Aszgard ReadyToGo 1.0-1.1-1
Aszgard ReadyToGo is Aszgard, an environment to compile and run Syzygy programs in Microsoft Windows, with its dependencies. Aszgard ReadyToGo contains Aszgard, Movable Python, and Syzygy. Movable Python has been configured to run with Aszgard. Syzygy has been compiled, along with its demos and a few example Syzygy projects have also been compiled. The version number above refers to the Aszgard version, the Syzygy version, and this Aszgard ReadyToGo version. Note that Aszgard ReadyToGo contains non-distributable copyrighted software (Movable Python), which the Integrated Systems Laboratory (ISL) at the Beckman Institute, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign has a site license for. This software may only be used through and obtained through the direction of members of the ISL, such as George K. Francis.
Download or obtain aszgard-ReadyToGo-1.0-1.1-1.zip.
Create the directory c:\aszgard (or another directory anywhere that doesn't contain spaces). [This guide will assume that Aszgard ReadyToGo will be installed in c:\aszgard.]
Unzip aszgard-ReadyToGo-1.0-1.1-1.zip to c:\aszgard. Windows internal zip folder support can be used or 7-Zip (http://www.7-zip.org), a free program, can be used.
Click the Windows Start button. Then click on Run... Enter c:\aszgard\mingw_shell. If a window prompts you to confirm running Aszgard, click on Run.
You should now see a window titled “MINGW32:~” with a terminal inside where the cursor is to the right of a $ prompt. This terminal provides a Unix-like shell.
You may test Syzygy in a number of ways. The demos that come with Syzygy have been compiled. To test that Syzygy is working, try running the Syzygy program atlantis by entering atlantis at the prompt.
You should see aquatic mammals swimming around and hear them make sounds. You can exit by hitting Esc.
At this point you should have a good editor at your disposal. The author recommends vim (http://www.vim.org) for Windows. It is a robust editor, but vim does have a learning curve. Find an editor that will work for you.
There are example Syzygy projects in ~/examples. To get to the example directory enter cd ~/examples at the prompt. Then enter ls at the prompt to see the example directories. In that directory there is:
zkel – Written by George Francis et al. as a skeleton Syzygy program. George Francis should know this program well and how to manipulate it.
skeleton – Written by the Syzygy authors as a skeleton program. The source code includes a non-object oriented skeleton source and an object oriented skeleton source, which both do the same thing, but in different ways syntactically.
rikigaku – Written by Jonathan B. Glatt. This is an in-progress dynamical systems visualizer. The program (Rikigaku) can be modified and used as a general purpose template. See ~/examples/rikigaku/README.txt (or c:\aszgard\home\rikigaku\README.txt) for more details.
You may see any of these programs by entering either zkel or skeleton or rikigaku at the prompt. Hitting keys 1 through 6 allow you to access the position of the head, the hand wand, and the wand's joysticks and buttons. The left and right mouse buttons are used for changing the position of the head and wand, and activating the first and second buttons.
The source code for these example programs are located in their src subdirectories. Those directories are located at ~/examples/[example]/src, or c:\aszgard\home\examples\[example]\src in Windows.
Once you have selected the template you wish to use for developing your program, copy that example program to a new directory in the home directory (which will be referred to as [my-project]) by entering cp -R ~/examples/[template] ~/[my-project] at the prompt. Rename ~/[my-project]/src/[template].cpp to ~/[my-project]/src/[my-project].cpp by entering mv ~/[my-project]/src/[template].cpp ~/[my-project]/src/[my-project].cpp at the prompt. With your editor change all code references to [template] in ~/[my-project]/build/makefiles/Makefile.my_app to [my-project]. Note that this file is located at c:\aszgard\home\[my-project]\build\makefiles\Makefile.my_app in Windows.
You should now be able to compile [my-project].
Go into the [my-project] directory by entering cd ~/[my-project] at the prompt.
Enter make clean at the prompt.
Enter make at the prompt.
If all went well, you should be able to enter [my-project] at the prompt and see [my-project] run.
To begin developing your project, edit ~/[my-project]/src/[my-project].cpp, which is located at c:\aszgard\home\[my-project]\src\[my-project].cpp in Windows. Once you have completed an edit, repeat the four steps above to see your progress.
The Syzygy documentation is located at c:\aszgard\szg\doc\index.html. This documentation is a useful guide and reference for how Syzygy and its simulator work.
Links to web versions of the OpenGL Blue Book (Reference Manual) are located at http://www.opengl.org/documentation/blue_book/. The OpenGL Blue Book is a useful to reference for drawing objects with OpenGL, as Syzygy uses OpenGL for drawing.
<Jonathan B. Glatt, 2007 Oct 19>