Using the VirtualFriend™ 2.0 Interface
This document describes the VirtualFriend 2.0 software interface
and brief instructions on using the program features. Users of this document
have VirtualFriend 2.0 downloaded, successfully installed, licensed, and
have a beginning to intermediate level familiarity with the software. For
instructions on how to install VirtualFriend, open the program, and enter
a license code, please use the Getting
Started document.
If you are printing this document, set your printer to landscape mode.
For a compressed, offline version of this document, click here.
This document is divided into sections for easy reference; the topics
appear in the tables below.
Introduction
You can open VirtualFriend in one of seven demos. These entertaining demos
are preprogrammed scripts (also called Email Movies) that demonstrate how
the software works. Roswell, the alien, teaches you how to change character
shapes, skins, and position. Felton and Bismark, two articulate gorillas,
show you how to create an Email Movie of your own. Howie Doit, our stoic,
responsible, and hard working character, demonstrates a corporate image
of VirtualFriend. Our resident guru, Baba Dim Sun, counsels us on matters
of great spiritual importance, etc. The best way to get acquainted with
VirtualFriend is by watching and interacting with the demos.
VirtualFriend is an intuitive and easy to use interface with character
option buttons (Button Sets) displayed around the edges of the interface
window. The character option buttons contain pictures of what the corresponding
command represents. There are morph buttons that cause the character to
change shape, speech clips buttons that make the character say various
phrases or sing, and texture buttons to change the character's skin. For
example, when clicked, the Shut Up! button (located in the lower
left of the interface window) stops the character from speaking the current
script (except for the funny Wisdom messages
that the program randomly plays).
VirtualFriend uses text-to-speech technology, which means it takes any
textual input and thus performs the input. You can type words or phrases
into the text type-in field (located at the bottom of the interface window),
and the character will speak and perform whatever text you entered.
The
VirtualFriend Interface
Characters visible
in the center of the window
 |
The default Button Set
is visible around the edge of
the Interface window
|
|
Text type-in field
at the bottom
|
|
Back To Top
Default
Buttons and Fields
In VirtualFriend, five default buttons are displayed around the interface
window at all times (unless the Hide Buttons
option has been activated). The five default buttons are: the Exclamation
Mark button, the Wisdom button, the Shut Up! button,
the Home button,
and the
WWW button.
Clicking the Exclamation Mark button (in the upper left corner of
the interface window) opens the VirtualFriend Control
Panels. The current control panel appears on the right side of the
character window. The five control panels are stacked and you can scroll
through them by continuing to click the Exclamation Mark button or by using
the arrows on the control panels themselves. |
 Clicking
the Wisdom button makes the current VirtualFriend character speak
a line of wisdom. Wisdom messages are short, usually funny, and often non
sensible sentences that the program randomly plays. If your VirtualFriend
character has been paused by the Shut Up! button, the program still
plays its random wisdom messages (unless the Seconds
Between Wisdom type-in field is set to zero). |
 Clicking
the
Shut Up! button stops the current character from speaking (except
for random wisdom messages). When clicked, the Shut Up! button changes
into a green arrow. To reactivate the character, click the green arrow
icon button, and the character resumes the script. |
 Clicking
the Home button returns the current character to the center of the
character window. This is useful for those times when in your experimenting,
you have accidentally moved the character out of the screen and it can't
be located with your mouse. |
 Clicking
the WWW button takes you to the World Wide Web. Depending on which
ISP you have, this spawns a window or a dialog box where you can connect
to the web and see online demos of VirtualFriend content. |
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The
VirtualFriend Command Window
and the Text Type-in
Field
The gray command window and the white text type-in field both display
textual aspects of the program, including text entered by the user and
character commands. These fields are located at the bottom center
of the interface window.
The command window scrolls through the current script's character commands
and sentences as the script plays. In addition, the command window shows
words and sentences entered into the text type-in field by the user.
The text type-in field field is where you enter text for the
character to speak. First, pause the script with the Shut Up! button,
and type in words or whole sentences. Hit
Enter on your keyboard,
and the character will speak whatever text you typed. Your text then scrolls
through the command window and the text type-in field empties. |
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Moving
The Character With Your Mouse
The VirtualFriend
software allows the user a high level of interactivity and control by making
it possible to move and rotate the character into any area or position
within the character window.
To MOVE a character
in a straight line, put your cursor over the character, hold down your
Right
mouse button, and slide the mouse around. This moves the character side
to side and forward and back.
To ROTATE the
character, put your cursor over the character, hold down your
Left
mouse button, and slide the mouse side to side. This rotates the character
around.
Note:
To gain even greater mouse control over the character, hold your Shift
key down while using either the left or right mouse buttons. This moves
the character in any direction.
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The File Menu
The VirtualFriend File menu contains options for opening, saving, and
playing various files in the program. The File menu functions are also
available in the VirtualFriend Control Panels.
