TAI CHI 3D

Overview

Tai Chi 3D is software that helps you learn Tai Chi. It describes each move of the Beijing 24 Step Simplified Taijiquan. The entire form is presented in two ways. Firstly, as a set of helpful notes that you can access just like a web site with the built-in web browser. And secondly as a series of fully three dimensional moving animations that you can view from any angle. You can select and play a single movement or the whole form, using controls that are similar to a video or CD player. Selecting a move automatically brings up the relevant notes about that move, and plays back the movement in real time, from any angle.

While there is no substitute for instruction by a qualified teacher, many students find instructional books and videos helpful in remembering and practicing the form that they learn at class. Text, pictures, and video are all helpful in recalling the correct form, but often the nature of these media can limit their effectiveness. Text is a good way of conveying concepts, but can't show a body position as effectively as a picture. Pictures can't easily show the subtleties of movement. Video recordings can be difficult to navigate, and limit the number of camera views that are offered. Tai Chi 3D is a new and unique learning tool that combines the effectiveness of all these media while overcoming some of the limitations of books or videos.

Here's a list of some of the features:

• Covers the full Beijing 24 Step Simplified Taijiquan form.
• Integrates hypertext and 3-D animation for efficient and intuitive learning.
• Realistic moving model demonstrates all the moves.
• Built-in browser has links, navigation controls, and history of pages visited.
• Easily select any move by choosing from a list.
• Play a single move or play the whole form.
• Camera can be turned, tilted, and zoomed to show the movement from various angles.
• Playback speed can be adjusted to speed up or slow down the movements.
• Registration entitles you to all future versions at no extra cost.

System Requirements

The minimum computer requirements for running this program are:

• Pentium® class processor
• 32MB system memory
• Video system that supports OpenGL®
• Windows® 98 / ME / 2000 / XP / NT4.0 / Vista
• Internet Explorer version 4 or later

Most modern home or office PCs meet these requirements. If your system has more memory, a fast processor, or a 3D accelerator, you may notice enhanced performance such as smoother animation and faster page loading. For best results set your desktop resolution to 800 x 600 or higher.

How To …

Here are some essential concepts:

• When the ALL button is depressed (menu item has a check mark), all movements will be played. Otherwise playback stops at the end of the current movement.
• Once the Play button is pressed every new movement selected will play back immediately. Once the Stop button is pressed, every new movement will be shown ready in the start position. Press Play to start the playback.
• Most menu items have an equivalent Tool Bar button. The Tool Bar is quick and easy to use, so we suggest spending a little time locating the buttons for often used commands.

How to:

• Play a specific movement. Select the movement from the drop-down list in the Tool Bar. The Info window automatically shows information about that movement.
• Play the next movement in the form. Press the Next button on the Tool Bar (or choose Next from the Play menu).
• Replay a movement. Press the Replay button. The model is positioned at the beginning of the current movement, and plays the move.
• Play through the entire form. Press the All button. If you need to rewind to the beginning of the form, press the First button.
• See the movement from another direction. Use the buttons to rotate, tilt, or zoom the camera (or use the equivalent Model menu commands).
• Slow down or speed up playback. In the View Menu, select Options. The Options Dialog allows you to set the playback speed by moving a slider.
• Show information about the current movement . Press F2. Also, information about a movement is automatically shown whenever the move is selected.
• See more text in the Info window. Drag the Splitter bar (vertical separator between Info and Model windows) to reveal more of the Info window.
• Go back to a page you were just looking at. Press the Back button on the Tool Bar (or select Back from the Info Menu).

Troubleshooting

This section explains error messages you might see:

• An error occurred creating the OpenGL window. This means OpenGL® is not properly installed on your system. You might have a very old computer, or an out-of-date video card driver. Try updating your video card driver.
• An error occurred loading the model data. One or more essential files were not found. They might have been accidentally deleted. Try installing this program again.

