Navigating LumenRT


Navigating in LumenRT

User Interface

After Launching LumenRT it shows a very simple but powerful interface for creating, navigating, editing, and sharing immersive 3D scenery. Shown below are the key user interface and display elements:

The key user interface and display elements

In LumenRT, there are a number of tools and capabilities for modifying and enhancing scene models and content. All of the editing tools are accessed via the LumenRT Side-Bar menu. Use the keyboard tab key to access the LumenRT Side-Bar menu. Explained below is a summary of the top level and sub level commands.

  1. Main Side-Bar Menu - Accessed by pressing the tab key and contains all of the top level LumenRT tools.
  2. Project Name - Displays the project name.
  3. Navigation Compass - Displays te camera direction with a red true north indicator.
  4. Basic Navigation Control Help Menu -An optional help screen showing the high level mouse and key navigation commands.
  5. Scene Display - The main window for displaying scene objects and content.
  6. Atmosphere - The dynamic sky, clouds, haze, and sun display.
  7. Display Quality - Clicking the stars sets the display quality from 1 star (low) to 5 (high). And 6 star indicates the RayTracing Mode.


Basic Navigation Control

The basic navigation controls are the first level set of controls. After opening LumenRT, it appears in the bottom of the application. The LumenRT control summary displays each of the basic movements such as using the mouse to navigate.

LumenRT Controls

Following table shows the basic LumenRT controls:
Basic Controls Key Description
Main Menu Tab Displays the main LumenRT sidebar menu
Help F1 Displays the help screen
Toggle Full-Screen/Window Mode Alt + Enter Toggles full screen or window operating mode
Exit Esc Pauses operation of the LumenRT viewer window
Return to Start Home Returns the camera to the start position
Animation Mode F2 This is the default startup mode when an animation is present in the exported file
Walk-Thru Mode F3 Walk-Thru mode is the default mode for when an animation is not present
Fly-Thru Mode F4 Quickly fly-thru the scene using the middle-mouse button and pivot the camera side-to-side and up-down using the left mouse button
Zoom Extents F5 Zooms the LiveCubes display to fit the entire scene within the extents of the display
Display Quality F7/F8 Pressing F7 reduces display quality while pressing F8 increases display quality
Time of the Day

Earlier/Later

 G/H Press G or H to move the sun to an earlier/later time respectively
Exposure B/N B/N Press B or N to turn the camera exposure down or up respectively
Animation Mode Controls (F2) Key Description
Pause Space Tapping the space bar pauses the animation
Previous/Next Keyframe Left/Right Arrow Keys Use the left/right arrow leys to jump to specific keyframes
Start/End Home/End Go to the animation start/end
Switch to Walk-Thru Mode Left mouse Click the left mouse button to switch into walk-thru mode
Walk-thru Mode Controls (F3) Key Description
Look Right/Left Mouse Left/Right Moving the mouse left/right with no buttons pressed orbits the camera
Walk Left Mouse Down Left mouse down hold - walks forward
Run forward/Backward Middle Mouse Button Shuttle the middle mouse button to run forward or backward
Pan Right/Left Left/Right Arrow or Right Mouse Down Use the right/left arrows or right mouse button down to move sideways
Elevator Up/Down Page Up/Page Down Press and hold the page up/page down keys to jump to another floor above or below - release the keys when you are above the desired floor
Fly-Thru Mode Controls (F4) Key Description
Look Right/Left Left Mouse Down Move Left/Right Pivots the camera around horizontally
Look Up/Down Left Mouse Down Move Up/Down Pivots the camera around vertically
Zoom in /out Middle Mouse Button Shuttle the middle mouse button to zoom in/out
Pan Right/Left Left/Right Arrow or Right Mouse Down Use the right/left arrows or right mouse button down to move sideways
Raise/Lower Camera Height Page Up/Page Down Press and hold the page up/ page down keys to raise and lower the height of the camera
Rotate Alt + Left Mouse or Middle Mouse Down Rotates the camera around the scene
Misc.Controls Key Description
Open scene Ctrl + O Lets you choose a scene to load
New scene Ctrl + N Lets you choose an empty scene to load
Save scene Ctrl + S Saves the current scene on disk
Screenshot F6 Takes a high quality screen capture of the current view and saves it on disk
Screenshot Options Ctrl + F6 Opens the screenshot options dialog
Undo Ctrl + Z Undo the last action
redo Ctrl + Y Redo the previously undone action

A complete list of the LumenRT navigation controls is available online by clicking the More Controls button on the help screen (F1). It corresponds to the listing included below.

