Creating 3D Simulations

Copyright 2007 ParallelGraphics

CONTENTS
CREATING 3D SIMULATIONS ..............................................................................1
INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................2
Installing the Virtual Manuals Software .........................................................................2
THE LAYOUT OF THE PROCESS AND BASIC OPERATIONS ...................................3
General Work Flow Diagram .........................................................................................3
Importing 3D Data and Creating VM Project .................................................................4
Creating 3D simulation ..................................................................................................6
1. Arrange Scene Hierarchy.......................................................................................6
2. Create Animations .................................................................................................7
3. Prepare for Publishing ...........................................................................................7
4. Creating a HTML Document with 3D Content........................................................8
Building 3D Simulations Tutorial..............................................................................8
USEFUL ADDITIONAL OPERATIONS ..........................................................................9
Creating a VM Configuration .........................................................................................9
Selecting a Configuration ............................................................................................11
Supplementary Data Flow for Creating VM Project .....................................................12
Exchange VM projects between the illustrators...........................................................13
TOOLS AND COMPONENTS.......................................................................................14
Virtual Manual Generator (VMG) .........................................................................14
Virtual Manual Administrator (VMA) .....................................................................14
Virtual Manual Editor (VME).................................................................................14
Internet Model Optimizer (IMO)............................................................................14
Virtual Manual Publisher (VMP) ...........................................................................14
Cortona VRML Client ...........................................................................................14
HARDWARE AND SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS...........................................................15
Recommended hardware:........................................................................................15
Recommended software: .........................................................................................15
Additional software:..................................................................................................15
GLOSSARY ..................................................................................................................16

Introduction

Introduction
This document gives practical recommendations for creating interactive 3D visualizations of
complex technical procedures, called 3D Simulations, and incorporating them into digital
documentation. Virtual Manual technology is the ideal medium for creating and delivering to endusers digital documents based on existing 3D CAD and PDM data.
The following tools from the ParallelGraphics Virtual Manual (VM) product family provide the ability
to do this:
Virtual Manual Generator (VMG) is used for importing and batch optimization of 3D models
exported from CAD-like systems.
Virtual Manual Editor (VME) is a powerful authoring tool for building interactive 3D animations that
illustrate the operation of the technical procedure.
Virtual Manual Publisher (VMP) allows you to generate a HTML page that incorporates a created
3D simulation.
Virtual Manual Administrator (VMA) allows you to arrange working areas for applications of VM
product family and manage VM projects.

Installing the Virtual Manuals Software

Please follow the instructions provided in the Installation Instructions document shipped with this
package.

The Layout of the Process and Basic Operations

The Layout of the Process and Basic Operations

General Work Flow Diagram
Fig. 1 shows the components and steps needed in to create Web-enabled, lightweight interactive
3D simulations. They are the following:
1. Export 3D data from CAD-like system in VRML97 format.
2. Create a VM project, import and optimize the CAD Export with Virtual Manual Generator
(VMG).
3. Create animations in the 3D environment with Virtual Manual Editor (VME).
4. Create a HTML webpage with 3D content using Virtual Manual Publisher (VMP).

VRML Export
from CAD

VMG

VM Project

VME

3D Simulation

VMP

HTML Document
with 3D Content

Fig.1. General work flow diagram. Box an application; parallelogram data. Dimmed
figures input and output data used in the development process.
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The Layout of the Process and Basic Operations

Importing 3D Data and Creating VM Project

The general data flow diagram for creating VM project is shown in fig. 2.

CAD

VRML97

VMG

VM Project

Fig.2. Data flow diagram of the VM project production. Box an application; parallelogram
data. Dimmed figures input data used in the development process.

Virtual Manual Generator (VMG) is used to import and optimize the VRML exported from the CAD
system. VMG automatically creates different levels of detail for each part of the CAD. The set of
imported and optimized geometry is called a VM Project.
Projects are stored in a set of working folders called a VM configuration. A VM configuration can
contain several projects. Virtual Manual Administrator (VMA) is used to create and manage
configurations.

