How to Use FreeBody Drawer and Editor

 

How to Open and Use a Project

This is easy. Just click on the projects tab and select the appropriate listed project. In the sample shown below, you have 5 possible projects to choose from. The left hand column gives the user editing control over the vectors that you draw on the image which appears. After you have loaded a project, follow these simple steps:

  • To draw a new vector make sure the "draw vectors" radio button is selected.
  • To name a vector type in the text box on the top, right hand side. Press enter and the name will appear in the text area, lower right.
  • To change the colour of the vector press the colour icon at the top right and select desired colour.
  • To change the length or direction of the vector select the set vector head(s) button. A small circular hot-spot will appear and you can drag the vector by placing the mouse over this point and dragging.
  • To change the location of the vector choose the set vector origin(s) button and repeat the above.
  • To delete a vector select it with either of the last two buttons and then press the "X" button. Rreset removes ALL vectors.
  • After you have drawn your FBD press the done button. The FBD icon will now become active and you can press this to see the instructor drawn FBD.
  • The button labeled FBD's will expose a visual menu of the FBD's in your project. You can load any one of these scenarios by clicking on them.

 

 

How to Make a Project - Using FreeBody Editor

Getting Started

The editor uses the same interface that is used in FreeBodyDrawer. The only difference is contained in the controls which appear under theFile menu selection. The following figure illustrates the editor side menu:

Use new project to start a brand new project file (see the note following this on file stucture)

Open project allows you to open an existing project file and import project allows you to combine existing projects.

 

Project Files and the Underlying File Stucture

It is essential that all FBD files be contained in a common folder (called projects in this example). Each project is a combination of a project file (created by the editor when you save the project) and an image file. It is important that the image file have a specific name of the format:

  • project file: filename

  • project image file folder: filename_images
Notice, for example that project_1 is accompanied by the folder project_1_images. You can assign any valid name you wish to the project file but you must also store all images for that project in an appropriately named folder.
   

The HTML Parameters that call Your Projects

The HTML file which calls FreeBodyDrawer contains a parameter setting that names the projects that you wish to load. This may seem cumbersome but it allows the user to set up different instances of the applet that call only the projects you wish. A sample code snippet is shown below:

<PARAM NAME = "projects" VALUE ="project_1,project_2">

In this example only the projects named project_1 and project_2 would be loaded by the applet FreeBodyDrawer. Note carefully how you change the HTML file. Every instance of the project parameter must be changed to reflect the projects you wish to load. Since this applet uses the Sun plugin, there are 4 different locations in the file that need to be changed. It is recommended that you make a back up of the file before editing it and inspec the file carefully before hand so that you see where the project params are called.