Basic Controls

  • Main Menu (Tab) - Displays the main LumenRT sidebar menu
  • Help (F1) - Displays the Help screen
  • Toggle Full-Screen/Window Mode (Alt + Enter) - Toggles full screen or window operating system
  • Exit (Exc) - Pauses operation of te LumenRT viewer window
  • Return to Start ('Home) - Returns the camera to the start position
  • Animation Mode (F2) - This is the default startup mode when an animation is present in the exported file.
  • Walk-Thru Mode (F3) - Walk-Thru mode is the default mode when an animation is not present
  • Fly-Thru Mode (F4) - Quickly fly-thru the scene using the middle mouse button and pivot the camera side-to-side and up-down using the left mouse button.
  • Zoom Extents (F5) - Zooms the LiveCube display to fit the entire scene within the extents of the display
  • Display Quality (F7/F8) - Pressing F7 reduces display quality while pressing F8 increases display quality
  • Time of Day Earlier/Later (G/H) - Press G or H to move the sun to an earlier/ later time respectively
  • Exposure (B/N) - Press B or N to turn the camera exposure down or up respectively

 

Animation Mode Controls (F2)

  • Pause (space) - Tapping the space bar pauses the animation
  • Previous/Next Keyframe (left/Right Arrow Keys) - Use the left/right arrow keys to jump to specific keyframes
  • Start/End (Home/End) - Go to the animation start/end
  • switch to Walk-Thru mode (Left Mouse Button) - Click the left mouse button to switch into walk-thru mode

 

Walk-Thru Mode Controls (F3)

  • Look Right/Left (Mouse Right/ Left) - Moving the mouse right/left with no buttons pressed orbits the camera
  • Walk (Left Mouse Button Down) - Left mouse button down hold - walks forward
  • Run Forward/Backward (Middle Mouse Button Down) - Shuttle the middle mouse button to run forward or backward
  • Pan Right/Left (Right/Left Arrow or Right Mouse Button Down) - Use the right/left arrows or right mouse button down to move sideways.
  • Elevator Up/Down (Page Up/ Page Down) - Press and hold the page up/page down keys when you are above the desired floor

Fly-Thru Mode Controls (F4)

  • Look Right/Left (Left Mouse Down Move) - Pivots the camera around horizontally right/left
  • Look Up/Down (Left Mouse Button Down Move Up/Down) - Pivots the camera around vertically
  • Zoom In/Out (Middle Mouse Button) - Shuttle the middle mouse button to zoom in/out
  • Pan Right/ Left (Right/Left Arrow or Right Mouse Down) - Use the right/left arrows or right mouse button down to move sideways
  • Raise/Lower Camera Height (Page Up/Page Down) - Press and hold the page up/page down keys to raise and lower the height of the camera
  • Rotate (Alt + Left Mouse or Middle Mouse Button Down) - Rotates the camera around the scene

Misc. Controls

  • Open Scene (Ctrl + O) - Lets you choose a scene to load
  • New Scene (Ctrl + N) - Lets you choose an empty scene to load
  • Save Scene (Ctrl + S) - Saves the current scene on disk
  • Screenshot (F6) - Takes a high quality screenshot of the current view and saves it on disk
  • Screenshot options (Ctrl + F6) - Opens the screenshot options dialog
  • Undo (Ctrl + Z) - Undo the last action
  • Redo (Ctrl + Y) - Redo the previously undone action

Extended Navigation Controls

The extended controls allow refined movements and operation according to the three navigation modes:
  • Animation Mode
  • Walk-Thru Mode
  • Fly-Thru Mode
These extended controls are accessed by pressing F1 (More) from the Basic Navigation Controls dialog.


 

Creating LiveCubes

 

LumenRT Livecubes combine design models and LumenRT natural scenery elements (e.g. plants, characters, vehicles) into a unified 3D immersive scene file. LiveCubes can be created into one of two ways:
  • Standalone - starts with an empty scene and then the user imports models, and adds natural scenery elements.
  • Exported - begins by exporting models and LumenRT proxies from supported CAD/BIM/GIS systems and then adding/editing scene elements inside the LiveCube.

