preview and Fullscreen final render.

The interface itself is designed to adapt automagically to the workspace you're running, so if you move the interface from a 8-bpp to a 32-bpp workspace, it will immediatly have a neat look.

On the other hand, if you use the preview mode, it's always fixed in 8 bpp for this release and thus it runs faster on a 8 bpp workspace.

This is why you're asked to do you demo in a 8 bpp workspace if one is available.

Interface tips

Start moving the mouse around on the buttons. You notice that every button as a strong responsiveness (ahum, where's my dictionnary !!!) to the mouse. The Start button for example is grayed, it doesn't react. The Preview button highlights when you pass the mouse over. You can also press the mouse button on it but do not release it to show that the button also highlights in a different way to let you know your going to act (move the mouse out of the button before releasing it, we don't want to enter preview mode now).

Issue a New

Repeat the operation with the button on the top of the interface. This time press it. This will get rid of the random stuff in the Track View.

Drag'n'drop a filter

Explain that pulsar works with music. Point at the CD interface for this.
What does it do with music ? It applies filters : some external code (an add-on) that renders something to the screen depending on the music. You can see several filters on the left side.
In the middle of the window is the Track View. This is your project track.

Take a filter, the "FFT filter" one for example and drop it on the track, on the left side, on the upper line (it must switch to orange color) :

This way you asigned the layer 1 to this filter.

Adjust filter keys

Let's point at the newly affected track line :

The line represents the time and the blue color rectangles in it represents when the filter is active and when it's not. Currently a line has only one editing mode : the repeat mode.

Understanding it is quite straightforward and it's a good demo of the Be GUI responsiveness, IMHO.

The repeat mode uses a model, the leftmost blue rectangle, and repeats it on the time.
Do this in that order :

The rightmost tab defines the length of a pattern, i.e. the repeat interval. Move it from left to right and observe the other blue rectangles moving accordingly.
The middle blue tab defines the stop time in the repeat interval. Move it from left to right.
The leftmost blue tab defines the start of the track in time. There will be no output before this time for this track. Move it from left to right.
Adjust every tab as you feel it. :-)

Repeat the operation and put as many filters as you want. Take care of the order of the filters, it's important. Filters at the top render first, filters at the bottom render last (and thus can erase the first filter's output). Typically, you should always have these rules :

Note : each filter declares its preferred position when programmed (first, last, middle), but this is not currently used and doesn't appear in the interface.

CD access

You have direct acces to the Audio CD Interface :

The CD device menu lists every CD-capable device in your machine. If there is no CD or if it's not detected, it will default to SCSI ID 3, which is the more common default. If Pulsar fails to find your CD device, this is maybe due to the fact that the CD tray is empty. I've discovered this on some beboxes (not mine :-)).
In order to avoid this problem, fill it with an audio CD before you start, preferrably some good teckno (your mileage may vary, it just looks best with strong bass stuff).

No need to explicitly start the CD, it will play automagically whenever you press Preview or Fullscreen.

Run it now !

To run you filter selection on the music, just press the [Preview] button or the [Preview] button

Whenever you press these buttons, the CD starts playing from track 1 if it was stopped.

If you run the preview, the preview window will appear. This window shows you the 8 bpp result from the filters. When this window runs, you can unzoom it or zoom it with the small two buttons in the left-bottom corner. The leftmost button makes the window smaller and the right button makes the window bigger. What happens is that the window resolution is still 640x480 but the output is (un)zoomed. You can't make the window bigger than 640x480.

When you press the Fullscreen button, the game kit starts. On every computer we tried except the PowerMac 4400 and the UMAX S900 with an IMS TwinTurbo 128, this works fine. In fact if you can run the Dominoes sample, you can use the FullScreen. If the fullscreen fails, it will elegantly return back to the interface with a dialog saying "Exception catched at xxx...". Don't bug me with this dialog box, I know it. But if this simply hangs your machine, I will be glad to know it.

Filter Info

You now know almost everything about the interface.

If you look at the filter list on the left, an item look like this :

And if you move the mouse on it, it looks like :

That's responsiveness !
When the mouse is over a filter, you can click and drag the filter to the track view.
But if you double click, you will open the Filter Info dialog box :

Notice that this dialog is not modal. You can still use the interface on the background while the window is on top. You can double click another filter without closing the Filter Info window first.

The Filter Info displays information about the filter. The gray zone is a future spaceholder for the filter parameters.

Enjoy !

Congratulations !
You known know how to use Pulsar.
Many things are still to be done, but the main concept is there.



========================================================================
         File: PowerPulsar_080.zip
       Author: Raphael MOLL (raphael@powerpulsar.com)
      Release: 0.8.0 (beta, May 4, 1999)
Compatibility: BeOS R5 Intel (x86)
     Location: http://www.powerpulsar.com
  Description: Outputs psychedelic video effects from music input.
         Note: Best audio source is from an internal Audio CD ROM.
               Comes with default add-ons and all the necessary sample code to
               create your neat effects.
========================================================================

1-File Content
--------------
1) File Content (recursive)
2) Installation Guide
3) Disclaimer
4) Shareware info & request for CD bundlers
5) Tutorial link
6) Latest modifications & bugs vs. features list


2-Installation Guide
--------------------
Unzip all the archive in your prefered location. This will create
a directory called "PowerPulsar.0.8.0". Double click the "documentation.html"
first (I may or may not include the documentation, if yes it is located
in the documentation folder, if not just browse the net and go to the
Pulsar home page : http://www.powerpulsar.com ).

Hardware limitations :
Audio CD ROM and an audio music CD for best usage.

How to run this : install, double click the Pulsar icon, insert an audio CD,
press the button "Preview" or "Full Screen".


