A Quick GalaxyMaker Tutorial
When you start GalaxyMaker, there will be a simple set of 3D axes (x,y,z) displayed in the center of the window. To rotate, hold the Alt key and press the left mouse button. To pan, use the right mouse button (the Alt key is not necessary).
GalaxyMaker has 4 main modes for manipulating stars, all specified with the mouse and keyboard:
Add Stars
Stars are placed in configurations called 'brushes,' whose shape you can
select in the Brushes menu. If you left-click in the GalaxyMaker window, stars will be added at the cursor position. If you click and drag, stars will be placed
continuously, like a spray can. You can adjust the size and density of
brushes using the Edit -> Preferences menu. Currently, all brushes have the same orientation. While velocity selection is relative to the view angle, brush shapes
are always oriented with respect to the standard x-y plane.
Select Stars
You can select stars using a graphical selection 'sphere.' To activate this mode, hold the 'S' key and drag with the left mouse button. Stars which lie within the
sphere you specify will be selected.
Velocity Manipulation
To change star cluster translational velocities, you must first have some stars selected, which are shown in red. First hold down the 'V' key (for velocity), and left-click + drag. You should see a line connecting the center of the selected star cluster to the cursor and a number. The line indicates the direction and magnitude of the star chosen velocity, and the number relays the scalar magnitude of the chosen velocity.
Rotational Velocity
To change the uniform rotational velocity of a selected star cluster, hold the 'R' key and left click + drag. You should see a spiral in the direction that the cluster
will rotate. NOTE: rotation is set to be in the view plane (i.e. the plane of rotation is always parallel with the screen).
It is important to note that all velocities are additive; when you choose a new velocity using either the translate or rotate modes, the new velocity is simply
added to the current star velocity. This allows you to make translating star clusters rotate.
Please report bugs to ahill@shodor.org.