 

Generating a LiveCube using Exporters

Please visit the Export Plugins page to learn how to use each exporter.

Creating a Standalone LiveCube

To create your own LiveCube, double-click the main LumenRT.exe application icon. A browser will open with a default preset for you to choose as a starting point. Once this loads, you will be able to manipulate the scene to suit your needs. You can do the following:
  • Sculpt the terrain using the Terrain and Ocean tool.
  • Change the terrain type by choosing a different terrain using the Load Terrain feature of the Terrain and Ocean tool and modify the ground materials by painting a new material.
  • Modify the atmosphere by using the Sun and Atmosphere settings.
  •    Add buildings, plants, people and other objects that are furnished with the product by selecting the appropriate icons on the interface.
  • You can import other objects that you have by selecting the Import Objects icon on the Add Misc menu.

Scene settings can be changed and objects can be moved and resized as you work. Scenes can then be saved as a LiveCube from the File menu.


LumenRT Exporter User Interface

The LumenRT Exporter utilizes a very simple graphical user interface that is universal across all CAD, CG, GIS applications and all supported 3D model format platforms. the exporter interface is accessed directly inside each system via a menu or icon selection. Please refer to the Export Plgins section for further information on the operation of each export plugin.

 

SketchUp Immersive nature Component Library

To access LumenRT content in Sketchup, open the SketchUP Components window and navigate to the LumenRT folder. Placing LumenRT items in a model accomplished in the same manner as placing any SketchUp component - by dragging the item into the scene and using the standard SketchUp position, rotate and scale tools to orient the item.

 

MicroStation Immersive Nature Cell Library

 

In MicroStation, LumenRT content is formatted as a MicroStation cell library. To load the library, click theLumenRT Load Library icon found on the LumenRT MicroStation taskbar. After the library is loaded, you can access individual content elements by going to Element / Cell. To place an item, select and drag it into the top view. By default, all LumenRT content is oriented in the MicorStation top view. Of course you can add content in any view by hitting the "T" for top view key which will re-orient the content item for whatever view you happen to be working in.


 

Navigating a LiveCube

In LumenRT, the mouse is the primary device used to navigate the LiveCube in a manner similar to walking through a 3D video game or orbiting inside a 3D application.

You can view a quick tutorial on navigating LiveCubes through the help panel (F1 then click the Navigation Tutorial button or here: http://www.lumenrt.com/navigationtutorial. LumenRT offers three different navigation modes for viewing and exploring LumenRT LiveCubes:
  • Walk-Thru Mode - (The default mode, activated by pressing the F3 key) It is like a first person video game. The user operates the mouse controls to "wander" through the model as if he/she was walking through the scene. Pressing the left mouse button will cause the camera to walk forward. The speed of walking increases if you keep the mouse button pressed. Simply release mouse button to reset speed.

    The camera is fixed to a height of 1.6 meters above the ground (about the eye level of an average-sized adult). You can move up or down using the Page Up and Page Down keys. The camera will revert to its standard height as soon as you start walking again.

    Walk-thru mode is sensitive to obstacles such as walls which will halt movement (and display a halt icon) until the user clicks and releases the mouse to walk through the wall. Features such as stairs will cause the movement to simulate walking up or down the flight of stairs. Users can move up or down to a different floor.

  • Fly-thru Mode - (Activated by pressing the F4 key) It is similar to the navigation controls you find in most CAD and CG systems. It allows you to fly around the scene by panning, zooming and rotating the camera.
  • Animation Mode - (Activated by pressing the F2 key) It is an optional form of navigation that becomes available if the scene contains an animation path. Animation mode also allows a slide show style of navigation similar to a PowerPoint presentation by moving forward or backward to various scene snapshots using the arrow keys. You can stop animation playback anytime by pressing the left mouse button which will switch to walk-thru mode and start walking from where the camera is (and restore the default height).

First-Person Drive Mode

Included with LumenRT is a python script that enables users to “drive” through the LumenRT scene using a gaming type driving or racing wheel. The script is also user editable which allows custom driver wheel devices to be interfaced.

To access the “Drive Mode” script:

  1. Open the LumenRT Python menu (File)
  2. Select the menu and run a script
  3. Navigate to:

    C:\Program Files\Bentley\Bentley LumenRT CONNECTtion_UD14\Python\PythonExamples\SDK\DriveMode.py

  4. The script will then load and run

You can also operate the car mode using the arrow keys.