We give an outline of USyCaMs for a Silicon Graphics Inc. IRIS
workstation. It can run on other UNIX workstations with suitable
graphics software and hardware, but then, obviously, all device-dependent
features must be modified.
At the outset, we divide the window into five viewports, VP1,
VP2, VP3, VP4 and VP5, as shown in Fig. 1.
Each of these viewports serves a specific function:
Figure 1:USyCaMs interface window.
VP1: This part of the screen is devoted to the rendering of
both the still solid models and the animation of the motion of the mechanism
under design.
VP2: This viewport displays the main menu in two modes, namely,
passive and active. In passive mode, VP2 tells the user what kind of mechanism
is in the process of synthesis; in active mode, the user can interact with
the program and choose the type of mechanism desired.
VP3: This viewport shows the design parameters and interacts
simultaneously with VP1, so that a change in any of the mechanism parameters
is reflected in the solid models of the mechanism.
VP4: As VP3, VP4 interacts with VP1; this viewport shows the
parameters pertaining to the input-output function.
VP5: If at least one of the parameters of VP3 or VP4 is active,
a sliding bar appears in VP5, so that the user can modify continuously
the parameter values by moving the cursor, with the aid of the mouse, along
this bar.
