Now that you know a little about the use of the Squeak API and the creation of "projects" to be loaded inside an island, we will begin with the basics of the creation of 3D objects.
Please, don't be affraid! You don't need to be an artist to create basic models. We will be inspired in the LEGO creations for our models. Something very simple and geometric.
But before this you need to learn how to receive some Classes created by DMU and that will facilitate your life.
You need to receive and install four Classes that will create two new, very important, "islands".
The "Navigator" island is something like a web browser . Is from what you will go to other islands. And where you can receive friends.
The "Hoster" is like a webserver, an island to be always on line, like a site (if you have a fixed IP and a machine "on" 24/7), having "projects" that people can use when visiting it.
Different from the island of the downloaded initial Croquet material, these two islands have the "minimum" possible. At our exercices you will put many things inside them.
We will not explain in details the code of these Classes, because they use the Croquet API and this course is "for programers", not "for wizards". Do you remember the classification of Croquet users? If not re-read the end of the lesson of the link.
But you will make, at this course, some modifications inside the code of the methods of these Classes to add permanent objects and projects to these islands. (In the "real life" you only need two island like these.)
How to receive these classes and install them? Easy:
1 - Download (rightclick) these files in the C:\Croquet_SDK_1.0_beta folder.
2 - Open a new "morphic project" blank page. If will don't remember how, read the previous lessons.
3 - Open a "Green window" at this page and drag the tool "File List" and find our files.
4 - Rightclicking a file name, the ToolBar changes and you can click "filein". Opening a "System Browser" you can see the Class loaded.
5 - Do it for all the four classes.
6 - Do you remember how we did tests of the methods of the SmallTalk API? Opening a "Workspace" and a "Transcript" window. Here, open two "Workspaces" and drag, for the first, these lines:
nm:= NavigatorMaster new openInWorld . win:= SystemWindow new. lf:= LayoutFrame new. lf leftFraction:0. lf rightFraction:1. lf topFraction:0. lf bottomFraction:1. win setLabel: 'close the 2nd halo first NAVIGATOR'. win addMorph: nm fullFrame:lf. win openInWorldExtent: 600@450.
7 - Dragging the pointer over all the lines, do an "accept" and a "do-it". The NAVIGATOR will open ( If you have a FireWall you need to liberate this application to be a server). You can move the window.
VERY IMPORTANT. There are a big bug! You need to close first the object "NavigationMaster" using its halo. After this, close the window empty! If you do not do this your system will freeze and you can loose all your work!!!
TIP: Like the system can freeze sometimes, a good idea is the creation of an "image" for backup, doing a "big save" but a "save as..."
8 - In the other Workspace use this code to create the HOSTER:
hm:= HosterMaster new openInWorld . win:= SystemWindow new. lf:= LayoutFrame new. lf leftFraction:0. lf rightFraction:1. lf topFraction:0. lf bottomFraction:1. win setLabel: 'close the 2nd halo first HOSTER be pacient in the load'. win addMorph: hm fullFrame:lf. win openInWorldExtent: 600@300.
Having the two "island", you can, using the NAVIGATOR, go to the HOSTER island.
TIP: We will use this "work area" very much in the next lessons. Close all the Portals created and the two island (remember of the "2nd halo thing") before save and quit ("big save")in the end of each work session. When you reopen Croquet you will see this area. The layout of this area can be like you can see in the begining of this lesson.
Important for you to know that, to create a .ST file having a Class is easy. Rightclick has name in the System Browser and select "fileout". The file will be in the main folder.
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