3-Disclaimer
------------

"This software is provided to the user "as is." I makes no warranties, either 
express or implied, with respect to this software and/or associated materials
provided to the user, including but not limited to any warranty of
merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose or against infringement.
I don't warrant that the functions contained in the software will 
meet your requirements, or that the operation of the software will be
uninterrupted or error-free, or that defects in the software will be corrected.  
Furthermore, I don't warrant or make any representations regarding the use
or the results of the use of the software or any documentation provided
herewith in terms of their correctness, accuracy, reliability, or otherwise. 
No oral or written information or advice given shall create a warranty or
in any case way increase the scope of this warranty. 

Limitation of liability -- I'm not liable for any claims or damages whatsoever,
including property damage, personal injury, intellectual property infringement,
loss of profits, or interruption of business, or for any special, consequential
or incidental damages, however caused, whether arising out of breach of warranty,
contract, tort (including negligence),strict liability, or otherwise.

Cope with it."

The author, Raphael MOLL 


4-Shareware info
----------------

This software is provided as a shareware.
This shareware is not free. This version theoritically costs $10 (US$) or 60
FF(TTC) if you plan to use it regularly for any interesting purpose. It is
free for users that contribute in a way or another to the benefit of this
software development or it's author enlightenment. Contributions include, but
are not limited to, add-ons developments (with the implication that its source
be publicly available), pack of beers, Champagne or free invitation to your
teckno parties.

Currently, the better you can do is to register via Kagi.
Use the given Register application (not available yet in this preview Intel
archive).

The final version will probably cost $30 for the full version. Some very close
friends may argue that this software is my toy-application and that it will
probably never be finished whatsoever. I'll forgive them. Anyway, there will
be a Lite version for free. Both the full and the lite version will allow you
to program external add-ons. In order to encourage third-parties to make
add-ons, I will maintain a page with the best add-ons and their authors will
receive the full version for free (I will be the only judge of which add-ons
are best, and delivered source code with full hints/optims and comments will
increase an add-on's value :)) -- Well all of this is for future, OK ? ;-)

A last note for those who bundle shareware CDs:

You're not autorized to put this on a free or public CD-ROM without my written
permission, even if you make no money with that CD.

I never refused any friendly note asking for my permission yet.


5-Tutorial (not included in this archive)
----------
Unpack the archive and double click the "tutorial.html" file in it -- if you
can find this file, which is not the case on small limited distributions.
Or go to http://www.powerpulsar.com to see if I did updated it since last year.

Anyway, I did include the guide tour in this revision. It's quite obosolete but
you'll probably find your way with it.

Sorry for the lack of a real documentation.

Useful keys include:
- ALT-1...9/0 : load file "configN.pp" (during preview)
- F1-F12: load file "configN.pp" (during fullscreen)
- I: invert video mode
- ESC, Z, Q : exit fullscreen
- N: Next CD track
- V: preVious CD track
- -/+ keypad: volume -/+ (not pluged with new media kit)
- 0-9 keypad: CD output amplification from 0 to 100%

"config0.pp" is a special config mode. It's the one loaded at startup.
See the File->Preferences, "Misc" tab to prevent from loading the default config.

In File->Preferences: DO NOT activate the Matrox dual-screen mode nor the
UMAX-specific mode. These only worked on a BeBox or my UMAX S900 (Mac clone).
I have actually no idea what will happen with those on a regular PC !
(probably nothing anyway).


6-Latest modifications & bugs vs. features list
-----------------------------------------------

[03 May 2000]
Restarted working on this. The windows version did not advanced more anyway.
Compiled with BeOS 5 PE. Uses the R4/R5 media kit for input. A single connection
is blindly opened on the first hardware input, i.e. the unique sound card in a
typical user installation.
Lacking:
- menu for selecting media input
- ability to capture output streams (i.e. CL-amp etc.) seem not be easy
since media nodes barely support the de/re-connection scheme. What the heck!
- thus need to directly use the media kit to read MP3 and others recognized
media files. Need a winamp like interface for that.
- sometimes switching from preview to fullscreen will not work, i.e. my input
node won't reconnect. Symptom: fullscreen showing a static sound buffer.
Fix: exit fullscren, do preview, reclick preview to close it and reopen fullscreen.


[1999 comments]

R3 Intel fixes :
- correct support of IDE drives (thx to Be dev support guys!)
- endian-free

Version 0.7.6 correct many features.
- Mainly you can use it with ATI cards and IMS128 cards on Macintosh in fullscreen correctly, I mean with a descent speed and flicker-free.
- There is a Preference window : play with the options and close the window. The options as used as soon as you change them (options relative to the fullscreen are only used when you stop and restart the fullscreen mode).
- If you put a Matrox Millenium 2064 as your second video card, it will be correctly handled. I will see later to support any videocard there.
- Prefs are saved with libpref 1.2.2.
- You can change the content of the track while you're playing. Usefull in preview mode or when you use two video cards !
- You can now see the volume change (-/+ keys) or the CD change (n,v keys) on the game kit screen while playing -- you can disable this in the pref/other by unchecking the "use gk sup interface".
- You can also get rid of the useful frame rate display :-p
- The add-ons API has been a bit improved. You know need to link against the _APP_. Your addon can now display a view for settings in the info window -- check the fft2 sample code for an example of ... well see yourself, guess and then ask me.
- Don't care but I will change the addon API soon :-) I have bunch of things to add to them :-)
- There are many others improvements but I can't remember them all right now. And I have bunch of things to code so just stay tuned.

Happy Rave !!

-- eof




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Last update : 03/05/00
Last update : 20/11/98
Created : 27/07/97