To import 3D data to a new project:

1. Open VMG (Start > Programs > ParallelGraphics > Virtual Manual Generator > Virtual
Manual Generator).
2. Select the desired VM configuration by clicking Tools > Select Configuration. Choose the
configuration from the list and press OK.
3. Create a new project by selecting File > New Project. Enter the name of the project and
click OK.
4. Choose the plug-in corresponding to the CAD system that the geometry was exported from.

The Layout of the Process and Basic Operations

5. If required, choose the settings for the plug-in by pressing Settings. It is recommended that
you use the default settings. More information about the different settings can be found by
clicking Help in the dialog box that opens.

Fig.3. Virtual Manual Generator.

6. If required, choose the settings for importing by clicking Tools > Options. It is recommended
that the default settings are used. More information about the importing settings can be
found in the VMG Help section (Help > Contents > Setting Options).
7. Click Start. In the Select Main VRML File window, select the main VRML file for the
exported CAD data and click Open. This will start the optimization process.

Once the optimization process completes, the project can be opened with VME by first selecting the
VM configuration that was used in VMG (Tools > Options > Select Configuration). Selecting File
> Open Project will display a list of projects in the configuration. Select the required project and
click OK to open the project.

The Layout of the Process and Basic Operations

Creating 3D simulation
VME
VM Project

Arrange Scene
Hierarchy

Create
Animations

Prepare for
Publishing

3D Simulation

VMP

Digital Document
with 3D Content

Fig.4. Data flow diagram of production Web-Enabled Interactive 3D Simulations. Box an

application; parallelogram data. Dimmed figure output data.

This section provides instructions needed to create an animated and interactive VRML content,
which describes a particular process (3D simulation).

1. Arrange Scene Hierarchy

1. Start VME (Start > Programs > ParallelGraphics > Virtual Manual Editor > Virtual
Manual Editor) and set the VM configuration that was used in VMG (Tools > Options >
Select Configuration).
2. Open the project. Selecting File > Open Project will display a list of projects in the
configuration. Select the required project and click OK.
Please note that any added 3D geometry will be hidden when you open the project. To
display the geometry, select the models in the Scene Tree and click the Show Solid
Representations for Selection button on the toolbar

3. If necessary, change the geometry hierarchy (structure of the scene) by using commands in
the Scene Tree or Scene List windows.
4. Remove irrelevant parts, i.e. parts that can be omitted without loosing visual clearness and
technical accuracy (Edit > Delete). Please note that deleted parts and units can always be
recovered (Edit > Restore).

The Layout of the Process and Basic Operations

5. Choose the levels of detail for the parts used (Edit > Choose Representations by Weight
/ Edit > Choose Representations by Name). If IMO is installed, custom levels of detail
can be created for an item. For more details about creating new geometry representations,
see Creating New Representation in the VME Help system.
6. Use the Save Project command from the File menu to save your work.

2. Create Animations
1. Create a SUBTASK grouping item in the Procedure window (Procedure > New Group). All
actions must be part of a SUBTASK group.
2. Create an animation by selecting a part or unit and click Procedure > New Action. Please
note that although it is possible to form new custom actions, we recommend you use
actions without changing their internal structure of commands (atoms and functions). For
more details about creating animations, see Basics of Creating Actions in the VME Help
system.
Refresh button
3. To examine the animation, play it in 3D View. Before playing, click the
(the Simulation menu). Use the buttons on the Simulation toolbar to control the playback of
the 3D simulation.
4. Edit animations if something plays incorrectly. For more details, see Editing Actions in the
VME Help system.
5. Create new groups of actions (Subtasks) for each of the procedures steps that need to be
visualized. Repeat steps 2-5 as required.

3. Prepare for Publishing

1. Activate the edit comments mode (Procedure > Show Comments) and type the text of the
procedure description to the right of SUBTASK in the Procedure Editor window. This text
will be shown during playback of the SUBTASK when published in a HTML page using
VMP. You also can comment each grouping item (action union) in the procedure to create
sub-steps in the final digital document.
2. Save and publish the finished version of your project (File > Publish). The Publish
command saves the finished 3D simulation that can be embedded into digital document
later on. Please note that the folder to save 3D simulation is specified by the currently
activated VM configuration. Use VMP to generate HTML page that incorporates chosen 3D
simulation.

