Message #810

From: kygron <kygron@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: 5D interface
Date: Thu, 31 Dec 2009 20:09:22 -0000

yeah, that’s the discussion that was going on in my head and specifics and clarity where the reasons holding back from posting. I have a better idea… you are all intelligent people and interested in the topic, I bet if I stumble through an abstract description you’ll figure it out.

I’ll start with MC4D, ‘cause I really wanna play with the new polytopes, and you can extrapolate to 5D (prob’ly with an additional click).

When working with MC4D for my solution, I always went to the opposite 4face and clicked to rotate in the opposite direction (alternately, the opposite slice, anyway, two opposites).

Remember, there’s a difference between simulation and interface. You don’t click a cubie, you click a button on the screen. In MC4D you click a sticky, but there’s no reason why you can’t click the edge of a sticky, or a visually distinct "handle" for an entire n-face.

Complete 3^4 1-click instant gratification interface:

3 mouse buttons
left-click
right-click
translate-click

3 slices, as standard

the interface is a 3x3 "face" of a 4-face viewed as a 3^3. Call it the board for now. this is slice 1, any work with alternate slices requires a slice button.

translate-click board center: entire 4face translates toward board (adjacent 4face rotates all slices from perpendicular)

left/right-click board center: board rotates (opposite 4face rotates opposite direction)

translate-click board edge: board translates in direction of edge-from-center (opposite 4face rotates from perpendicular)

left/right-click a board edge: nothing
any-click a board corner: nothing

that’s everything you need! you can even avoid the slice masks altogether if you allow edge-of-sticky clicking. each board boundary defines one board-slice and direction for translating. rotate-click a board edge for a board-slice rotation.

basically, think of a mouse click as a finger pushing from the origin (or n-face origin)

I hope that wasn’t too confusing for you formal-minded folks ;)

Kyle

— In 4D_Cubing@yahoogroups.com, "kygron" <kygron@…> wrote:
>
> Hi,
>
> I said a while ago that I would critic the 5D interface, apparently I wanted to do more than I am willing, so I’m writing the quick form here and you can ask questions if I’m unclear.
>
> My problem is one of attention. There’s too many things on screen to attend to all of them at once. (I know, that’s the point, but…) There IS a way to change the interface to help with this, while still maintaining the essence of the puzzle.
>
> When I started the puzzle, I picked a (5)face, got a picture in my mind of how it looked, clicked a few cubies, and…. nothing happened! Sure, the thing rotated, but all the cubies stayed in the same relative positions to each other. I would have had to look elsewhere to see the manipulations I caused.
>
> Change it so that clicking a face alters the cubies in that face and you’ll get alot more people able to enjoy manipulating your puzzle.
>
> Hope that helps
>