Status Update #9

This week I tried to get the statistics for each pet to display in a native window, but I still have not figured out how to get anything to display in the windows. I can however, get them to show up. I also improved the pets' ability to turn over from a non-right-side-up position.

Status Update #8

I have figured out how to use the collision detection in APE to get the pets to "eat" the food particles in the habitat. I have also improved the way in which they walk and they are better at flipping themselves back over. However, they still get stuck in some positions and do not turn around when they reach the edge of the habitat. I have also created stat windows for each pet so the user can monitor them. I am now trying to save their status so the same pets can live on the computer for a long time. I am also working on using the NativeMenu class to create menus for all the aspects of game-play, including creating a habitat from the background of the computer and created custom pets.

Status Update #7

I still have problems with the bounds of the screen. AIR seems to think that 0,0 is not in the top, left-hand corner, but about a quarter of the way to the right. The other bounds are also wrong. I think it might be because I am trying to put barriers around the edges of the screen before the window has finished maximizing. I have been able to get the pets to "walk", but it looks rather jerky and if they get flipped over they can't put themselves right-side-up. I am trying to get them to eat food and I think I've figured out how to use the collision detection already in APE to do this.

Status Update #6

I have become more familiar with adobe air, but I am still having problems with the bounds of the visible screen. I have created the pets as composites of particles held together by invisible spring constraints. I have so far been unsuccessful in getting the pets to walk.

Status Update #5

I finished the standard input bar and joint demo and I have the projector version almost complete. I just a have a problem with dragging the joints. I have started planning my second project and I have also begun to work with AIR. So far I can create a simple AIR Application that uses APE.

Status Update #4

I decided not to use the flare library for my project because the force directed graph it offers does not have cycles and also because it relies on many Flex classes some of which I was able to find and add to my library, but many of which I had a harder time obtaining. I am now using APE, a physics engine for Action Script.

I have fixed most of the bugs in the standard input bar and joint demo. The only one that remains (that I'm aware of) is that after the graph is deleted nodes in the new graph cannot be selected. I have started working on the non-standard input demo and so far the user can select a particle by making a small hole around it. I am now working on drawing edges between two particles.

Status Update #3

So far I have created a basic bar and joint demo that takes standard input. It still has some bugs and I need to make a button bar, but currently all the basic functions can be controlled by keystrokes. I have started planning how to do the same functions with input from the camera.

Here is what I have working so far:

BarAndJointDemoSI

Status Update #2

So far I have planned out how I would like to organize the flash bar and joint demo. There will be three classes that will be used no matter how the user interacts with the demo. Those classes are Graph, Joint, and Bar. I will also create two separate flash files, one which will look for key and mouse events and another that will hook up to the server and look for hull and hole events.

I have written skeleton classes for Graph, Joint, and Bar as well as a rough outline for a class that will receive input from the mouse and keyboard. This last class is called BarAndJointDemoSI. This class maintains a graph (and a graph maintains its bars and joints) and has action listeners for various keyboard and mouse events. When these events occur BarAndJointDemoSI calls methods in its graph. The non-standard input class will work the same way, but will listen for a different set of events.

Status Update #1

My main project this semester will start with a translation of Audrey's bar and joint demo from Java into Action Script. The bar and joint demo would be made uable with a projector so that people could create, fix, and move joints by interacting with the camera.

My project will also include a slightly separate program that will use ape physics to animate a graph that will use the picture set as the desktop background as an environment to walk around in. More specifically it would be able to see black lines as a hard surface and would walk on them. This program would be written using Adobe Air so that it can be downloaded and run as a native application.