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[[Category:Tutorials]]

==Selecting the Best User Interface (UI)==

The LinuxMCE on-screen Orbiter User Interface (UI) was designed to be viewed on a basic television from 10' away. There are currently three versions of the UI, and selection depends on the type of video card you have. See more [[screenshots]] of the different UIs.

The highest resolution user interface (UI2 with alpha blending) only works with nVidia cards in the 6xxx, 7xxx, or 8xxx series. Use [[Graphics Test]] to determine which UI your graphic card can support.

===UI1===
[[Image:Orbiter.jpg|thumb|500px|left|UI1 or Basic UI]]
 
This is the basic UI. If you can load Kubuntu, this UI will work with nearly all graphics hardware, and it requires no special drivers. There are few special effects enabled in this UI. The menus are full screen; when you start media your media also becomes full screen (replacing the menu screen).

If you need to do use the '''media menus''' while your media is playing, the media shrinks to a corner of the screen and the rest of the screen shows your media menu. If you need to return to the '''main menu''' to do something else (like adjust the lights), your media is hidden while the main menu appears is displayed.

===UI2 medium===

[[Image:MainMenuUI2M.jpg|thumb|500px|left|UI2 with medium settings (masking)]]
 

This is a lightweight, OpenGL-based version of the newest UI. This requires a video card that currently supports OpenGL and XDamage. This UI uses '''masks''' to overlay the media behind the menus.

===UI2 with alpha blending===

[[Image:MainMenuUI2B.jpg|thumb|500px|left|UI2 with alpha blending]]
 

In this UI, your media is first and foremost -- the media is always full-screen (it never shrinks and never disappears).

If you're not watching any media, LinuxMCE downloads photos from flickr.com, which are presented in the background (like a screensaver). When the main menu or media menu is displayed, it is blended into the background media image (which is known as alpha blending). This is true whether the screensaver images are being displayed or whether your media (like a video) is playing. This UI includes a 3D media browser, which shows the media files in your home on the sides of a rotating 3D cube.

Few video card manufacturers have the necessary composite extensions in their Linux drivers to support these capabilities, however. At the moment the graphics cards have been confirmed to support the functions of UI2 are the nVidia 6xxx and 7xxx and 8xxx series (with at least 128MB RAM).
'''Update 8/9/08''' 9000 series is also supported. Williammanda

===Controlling the LinuxMCE UI===
There are several ways to manipulate the UI. Here are some examples.

*[[Control LinuxMCE using an Infrared remote]]
*[[Control LinuxMCE with Gyro Remote]]
*Use the keyboard/mouse of a Media Director.

2008-06-23T18:26:40Z

Perspectoff: /* Running OrbiterGen (performing a "regen") */

It would be impractical and inefficient for the Orbiters, many of which have limited processing power, to repeatedly rebuild and re-render the User Interface (UI) graphics on the fly.

The User Interface images are all very high resolution. They need to be resized to accommodate the various sizes and resolutions of the different screens on different types of Orbiters.

Therefore, on the Core is a program called OrbiterGen that '''pre-renders''' the UI graphics as much as possible. Graphics and text are combined into single pre-rendered bitmaps and stored in a database on the Core. These pre-rendered images are sent directly to each different [[Orbiter]] whenever it starts, allowing immediate display of the User Interface on the Orbiter.

The only time you will need to use OrbiterGen is when you are manipulating the User Interface (or designing a new one). This occurs, for example, whenever you create or change scenarios. Adding a new scenario may result in the creation of new buttons for the User Interface, or may result in changes to the text on existing buttons. Perhaps an entirely new screen will be created.

OrbiterGen also must be run whenever the User Interface is customized using [[Designer]].

===Regen the Orbiter===
The Core maintains a list of the Orbiters used by your system in a database. It generates and stores a User Interface screen for each different type of Orbiter.

It will "regenerate" the User Interface screens each time you change the UI (by adding/changing scenarios or using Designer), or whenever you request a "regen". If you have five different types of Orbiters (each with a different type of screen), then five different images will be regenerated.

Until the User Interface images are regenerated, you won't be able to see the changes to your buttons (or screens). The "regeneration" process can take about 2-5 minutes to recreate the UI screens for all the different types of Orbiters, depending on the number of them.

The appropriate UI image is then sent from the Core to a particular Orbiter only when that Orbiter is activated.

You needn't do a regen each time you add or change a scenario, however. You can wait until you have finished adding or changing scenarios before you perform a regen.

While you are editing or adding scenarios (or using Designer), it is possible to regenerate a UI for the single Orbiter, however, (the one that you are using) by doing a "Quick regen". This allows you to view the new User Interface without having to do a full regen for every Orbiter type. This is much quicker and allows you to see your changes without waiting for a full regen.

Once you have finished adding and changing scenarios, you can do a full regen for all the Orbiters.

This regen process can be a bit annoying, but is necessary.

(In future editions of LinuxMCE, it is planned to allow Media Directors, which have a lot more processing power, to render their on-screen Orbiter User Interfaces on the fly (so you don't have to do a regen each time you add or remove a scenario)).

===Running OrbiterGen (performing a "regen")===
*The OrbiterGen program is invoked automatically each time you finish adding or changing a scenario or making changes using Designer.

*You can perform either a "full Orbiter regen" of a "Quick regen" at any time by using buttons located on the Core's [[Launch Manager]].

*For All Orbiters:

:*'''[[LinuxMCE Admin Website]]-->Wizard-->Devices-->[[Orbiter]]'''
:* There are two buttons on the top of the screen. Select either either '''Quick Regen All''' or '''Full Regen All''' for all Orbiters.

*For a single Orbiter:
:*'''[[LinuxMCE Admin Website]]-->Wizard-->Devices-->[[Orbiter]]'''
:*To regenerate a single orbiter, scroll down the page to the desired orbiter and select either '''Quick Regen''' or '''Full Regen'''

==Other==
The User's Manual explains the command line options. There is no Programmer's Guide for OrbiterGen.

[[Category:Orbiters]]
[[Category:Tutorials]]