The Layout of the Process and Basic Operations

4. Creating a HTML Document with 3D Content

To create a HTML Document:

Start VMP (Start > Programs > ParallelGraphics > Virtual Manual Publisher > Virtual
Manual Publisher).

Click Select Configuration and load the configuration containing the published simulation.

Click Load and select the desired published simulation in the Load 3D Simulation dialog
window.

Click Options to edit the published HTML page layout and colors.

To publish the HTML document, click Publish. Specify the name of the page and the
destination of the published files and press Save.

Building 3D Simulations Tutorial

A tutorial is supplied providing more detailed instructions for creating 3D simulations. To open the
tutorial, select Start > Programs > ParallelGraphics > Tutorials > Building 3D Simulations.
To load the tutorial content in VME, select Tools > Options > Select Configuration and choose
Building 3D Simulations Tutorial.

Useful Additional Operations

Useful Additional Operations

Creating a VM Configuration
A VM configuration is a set of working folders for VM projects. VM configurations can be created
using Virtual Manual Administrator (VMA).
1. Open VMA by selecting Start > Programs > ParallelGraphics > Virtual Manual
Administrator > Virtual Manual Administrator.
2. Select All Configurations in the window on the left. Click Create. A new configuration will
appear.
3. Type the desired name of the configuration in the Name field.

4. The location of the working folders can be set using the Base path field. Click on the browse
and select or create a new folder using the Choose Folder dialog. Alternatively,
button
the base path can be typed into the field.
5. Select Apply. Click OK on the prompt shown below. This will automatically create the
working folders required for VM configuration.

Useful Additional Operations

There are four working folders required for a VM configuration. They can be viewed as sub-folders
by clicking on the
to the left of the VM configuration in the tree. The folders are:
1. Projects: This contains data and information about the projects in the configuration. Clicking
on the
beside Project will display all projects available in the configuration.
2. Documents: This is the location of any documents that can be attached to training scenarios
(applicable for Virtual Training Editor only).
3. Publish: This is the default location for any published output from the VM applications.
4. Logs: This is the location where training logs are stored (applicable for Virtual Training
Editor only).

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Useful Additional Operations

Selecting a Configuration
When a VM application is opened, the first action should be to select a configuration.

In VME, select Tools > Options > Select Configuration. Choose the desired configuration
and click OK.

In VMG, select Tools > Select Configuration and choose the required configuration.

When using Virtual Manual Publisher (VMP), click the Select Configuration button and
choose the required configuration.

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Useful Additional Operations

Supplementary Data Flow for Creating VM Project

Fig.3. Supplementary Data flow diagram of the VM project production. Box an application,
parallelogram data, Dimmed figures input data used in the development process,
Dashed figures optional part of the data flow.

The supplementary data flow shown in fig. 3 is used when the initial data has been received from a
computer graphics program with both built in mechanisms for geometry simplification and
comprehensive VRML97 export capabilities. For instance, 3D Studio Max is a popular example of
these tools.
1. Export 3D data from arbitrary systems in VRML97 format.
2. Optional: Data processing with IMO (Start > Programs > ParallelGraphics > Internet
Model Optimizer > Internet Model Optimizer). Information about using IMO can be found
in the IMO Help system.
3. Open VME (Start > Programs > ParallelGraphics > Virtual Manual Editor > Virtual
Manual Editor).
4. Create a new VM project (File > New Project)
5. Add 3D data to new project (File > Add Items from VRML).
6. Save the project (File > Save Project)
7. If you need to add level of detail for every model in the project, open the project in VMG
and select Action >Start Optimization. Note that in the cases of default settings, VMG
saves the new version of the project at the end of optimization procedure. To continue
working with the project, open it in VME.
Please note that you can add supplementary geometry to a VM project at any time and with both
VMG and VME.

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Useful Additional Operations

Exchange VM projects between the illustrators

This section describes the mechanism that the VME application provides for exchanging data.
Exporting project:

Start VME and select the VM configuration that contains the project(s) that you wish to export.

