Virtual Reality Toolbox

MATLAB Interface Examples

The following table is a list of the MATLAB interface examples provided with the Virtual Reality Toolbox. Descriptions of the examples follow the table.

Example	RTW Ready	VR Source	VR Sink	Joystick	Space Mouse
vrcar			X
vrheat			X
vrmemb			X

Car in the Mountains Example(vrcar)

This demonstration illustrates the use of the Virtual Reality Toolbox with the MATLAB interface. In a step-by-step tutorial, it shows commands for navigating a virtual car along a path through the mountains.

1. In the MATLAB Command Window, type

• vrcar
  

1. A tutorial script starts running. Follow the instructions in the MATLAB Command Window.

Heat Transfer Example (vrheat)

This demonstration illustrates the use of the Virtual Reality Toolbox with the MATLAB interface for manipulating complex objects.

In this demonstration, matrix-type data is transferred between MATLAB and a virtual reality world. Using this feature, you can achieve massive color changes or morphing. This is useful for representing various physical processes. Precalculated data of time-based temperature distribution is used in an L-shaped metal block. The data is then sent to the virtual world. This forms an animation with relatively large changes.

This is a step-by-step demonstration. Shown are the following features:

• Reshaping the object
• Applying the color palette to represent distributed parameters across an object shape
• Working with VRML text objects
• Animating a scene using MATLAB interface
• Synchronization of multiple scene properties

At the end of this example, you can preserve the virtual world object in the MATLAB workspace, then save the resulting scene to a corresponding VRML file or carry out other subsequent operations on it.

Rotating Membrane with MATLAB GUI Example (vrmemb)

The vrmemb example shows how to use a MATLAB-generated 3-D graphic object with the Virtual Reality Toolbox. The membrane was generated by the logo function and saved in the VRML format using the standard vrml function. You can save all Handle Graphics objects this way and use them with the Virtual Reality Toolbox as components of associated virtual worlds.

After starting the demo, you see a control panel with two sliders and three check boxes. Use the sliders to rotate and zoom the membrane while you use the check boxes to determine the axis to rotate around.

In the VRML scene, notice the text object. It is a child of the VRML Billboard node. You can configure this node so that its local z-axis turns to point to the viewer at all times. This can be useful for modeling virtual control panels and head-up displays (HUDs).

Simulink Interface Examples

Implementation Notes