XMGED - Getting Started

# Getting Started

## Single Display

Here is an example of starting xmged in its single window mode. User input is in boldface.

       % xmged file.g
       BRL-CAD Release 4.2   Graphics Editor (MGED)
       Fri Jan 14 17:13:46 EST 1994, Compilation 12
       bparker@admii:/scivis/phil/cad4.2/.xmged.5d

       attach (nu|tek|tek4109|ps|plot|sgi|X)[nu]? X
       X Display(User Interface) [:0.0]?
       X Display(Drawing Area 0) [:0.0]?
       X Display(Drawing Area 1)
       ATTACHING X (X Window System (X11))

You should attach to the "X" interface. Even if you are on an SGI, "X" must be selected to get the new interface. The code will automatically sense that you are using an SGI and use the fast GL graphics routines for the drawing area.

You are given the option of entering several X DISPLAY specifications. The first is where you would like the user interface to run, i.e. the part with the buttons, menus, command window, etc. The second prompt (for Drawing Area 0) allows you to specify a different location for the drawing area. If the specified string is identical to that for the user interface, you will get the combined form, i.e. the drawing area will be embedded into the user interface. If these displays differ, the drawing area will be placed into a separate window (see example below).

Finally it prompts you for an optional Drawing Area 1. If a DISPLAY specification is entered here xmged will open a second drawing area. It will continue to prompt for additional drawing areas until an empty line (return) is entered. In this way you can open up any number of drawing areas on any number of X servers.

## Separate Drawing Area

Here is an example of started xmged with the user interface on a separate machine from the drawing area. The advantage of this is that you can dedicate an entire display to the drawing area, and get a large command window on the user interface machine.

       % xmged file.g
       BRL-CAD Release 4.2   Graphics Editor (MGED)
       Fri Jan 14 17:13:46 EST 1994, Compilation 12
       bparker@admii:/scivis/phil/cad4.2/.xmged.5d

       attach (nu|tek|tek4109|ps|plot|sgi|X)[nu]? X
       X Display(User Interface) [:0.0]? remotehost:0
       X Display(Drawing Area 0) [:0.0]?
       X Display(Drawing Area 1)
       ATTACHING X (X Window System (X11))

When the user interface and drawing areas are to be displayed on different X servers, it is recommended that the drawing area be made local (i.e. on the machine running xmged) while the user interface is made remote. This is because bandwidth to the drawing area is much more important than to the user interface.

In all cases of separate or multiple drawing areas, mouse input is active in all of them, but mouse input normally required in the drawing area, e.g. to center or resize the view, can be directed to an ``input window'' on the user interface machine instead. This input window is selected from the File menu.

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