Difference between revisions of "Dashboard Panel"
| Line 8: | Line 8: | ||
== Overview == | == Overview == | ||
| − | The Dashboard Panel is opened by selecting it in the View menu. When it opens, you see a colored workspace. The color is set in the | + | The Dashboard Panel is opened by selecting it in the View menu. When it opens, you see a colored workspace. The color is set in the 'General Options'. [[File:Gen_Panel_General_Options_01.png|border]] |
Unlike the [[System Panel]], the Dashboard panel gives only a top-down view of the components, though they can be made more lifelike by clicking on the ‘3D view’ icon. [[File:Gen Panel Perspective 01.png|border]] | Unlike the [[System Panel]], the Dashboard panel gives only a top-down view of the components, though they can be made more lifelike by clicking on the ‘3D view’ icon. [[File:Gen Panel Perspective 01.png|border]] | ||
| Line 20: | Line 20: | ||
The camera on the Dashboard is fixed, unlike the System panel which has full 3D movement. | The camera on the Dashboard is fixed, unlike the System panel which has full 3D movement. | ||
| − | |||
== Camera control == | == Camera control == | ||
Revision as of 13:44, 20 September 2013
The Dashboard Panel provides a framework on which to load Flowcode components that compliments the System Panel. It is designed to show the representation of abstract components such as dials and meters during simulation.
Contents
Overview
The Dashboard Panel is opened by selecting it in the View menu. When it opens, you see a colored workspace. The color is set in the 'General Options'. 
Unlike the System Panel, the Dashboard panel gives only a top-down view of the components, though they can be made more lifelike by clicking on the ‘3D view’ icon. 
Differences to the System panel
The Dashboard panel has a Shapes toolbar running vertically down the left-hand side, and a Controls toolbar running horizontally across the top. However these have more limited functionality on the System panel as the Dashboard is not designed for modelling objects or creating components.
Components can be added to the Dashboard panel from the Components Toolbar as they can to the System Panel. The intent is that this is used for more abstract and non-physical components such as dials and meters, though there is no restriction on what you can add.
These components can then easily remain visible while the camera and any moving objects simulate on the System panel.
The camera on the Dashboard is fixed, unlike the System panel which has full 3D movement.
Camera control
The Dashboard camera can only pan, it will not rotate. This means the Dashboard always displays a top-down 2D appearance, though in reality it is capable of displaying any 3D object.
To move and control the camera:
- Hold down the Ctrl key and click-drag the mouse to pan the camera (move the position of the camera).
- Hold down Alt and click anywhere on the panel to move the camera over that point or object (move the position of the camera to the object).
Zoom
There is also a zoom facility, operated by pressing the Ctrl key and moving the cursor over the viewpoint icon. Clicking the mouse button in this and dragging downwards causes the view to zoom out. Dragging upwards causes the view to zoom in. The same functionality can be achieved by holding Ctrl and using the mouse wheel.
Hint:
- The coordinates of the cursor are shown in the status bar at the bottom of the screen. Using this information can help you to position objects.
- First of all, move the cursor to the desired position, to find its coordinates. Then enter these into the 'Position' properties of the object in the Properties Panel.
Selecting items
Multiple items can be selected:
- By holding down the Shift key and then clicking on a number of items, one after the other;
- By left-clicking the mouse button and dragging over the items.
They can then be grouped:
- By clicking on the 'Group' icon.
- By selecting the 'Group' option from the ‘Selection’ menu which appears when you click the right-hand mouse button.
In this way, complex nested structures can be assembled from a number of parts. To ungroup, select the object and then click on the same icon.
Shapes toolbar
At the top is a colour selector, which sets the colour of any shape added to the work area. By clicking on the down-arrow, one of a wide range of colours can be selected.
Below it is the 'Text' icon, used to 'drag and drop' a single row of alphanumeric characters onto the work area. Afterwards, you can select it, by clicking on it, and configure it using the Properties Panel. In particular, when added, you can edit the default text displayed using the bottom ‘Text’ control on the Properties Panel.
The next icon is a 'Textbox' icon. Unlike the text label this has multiple lines and the text does not stretch as its area is resized.
The remaining icons allow you to add a variety of shapes, all two-dimensional, to the work area. Each takes the colour chosen in the colour selector at the top. Each one can be configured using the Properties Panel, to determine the position, size and rotation of the shape, for example.
If 3D shapes are required any object can be dragged between the Dashboard and System panel and dropped in the required position.
Controls toolbar
Moving objects
The first four controls operate on the size, position and rotation of the component.
Move allows you to move the selected object around the work area.
Stretch allows you to re-position a single point on an item. When you select an object and click on this control, pink anchors appear on the object. Selecting one of these allows it to be moved to a new position on the work area. The effect is to change the appearance, size or rotation of the object.
Scale allows you to change the size of the object. After selecting an object and clicking on this control, a number of blue anchors appear on the object. Any of these can be dragged to re-size that particular dimension of the object. (Handles at the corners affect size in two dimensions.)
Rotate allows you to rotate an object. After selecting it and clicking on this control, a number of yellow anchors appear on the object. These allow the object to be rotated around different axes. Corner anchors will spin the object.
General Options
The next control determines what happens when two objects ‘collide‘, with respect to the camera view. There are 3 options available:
Move Through ignores collision by moving through the colliding object and ignoring it completely.
Move Around avoids collision by moving the object around the colliding object. Note: this is the default option set by Flowcode.
Move Over avoids collision by moving the object over the colliding object.
The next two controls are used to set properties for the whole panel.
The first control, 'Tools' allows you to lock movement of objects:
- To the grid,
- To other objects,
- To the table-top
The grid can be re-sized and made visible in a range of colors via this control.
The second control, 'General Options' is used to:
- Set the colour or image of the display;
- Set the number of views, allowing, for example, plan and elevation views of a component;
- Set the level of detail of all the displays.