On the Tools menu, click Manage Projects.

Select the project you want to export from the Project list on the left and then click Export.
Please note that you can select all projects by clicking Projects.

Specify the location where you want to save the selected project(s) in the Save in field.

In File name, type a name for the VM project archive (VMP file), and then click Save.

Click OK to close the Manage Projects dialog box.

Importing project:

Start VME (if you import the project on another computer) and select the VM configuration to
contain the imported project(s).

On the Tools menu, click Manage Projects.

Click Projects in the List of projects and then click Import.

In the Import Project dialog box, locate and open the folder containing VM project archive
(VMP file).

Select the VM project archive by and then click Open.

If the VM project archive contains several projects, the Import Multiple Projects dialog
appears. In the Projects list, select project(s) you want to import. Click OK. Please note that,
by default, all projects in the Projects list appear selected.

Click OK to close the Manage Projects dialog box.

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Tools and Components

Tools and Components

Virtual Manual Generator (VMG)
VMG is the main program used to import 3D models of devices and equipment. VMG builds new
Virtual Manual (VM) projects reusing VRML97 data that was exported from CAD-like systems. VMG
optimizes the CAD export and creates different levels of detail for each of the models.
VMG also enables adding new geometry data and optimization (creating new geometry
representations) for existing VM projects. To import VRML geometry, VMG uses a set of
customizable components, called plug-ins, designed for different CAD systems.
Virtual Manual Administrator (VMA)
VMA allows you to create working folders (VM configurations) for applications of VM product family,
manage VM projects, create VM configurations and import-export or remove existing VM
configurations.
Virtual Manual Editor (VME)
VME is a powerful authoring tool for building interactive 3D animations that illustrate the operation
of the technical procedure and adding a text description. VME enables animation of 3D data that
was prepared with VMG or imported using VME built-in methods.
VME produces a VRML file that represents the 3D model of technological process for further
embedding into digital documents. This is referred as 3D simulation in the Online Help system.
Internet Model Optimizer (IMO)
IMO allows manual optimization of VRML97 models displaying the results in the 3D window. IMO is
integrated with VME, allowing the creation of additional geometry representations without
interrupting your work in the VME framework.
Virtual Manual Publisher (VMP)
VMP is a service, which allows you to browse a 3D simulation, view the playback of a chosen 3D
simulation and generate HTML page that incorporates chosen 3D simulation.
Cortona VRML Client
ParallelGraphics Cortona VRML client is a windowed control, which enables an application (Web
page for example) with the functions of a VRML browser: interpretation of files in the VRML97 file
format and particularly reviewing 3D simulations. The built-in Cortona VRML Automation interface
enables the tightly paired interaction between digital document and 3D simulation.

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Hardware and System Requirements

Hardware and System Requirements

Listed below are the recommended system requirements. An additional requirement is the NTFS
file system. The FAT 32 file system cannot be used as a VM project can contain more then 65534
files.

Recommended hardware:

PC with 2.5 GHz or higher processor clock speed (single or dual processor system): Intel
Pentium/Celeron family, AMD family or compatible processor.

Random Access Memory (RAM): 512 MB.

Graphics card: Direct3D (128 MB) for all applications excepting VMG.

Recommended software:

Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 2 (SP2) or Windows XP

Internet Explorer 6.0.

Additional software:

ParallelGraphics Cortona VRML Client (used with VME, IMO and VMP);

Microsoft XML Core Services (MSXML) 4.0 (used with VME);

J2SE Runtime Environment 1.5 (used with VMG).

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Glossary

Glossary
VM Project: A set of 3D geometry that has been imported and optimized to be used with VM
products.
VM configuration: A set of working folders for VM projects containing data about the project
version, the published output from VM products for the projects and the logs from any trainings.
VRML97: The Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML) is a file format for describing interactive
3D objects and worlds. VRML is designed to be used on the Internet, intranets, and local client
systems. VRML is also intended to be a universal interchange format for integrated 3D graphics
and multimedia.

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