[vtkusers] GUI for VTK (demo - please try)

[John Biddiscombe]

Dear vtk/win32 users.

http://users.rcru.rl.ac.uk/jab53/rpd/rpd.zip

contains a demo of a vtk pipeline editor. I've just got web access again so
have and zipped up some files. 
Owing to the general interest on the list (and thanks to those that have
mailed me) I'm able to post a demo of our pipeline editor.

I've literally just zipped some files and put them in a directory, no
testing on this version has been done and it may not work, so if you don't
want to download 5MB and find its faulty - wait until someone else tries it
and posts a reply that it is OK. If not, I'll fix it (some DLL's may be
missing for example). Thanks.

Instructions :
Drag things - drop things - try clicking stuff and try loading demos. copy
and paste are OK, but some other functions may be temporarily disabled.
Load and save are fine. File format is a bit duff, but was chosen so that
as we add new things it gracefully handles new and old format files without
having to redesign pipelines. About 2 weeks ago, I completely rewrote a
large chunk of code and all the apps supplied as demos predate this. some
may be broken. Please experiment and fix them :) or write new ones. some
demos expect the vtkdata to be present. see user options and enter as many
paths as you like. eg. c:\bin\test\data;d:\data;

With regard to many of the issues raised on the list. 
Automatic wrapping is not a problem and I've half done it. 
TCL is half done and should enable any (visual) filter to be accessed by
name and will mirror existing tcl scripts. what I mean is that I'm hoping
all existing tcl scripts will simply run in RPD and the names will simply
be the names of the GUI boxes instead of the internal filters. I'm
wrestling with a TCL toolwin which will consist of a box with a script
window inside. Nothing fancy, but all filters will be accessible.

Yours

John B
PS. The piepline part is fairly stable, but some other functions are
experimental (like the GUI box and parameters moving) - the idea is that
you design a gui pipeline, then decide that you only need 4 parameters to
be visible, so these are placed inside a special gui box and the rest are
hidden. This makes it easier to buid a complex simulation and then give it
to someone less familiar with the filters. (if you have C++Builder, then
you can "register" a more complex gui box and design a compley UI with a
user editable pipeline - Nice!)

PPS. some filters are present in the filter tree, but are not really
functional, only a couple, but be warned.

PPPS. If anyone realy wants to get a GUI pipeline designer for vtk going
for all to use. I very much want to be involved.