Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!rutgers!husc6!hao!hull
From: hull@hao.ucar.edu (Howard Hull)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Hyper mice
Summary: do it as a physical motion simulator
Message-ID: <1135@hao.ucar.edu>
Date: 30 Jan 88 16:27:19 GMT
References: <8801300513.AA21426@cory.Berkeley.EDU>
Organization: High Altitude Obs./NCAR, Boulder, CO
Lines: 40



I concur with Matt concerning the need for proportional response from mouse
displacements from center.  However, I find that it helps to have the system
tied to some form of genuine physical character (inertia plus viscous drag).

The one I prefer is like the one used on motion simulators.  For no buttons,
proportional left mouse produces proportional rate left yaw (or proportional
acceleration left yaw for inertial simulators).  To the right is same kind of
action.  Forward is down declination [pitch], (consistent motion rule for
inertial simulators) and back is up declination, (again, properly consistent
for inertial simulators).

For the left mouse button depression, you get proportional left roll (velocity
or acceleration, as before) with left displacement, right with right.  Forward
produces forward velocity or acceleration, and back produces negative velocity
or acceleration.

Menu choices (activated by the right mouse button) provide selection of yaw
or roll as the primary (no button) left-right mode, a selection for continue
or discontinue velocity or acceleration after button-up, and a choice for
position, velocity, or acceleration for the motion mode.  I would think that
acceleration and velocity modes would rarely be mixed for display programs,
but I do know that sometimes flight simulators will use roll/yaw with an
acceleration mode while pitch is position-proportional.  So it wouldn't hurt
to have a full set of mode choices for each of roll, pitch and yaw.

Then there is the matter of coordinate system handedness and choice of X,Y,Z
axis direction with respect to the manipulator.  That is probably covered in
the graphics standards (IGS, GKS, etc.) isn't it?

Now, a quote never said by anyone, anywhere, whoever lived to tell about it:
------------
"Well, standards do have their uses.  However, in some of our persuit aircraft,
the ailerons are rigged so that left stick produces left aileron up.  In others
it's that way for right stick.  We find that it does keep our pilots at their
sharpest, and that those that can't hack it are soon washed out of the system."
------------
						Howard Hull
						hull@hao.ucar.edu