Better meter widgets?

Are there any better meter widgets? The 180 degree,
top half only of “Meter” is too restrictive. We have
things that need a full circle, like a compass heading.

How about an image-based meter widget? The background
is an image, and the pointers are images. This provides
full generality without much code. This will make for
much better looking control panels.

Public domain dial imagery is available. Here’s
NASA’s collection of simulated flight instruments:

http://www.simlabs.arc.nasa.gov/vms/instru.html

John Nagle

I gather that people don’t use meters much. I’d thought
that QNX, being a real-time operating system, would often
be used to create panels with dials and such for process
control. But there seems to be very little interest here
in meter-type widgets. Or anywhere. “ptMeter” has only
eleven unique hits in Google.

Someone did ask a similar question to the one I asked
below. See

http://www.openqnx.com/PNphpBB2-viewtopic-t1755-.html

He didn’t get an answer either.

So what are people doing for control panels?

John Nagle
Team Overbot

John Nagle wrote:

Are there any better meter widgets? The 180 degree,
top half only of “Meter” is too restrictive. We have things that need a
full circle, like a compass heading.

How about an image-based meter widget? The background
is an image, and the pointers are images. This provides
full generality without much code. This will make for
much better looking control panels.

Public domain dial imagery is available. Here’s
NASA’s collection of simulated flight instruments:

http://www.simlabs.arc.nasa.gov/vms/instru.html

John Nagle

Hi John…

I think that there is a third party company that sells display software,
but I do not know their name. When I looked into that at one point in
the past, I think that it was rather expensive ($~4000.00), so I did not
bother. I know of another person who has done his own meters, but I do
not know the details. Sorry. When I do, I’ll let you know.

Regards…

Miguel.



John Nagle wrote:

I gather that people don’t use meters much. I’d thought
that QNX, being a real-time operating system, would often
be used to create panels with dials and such for process
control. But there seems to be very little interest here
in meter-type widgets. Or anywhere. “ptMeter” has only
eleven unique hits in Google.

Someone did ask a similar question to the one I asked
below. See

http://www.openqnx.com/PNphpBB2-viewtopic-t1755-.html

He didn’t get an answer either.

So what are people doing for control panels?

John Nagle
Team Overbot

John Nagle wrote:

Are there any better meter widgets? The 180 degree,
top half only of “Meter” is too restrictive. We have things that need
a full circle, like a compass heading.

How about an image-based meter widget? The background
is an image, and the pointers are images. This provides
full generality without much code. This will make for
much better looking control panels.

Public domain dial imagery is available. Here’s
NASA’s collection of simulated flight instruments:

http://www.simlabs.arc.nasa.gov/vms/instru.html

John Nagle

On Tue, 25 May 2004 11:38:58 -0400, Miguel Simon <simon@ou.edu> wrote:

Hi John…

I think that there is a third party company that sells display software,
but I do not know their name. When I looked into that at one point in
the past, I think that it was rather expensive ($~4000.00), so I did not
bother. I know of another person who has done his own meters, but I do
not know the details. Sorry. When I do, I’ll let you know.

Maybe you are thinking of Tilcon? www.tilcon.com

Tilcon sells a whole GUI toolkit which runs on various
OSs, including Photon. I had something much less ambitious
in mind. I’d like multiple-needle meters, and full-circle
meters for compass-type applications.

We have an “artificial horizon” on one
display, but it’s just a PtRaw rectangle with a dark
background upon which a blue triangle is drawn
to indicate the “sky”.

What I’d like to have is a meter object which has
an background image, and one or more pointer images. The
background image is rotated and translated as
needed to achieve the desired effect. This would
allow nice-looking instruments. (The open source
FlightGear flight simulator is a good source of
imagery for this sort of thing. See
http://www.flightgear.org/Gallery/Link/c310u3a-panel.html)

This might be easier to do in 6.3, where you could
presumably use OpenGL to rotate a texture. But
that’s overkill for simple meters.

If we get a volunteer for Team Overbot who needs to
get QNX experience before we let them do anything
critical, we might put them on that problem.