Reference

Interface

You interact with the program by clicking on various window controls and viewing the results in the two window panes. These are the main interface groups:

• Standard window elements. The outer border and title bar (common to most programs) allow you to resize the window, exit the program, etc.
• Menu bar. Situated below the window title, the drop-down menus allow you to perform actions. See below for a description of each menu.
• Tool bar. Below the menu bar, these buttons allow quick access to many actions that are also available in the menus. Notice how the buttons are grouped in the same order as the menus, making it easy to find a button. When using the program you can see a description of a button if you hover the mouse pointer over it for a second. The whole tool bar can be detached and placed anywhere by dragging the leftmost tab.
• Info Window . The leftmost main window pane displays text and pictures, and operates much like a web browser. The Info and Help menus relate to this window. If a page contains more text than the window can display at once, a scroll bar appears to the right of the Info Window.
• Model Window. The rightmost main window pane displays a moving model of a person performing Tai Chi movements. The Play and Model menus relate to this window.
• Window Splitter. The Info and Model windows are separated by a vertical bar. Drag this bar to the left or right to resize the two panes.
• Status Bar. The bar at the bottom displays messages such as program status, button and menu descriptions, etc.

Menus

File	Reset	Reset options and settings to default values.
	Exit	Quit the application.
View	Toolbar	Show or hide the toolbar.
	Status Bar	Show or hide the status bar.
	Options...	Adjust options and settings.
Info	Back	Move back a page.
	Forward	Move forward a page.
	Home	Show the start page.
Play	Play / Pause	Switch between playing and pausing the movement.
	Play	Play the movement.
	Pause	Pause the movement.
	Stop	Stop the movement.
	Replay	Replay the movement.
	Previous	Show the previous movement.
	Next	Show the next movement.
	First	Show the first movement.
	Last	Show the last movement.
	All Movements	Play through all movements.
	Repeat	Repeat the range of movements.
Model	Turn Left	Turn the model to the left.
	Turn Right	Turn the model to the right.
	Tilt Up	Tilt the model up.
	Tilt Down	Tilt the model down.
	Zoom In	Zoom in to the model.
	Zoom Out	Zoom out from the model.
	Split Screen	Split the screen into front and back views.
	Mirror	Show the mirror view of the model.
Help	Index...	Display the help index.
	Current Movement	Display help about the current movement.
	About Tai Chi 3D...	Display program information, version number and copyright.

Keys

Backspace	Go back a page
Ctrl+F	Next movement
Ctrl+B	Previous movement
Ctrl+R	Replay movement
Ctrl+S	Stop playback
Ctrl+P	Play / pause
SPACE	Play / pause
F1	Help index
F2	Info on current movement

Options

The Options dialog box (accessible from the View menu) lets you change the way the program looks and works. Your changes are applied when you click the OK button. Clicking the Cancel button discards your changes. Click on the Reset button to reset all preferences to the original (installed) settings.

• Animation Speed : Drag the slider to change the animation playback speed. Left is slower, right is faster.
• Background Color: Click on the colored button to select a different background color for the model. Use the color selection dialog to choose a new color.
• Floor Color: As above, but applies to the model's floor color.
• Grid Color: As above, but applies to the model's floor grid color.
• Text Color: As above, but applies to the model's text color.
• Turn Increment: Type a different number in the box to fine-tune the number of degrees the camera turns each time you issue a Turn command.
• Tilt Increment: As above, but applies to the camera Tilt command.
• Zoom Increment: As above, but applies to the camera Zoom command.

Preferences

Many user preferences are automatically remembered and will be applied each time you run the program. These include:

• Window settings such as size and position, and the position of the splitter bar.
• All the Options Dialog settings.
• Camera settings such as turn and tilt angles, and zoom distance.

Error Messages

The program will display a message box if it encounters an error. Serious errors result in the program automatically shutting down. If you see an error message, please read the troubleshooting section for help correcting the problem.

Credits

• Tai Chi 3D Copyright © 2004 ODC Software. All Rights Reserved.
• Microsoft and Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.
• Intel and Pentium are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries.
• Silicon Graphics and OpenGL are registered trademarks of Silicon Graphics, Inc., in the United States and/or other countries worldwide.
• All other trademarks, service marks and trade names are the property of their respective owners.

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