text import
There are different ways you can import vectorlists into vecci.
text import
On the tab "import" the first tab is called "text import".
As text import I summarize imports that one can do via "copy / paste" of some kind of text, sourcecode or other "text" data.
The first textarea is the place where you must put the "text data" that should be imported. This usually should be done via a copy (from some other place) and paste (to the said textarea).
The next textarea is the "interpretation" area. Here is where vecci shows what is its interpretation of the text data you supplied. This will be filled once you press the "!" button (or another interpretation mode is selected → combobox).
To the complete right the black area is the same interpretation shown as a vecci vectorlist-display.
The text you enter is processed the following way:
it is assumed that the text is some kind of source code, this means
lines starting with "*" are discarded
(assumed) comments after a ";" are discarded
whitespaces and many other non-number characters are discarded
user defined "words" are discarded (see below the %R pattern type)
the resulting "words" are "cast" to integer (decimal or hex is recognized)
if the cast resulted in a number, the number is added to a data array
After the above procedure vecci has an array of byte data, that array needs to be interpreted as a vectorlist. Here the user has to step in and help!
The upper right area of the textimport tab is occupied by a combobox. Here you can select what kind of (initially only) BIOS data format the data should be interpreted with.
Once you select an entry, vecci goes to work and shows you the result (in the interpretation as data "statements" and in the vector display window).
Initially vecci is supplied with the most used BIOS vector list formats, but you can add your own formats! That is what the next 4 textfields can be used for.
The data is interpreted using patterns. The user can supply these patterns so that an arbitrary number of formats can be supported. The pattern in general can have 3 entries:
first line
(this usually might be something like a "count"), this can be empty
line x
every line between the first and the last line, here usually the vector list is kept in earnest
last line
the last line can have a break criteria (or can be left empty),
the break criteria always refers to the first byte of the next "line x"
For examples look at the supplied BIOS format patterns.
Following symbols can be used in a pattern line:
only in line 1:
%C0 use byte as counter
%C+ use byte+1 as counter
%C- use byte-1 as counter
%I ignore byte
%X move to x coordinate (relative), pattern = 0
%Y move to y coordinate (relative), pattern = 0
%R"SOMETHING"
removes in the complete interpretation the text SOMETHING (can be inserted multiple times)
it only makes sense to have one of the "%C" statements in line 1!
only in line x:
%X x coordinate (relative)
%Y y coordinate (relative)
%X0 start x coordinate (absolut)
%Y0 start y coordinate (absolut)
%X1 end x coordinate (absolut)
%Y1 end y coordinate (absolut)
%P pattern
%B brightness (intensity)
%M mode (see bios explanation)
%I ignore
only in last line:
%0 end of list, when byte is 0
%1 end of list, when byte is 1
%+ end of list, when byte smaller 128 (but not 0)
%- end of list, when byte is greater equal 128 (unsigned byte obviously) [high bit is set]
Frogger
Frogger example
Patriots
Patriots example
Vaboom
Vaboom example
Bresenham
Bresenham example
Thrust
Thrust example
Spudster
Spudster example
Wavefront file
OBJ (or .OBJ) is a geometry definition file format first developed by Wavefront Technologies for its Advanced Visualizer animation package. The file format is open and has been adopted by other 3D graphics application vendors. For the most part it is a universally accepted format.
The OBJ file format is a simple data-format that represents 3D geometry alone - namely, the position of each vertex, the UV position of each texture coordinate vertex, vertex normals, and the faces that make each polygon defined as a list of vertices, and texture vertices. Vertices are stored in a counter-clockwise order by default, making explicit declaration of face normals unnecessary. OBJ coordinates have no units, but OBJ files can contain scale information in a human readable comment line.
(Taken from Wikipedia)
Vecci is able to load WaveFront object files, only supported entities:
vertex ("v")
faces ("f")
points ("p")
lines ("l")
All other entities are ignored. Faces are imported to vecci faces so HLR is working out of the box with these files.
Beware! Many OBJ-files that can be found have hundreds and thousands of vectors, the above seen violine case can be loaded and edited in vecci - but displaying it on a vectrex uses about 500000 cycles! (0.3 seconds for one frame)