[x3d-public] Mac-unaware PageUp/PageDown, Viewpoint list, navigation keys?

[Brutzman, Donald (Don) (CIV)]

First a personal confession: Mac enlightenment has never quite befallen upon me... please be forgiving!  8)

Second: twice this week, when doing a demo and naively saying "oh just select PageDown or PageUp to navigate through the viewpoints," Mac users responded "oh now we don't have those keys on a Mac" and also "No I'd have to go find a mouse before being able to right-click for a viewpoint list."

Question:  Really??!

Next: does this mean our X3D Specification recommendations are flawed or insufficient for common practice?

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X3D Architecture and base components
Annex G Recommended navigation behaviours
http://www.web3d.org/documents/specifications/19775-1/V3.3/Part01/behaviours.html

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G.2 Select from multiple viewpoints

cube G.2 Select from multiple viewpoints

User navigation in X3D environments includes definition of multiple viewpoints. Where the user is allowed to freely select between viewpoints, typical controls allow simple selection of:

     Home (Initial) ViewPoint,
     Last (Final) Viewpoint,
     Next Viewpoint in Sequence, and
     Previous Viewpoint in Sequence.

This annex recommends using the following keys:

HOME    Initial Viewpoint
PGDN    Next Viewpoint
PGUP    Previous Viewpoint
END     Final Viewpoint

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G.3 Emulate pointing device

The pointing device is used to control navigation through the scene. Where the user is allowed to interact using the pointing device, typical controls allow up/down/right/left pointing device movement to control movement of the viewpoint.
The objective is not to actually move the screen tracking cursor, but to allow navigation control as if the tracking cursor or pointer is moved under control of the pointing device.

This annex recommends using the following (arrow) keys to emulate relative tracking pointer movement as follows:

UP        Up
DOWN      Down
LEFT      Left
RIGHT     Right

Movement left/right/up/down refers to motion of the user's view while navigating.

Activation of these keys causes movement of the viewpoint according to currently selected navigation type:

WALK:      forward/backward/left/right
FLY:       forward/backward/left/right
EXAMINE:   orbit up/down/left/right around center of rotation
            with camera pointed at center of rotation

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G.4 Select or activate pointing device

The pointing device is used to provide a means of selecting of a scene element. Where the user is allowed to use this, the following action is recommended: activate pointing device (left mouse click).

This annex recommends using the following key:

ENTER  Left Mouse Click

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G.5 Disable/enable keyboard

It is recommended that the browser provide a means for the author to enable and disable the keyboard.

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all the best, Don
-- 
Don Brutzman  Naval Postgraduate School, Code USW/Br       brutzman at nps.edu
Watkins 270,  MOVES Institute, Monterey CA 93943-5000 USA   +1.831.656.2149
X3D graphics, virtual worlds, navy robotics http://faculty.nps.edu/brutzman