26/03/08 - Application Editor

Currently, I am working on an editor which will allow you to position multiple potentially moving sound sources around the listener and set a number of properties for each. This will be similar to the demo program I wrote, except that it will provide a lot more functionality.
Each sound source will have a number of associated properties which can be edited. So far the planned properties are:

1. Position
2. Sound file to play
3. Duration
4. Which state the user must be in for the sound to play
5. Radius
6. State to change to if within radius
7. Path along which the sound will move
8. Speed of movement along path

Other properties will be added as I think of them.

This should help us to not only test the hardware better, but also to develop some simple, yet rich, demo applications, such as the virtual zoo or band.

This program will be used to either drive the router/state machine program written a few months back (after it is updated, later this week), or it will be integrated into it. I have yet to decide which approach I will take. For the time being, it will be a standalone application (and will not support the state properties until I have it working together with the state machine program, using whichever method I decide upon).

Here is a screenshot of the program so far:

Nothing terribly interesting there yet, besides the basic GUI. Over the next couple of hours I will be coding a custom OpenGL-based GTK widget for editing the sound sources.

The lefthand bar will be the toolbar, containing buttons for each type of action that can be performed. The existing buttons represent (from top to bottom) editing the dimensions of the environment (ie, setting a rectangular area which representts the ubisense enabled area the application will be run in), placing and editing sound sources and the cogwheels at the bottom will run the application.

The black area in the middle is the OpenGL-enabled canvas. This is where all the magic will happen ;-)
The area to the right will contain a list of properties for the currently selected sound source.

The plan is to have the basic version of this working tonight and then to test it in DCU tomorrow morning. If all goes well, I will be adding the state properties and adding whatever else I think of tot he program over Friday and the weekend. The hope is that it will be completed on or before Monday - before, if at all possible.

Ok, best get back to work :-)