Software Guide

Wavefront Advanced Visualizer

Version: 4.1
Operating System: IRIX 5.2
Machines: All Silicon Graphics


Getting Started

Wavefront Advanced Visualizer runs on SGI workstations. Its main user interface can be started by typing wavefront.

Please note that the Alias|Wavefront packages (Advanced Visualizer, Explore, Alias Studio) are being superseded by a new package called Maya. The SciVis lab already has a license for Maya, and the package will be installed soon (as of 10/6/98), and we plan to offer seminars to get people started in using Maya as soon as we can get up to speed on it ourselves.

Manual Blurb

Wavefront's Advanced Visualizer offers a comprehensive set of tools for 3D modeling, animation and rendering. It provides a complete integration environment that allows you to create compelling computer animations from inception to final recording.

Its modular design provides tools for creating 3D models, developing animated scenes using these models, adding color and texture to the models, and rendering the models and scenes. It has been used extensively in commercials and was used to create Georgia Tech's Olympic video. The Wavefront Advanced Visualizer is currently in version 4.3. The license manager uses floating licenses, allowing use of Advanced Visualizer from any SGI in SciVis or GVU.

Advanced Users
To use Wavefront 4.3, you will need to add or re-define your Wavefront environment variables. The definition of the environment variables will vary from user to user depending on their preferences, but we will attempt to suggest the changes here. If you use the Korn shell, put the following in your .profile start-up script:

    export PATH=$PATH:/usr/local/wave/TAV4.3/bin
    export WF_BUFFER=full
    export WF_AV_DIR=/usr/local/wave/TAV4.3
    export WF_FRB_DEV=irgt
    export WF_LGT_DIR=~/WaveFront/lights
    export WF_MAP_LIB=~/WaveFront/textures/decals.map
    export WF_MTL_LIB=~/WaveFront/materials/colors.mtl
    export WF_OBJ_DIR=~/WaveFront/animations
    export WF_TEX_DIR=~/WaveFront/textures
    export WF_RECDEV=mvas
    export WF_DECK=PS
    export WF_SHOOT=record
    export WF_WIN_SYS=1

If you use the C-shell, put the following in your .cshrc 

    setenv PATH $PATH:/usr/local/wave/TAV4.3/bin
    setenv WF_BUFFER full
    setenv WF_AV_DIR /usr/local/wave/TAV4.3
    setenv WF_FRB_DEV irgt
    setenv WF_LGT_DIR ~/WaveFront/lights
    setenv WF_MAP_LIB ~/WaveFront/textures/decals.map
    setenv WF_MTL_LIB ~/WaveFront/materials/colors.mtl
    setenv WF_OBJ_DIR ~/WaveFront/animations
    setenv WF_TEX_DIR ~/WaveFront/textures
    setenv WF_RECDEV mvas
    setenv WF_DECK PS
    setenv WF_SHOOT record
    setenv WF_WIN_SYS 1

There is also a huge, local texture repository for GVU/CoC in /usr/local/wave/local_textures

Help

Documentation

User Manuals are available in the SciVis bookshelf.

See Also...

Mail general questions to help@cc.gatech.edu