hxBrowser - Graphics

At startup the large display in the main window shows the STAR TPC wire frame. A helix will be only displayed once it is defined. hxBrowser let's you rotate, zoom and shift the displayed items. Below is a complete description on how to manipulate the view and what optional items can be displayed.

1. Items to Display

TPC
to toggle the TPC wire frame on/off use Ctrl+T or select View->Tpc in the menu bar
Beampipe
to toggle the beampipe frame on/off use Ctrl+B or select View->Beam Pipe in the menu bar
Axis/Coordinate System
to toggle on/off use Ctrl+A or select the View->Axis item in the menu bar

2. Rotating

There are several ways to rotate the rendered items: using the sliders, using keys, and selecting predefined views.
Rotate around y-axis
use slider below the display or use the left and right arrow keys.
Rotate around x-axis
use slider left to the display or use the up and down arrow keys.
Rotate around z-axis
use slider right of the display or use the and right arrow keys while pressing Shift.
The LCD displays on the right show the current viewing angle in degrees.

3. Zooming

To zoom in press the Z key. To zoom out use Shift+Z or Alt+Z. If you have a mouse (and most likely you have) use the wheel to easily zoom in and out. To reset the zoom level and center the display press Ctrl+R or use the menu item View->Reset Zoom/Shift.

4. Shifting

To move the display in all three dimension use:
shift in y
use the u key to shift up, the d key for down
shift in x
use the r key to shift right, the l key for left
shift in z
use f key to shift forward, the b key to shift items backward. This is only useful for extreme zoom levels where parts of the objects start to disappear because the fall outside of the defined viewport.

By pressing the Shift key in conjunction with the keys above you increase the step size making shifting faster.

Alternative you can use the mouse. Click and hold the right button to move things in x and y (not z).

4. Predefined Views

There are two predefined views:
Front View
use Ctrl+F or select in the menu bar View->Front
Side View
use Ctrl+S or select in the menu bar View->Side