Quick Guide to the MT Package

This is just a list of the activities you can tackle with the MT Package, sorted by increasing complexity.
For more detailed instructions see the on-line documentation (also included in the package).

See the demos

Once you have downloaded and installed the MT Package, you can immediately run the demos on the test datasets. Demos are contained in directory MT/demo:

For a demo to fly over a terrain, see the instructions here.
For a demo to use a magic lens on a 3D object, see the instructions here.

Make your own models

Do you have either terrain data or surface meshes? Try to use our programs to build the MT representation of your data and see them through our demos.

For building an MT for a terrain given a set of scattered points, you can use program Delaunaymt (see the instructions).
You can also build an MT for a terrain represented by a triangular mesh, or by a regular square grid. Simply follow the instructions of program Delaunaymt.
For building an MT for a 3D object represented by a triangular mesh, you can use program Jademt (see the instructions).

Make your own builder

You don't like the way our programs build the MT? You think you have a better simplification program? Try to modify your program to make a new MT builder.
Just follow instructions here.

Modify extraction conditions in the demos

Do you like to extract meshes with a different threshold function and/or focus set? Try to define your own extraction conditions and modify our demos accordingly. Suppose you decide to modify demo demoX, where X = 1,2.

See here how to define yor own extraction condition; otherwise, you can try some of the predefined conditions provided in the package.
Edit the file demoX.h to link your conditions to the demo;
Define variables focus (focus condition) and filter (resolution filter condition) of the appropriate class in files demoX.h and demoX.c;
Decide how to initialize and modify your conditions within the demo; you have to edit functions startGame, advanceGame, and a few other functions declared in demoX.h (they are implemented in demoX.c).
Decide how to visualize your focus set; you have to edit functions drawFocus in file demoXvis.c).

Add your own attributes to the MT

Do you need different or more attributes on your models? Try to modify our programs to build and use an MT extended with attributes.

See here how to define an MT with attributes;
See here how to build it (you can modify your/our builder);
See here how to use it (you can modify our demos).

Build your own application

Now you are ready to design an application that handles meshes with the attributes you need, and manages multiresolution the way you need. In order to do this you have to:

Define an MT with the attributes you need;
Build it;
Define extraction conditions that can be applied on this MT;
Design your own application program and GUI: you can either modify our demos, or design it from scratch, by any GUI and graphics API you like;
In the context of your application, use the MT to extract meshes at the level of detail you need.