John Nagle
Team Overbot

acellarius-thisNGisalsoharvested@forspamming.yahoodotcom wrote:

On Tue, 25 May 2004 11:38:58 -0400, Miguel Simon <> simon@ou.edu> > wrote:

Hi John…

I think that there is a third party company that sells display
software, but I do not know their name. When I looked into that at
one point in the past, I think that it was rather expensive
($~4000.00), so I did not bother. I know of another person who has
done his own meters, but I do not know the details. Sorry. When I do,
I’ll let you know.


Maybe you are thinking of Tilcon? > www.tilcon.com

John Nagle <nagle@downside.com> wrote:
JN > Tilcon sells a whole GUI toolkit which runs on various
JN > OSs, including Photon. I had something much less ambitious
JN > in mind. I’d like multiple-needle meters, and full-circle
JN > meters for compass-type applications.

JN > We have an “artificial horizon” on one
JN > display, but it’s just a PtRaw rectangle with a dark
JN > background upon which a blue triangle is drawn
JN > to indicate the “sky”.

JN > What I’d like to have is a meter object which has
JN > an background image, and one or more pointer images. The
JN > background image is rotated and translated as
JN > needed to achieve the desired effect. This would
JN > allow nice-looking instruments. (The open source
JN > FlightGear flight simulator is a good source of
JN > imagery for this sort of thing. See
JN > http://www.flightgear.org/Gallery/Link/c310u3a-panel.html)

JN > This might be easier to do in 6.3, where you could
JN > presumably use OpenGL to rotate a texture. But
JN > that’s overkill for simple meters.

JN > If we get a volunteer for Team Overbot who needs to
JN > get QNX experience before we let them do anything
JN > critical, we might put them on that problem.


JN > John Nagle
JN > Team Overbot

Have you considered making your own widget?

Getting started is a big hump, but once your over it, it is pretty easy to
customize it any way you want.

Hi…

Yes. This rings a bell. How much is it now?

Regards…

Miguel.


acellarius-thisNGisalsoharvested@forspamming.yahoodotcom wrote:

On Tue, 25 May 2004 11:38:58 -0400, Miguel Simon <> simon@ou.edu> > wrote:

Hi John…

I think that there is a third party company that sells display
software, but I do not know their name. When I looked into that at
one point in the past, I think that it was rather expensive
($~4000.00), so I did not bother. I know of another person who has
done his own meters, but I do not know the details. Sorry. When I do,
I’ll let you know.


Maybe you are thinking of Tilcon? > www.tilcon.com

Hi John…

When do you need this? Also, do you have a web page for Team Overbot? I
have done some work in the past which I could donate to your project if
it fits. Let me know.

Regards…

Miguel.


John Nagle wrote:

Tilcon sells a whole GUI toolkit which runs on various
OSs, including Photon. I had something much less ambitious
in mind. I’d like multiple-needle meters, and full-circle
meters for compass-type applications.

We have an “artificial horizon” on one
display, but it’s just a PtRaw rectangle with a dark
background upon which a blue triangle is drawn
to indicate the “sky”.
What I’d like to have is a meter object which has
an background image, and one or more pointer images. The
background image is rotated and translated as
needed to achieve the desired effect. This would
allow nice-looking instruments. (The open source
FlightGear flight simulator is a good source of
imagery for this sort of thing. See
http://www.flightgear.org/Gallery/Link/c310u3a-panel.html> )

This might be easier to do in 6.3, where you could
presumably use OpenGL to rotate a texture. But
that’s overkill for simple meters.
If we get a volunteer for Team Overbot who needs to
get QNX experience before we let them do anything critical, we might put
them on that problem.

John Nagle
Team Overbot

acellarius-thisNGisalsoharvested@forspamming.yahoodotcom > wrote:

On Tue, 25 May 2004 11:38:58 -0400, Miguel Simon <> simon@ou.edu> > wrote:

Hi John…

I think that there is a third party company that sells display
software, but I do not know their name. When I looked into that at
one point in the past, I think that it was rather expensive
($~4000.00), so I did not bother. I know of another person who has
done his own meters, but I do not know the details. Sorry. When I
do, I’ll let you know.



Maybe you are thinking of Tilcon? > www.tilcon.com

On Wed, 26 May 2004 12:23:10 -0400, Miguel Simon <simon@ou.edu> wrote:

Hi…

Yes. This rings a bell. How much is it now?

No idea