To access the File menu, open VirtualFriend and start
one of the demos; the menu is visible at the top of the interface window.
File > License me
Selecting this opens the Licensing
Control Panel, which appears on the right side of the character window.
If you purchased a
VirtualFriend license, the nine digit code is entered
in the Licensing control panel to unlock additional program functionality.
File > About
Selecting this opens a window where you can read
the names of the VirtualFriend creators and scroll through the help files
inside
the program.
File > Open
Selecting this opens a file browser window where
you can select and open a .vfe file. (.vfe files are also referred
to as scripts or
Email Movies.) The opened .vfe script appears in
the
Script Control Panel, or the Big
Edit Window where you can work with
editing features.
File > Save
Selecting this saves the current .vfe script.
File > Save As
Selecting this opens a file browser window where
you can save the current .vfe file with another name.
File > Play
Selecting this restarts either the current VirtualFriend
script (with which you opened the program) or a selected .vfe file and
plays
it from the beginning of the script.
File > Shut Up
Selecting this stops the current character from
speaking (except for random Wisdom messages).
This function is the same as clicking
the Shut Up! button in the lower left of
the interface window. Whenever the software is paused, the Shut Up!
button changes into a
green arrow. To reactivate the character, click
the green arrow icon button, and the character resumes the script.
File > Exit
Selecting this makes the current VirtualFriend character
beg you not exit the program. The character says a different funny phrase
each time you try exiting from the file menu. Selecting
File
> Exit from the menu bar five times in a row causes the program to
finally close. To exit the program quickly, click
the
X in the upper right corner of the interface window.
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The Button
Sets Menu
VirtualFriend contains seven categories of options called
Button Sets
used for controlling character appearance and behavior. The Button Sets
categories are: Textures, Speech Clips, Backgrounds,
Shapes,
Emotions,
Combinations,
and Talk. All Button Set buttons have a picture of what the command
represents. VirtualFriend Button Sets can be customized. For instructions,
see
Customizing Button Sets.
To
access the Button Sets menu, open VirtualFriend and
start one of the demos; the menu is visible at the top of the interface
window.
Button Sets > Show
Selecting this shows the current Button Set around
the interface window.
Button Sets > Hide
Selecting this hides the current Button Set in the
interface window.
Button Sets > Backgrounds
Selecting this displays the backgrounds Button Set
around the interface window. All but nine background choices are displayed.
To access all the backgrounds, use the Control
Panels. You can use your own backgrounds in VirtualFriend too. For
instructions,
see Using
Your Own Backgrounds.
Button Sets > CDPlayer
Selecting this displays the
CDPlayer controls, as VirtualFriend can play music from your computer's
CD Drive.
Button Sets > Combos
Selecting this displays a combination Buttons Set
of shapes and skins.
Button Sets > Original
Selecting this displays the default Button Set.
The default Button Set contains various choices from the character option
categories.
The character option categories are: Textures, Speech
Clips, Backgrounds, Shapes, Emotions, Combinations, and Talk.
Button Sets > Shapes
Selecting this displays thirty shapes that use the
default Roswell texture. Note: All textures and shapes can be combined.
The
program contains about seventy shapes total. To
access all the shapes, use the Control Panels.
Button Sets > Shapes 2
Selecting this displays thirty shapes that use the
default Roswell texture.
Note: All textures and shapes can be combined.
The
program contains about seventy shapes total. To
access all the shapes, use the Control Panels.
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Customizing Button
Sets
You can save Button Sets of your favorite
VirtualFriend textures, shapes, and characters. To access the Customize
control panel, open VirtualFriend and start one of the demos. In
the upper left corner of the interface window, click the
Exclamation
Mark button. Keep clicking the Exclamation Mark button until
the
Customize Control Panel appears.
1. In the VF interface window, click once on a
button you want to redefine.
Note: The character will perform the command for the button that
you clicked, i.e.. change texture, shape, or speak.
2. In the Customize control panel, select
the character option (you want to change the button to) from one of the
eight pull-down menus.
For
example, in the Backgrounds
pull down menu, select Circuit City
512. The button you first clicked on becomes the
Circuit
City 512 background, and a picture of the background appears in the ClipArt
Button Customizing section of the
Customize
control panel.
Repeat the above steps to customize other buttons
around the interface window. Then to save your custom Button Set, do the
following:
1. In the Customize control panel, click
the Presets button.
A
dialog box appears (as shown below).
2. In the dialog box, type a name for your Button
Set.
The
default name is "Working". You can leave that name there or enter one of
your own.
3. Click Save!
 |
Removing
Your Custom Button Sets
To remove your custom Button Sets, do the following:
1. In the
Customize
control panel, click the
Presets button.
A dialog box appears (as shown above).
2.
In the dialog box, click the Clear List Button.
A dialog box appears, which says, "Really Reset the List of Presets?"
3.
Click OK. Or click Cancel to cancel the request.
Note:
This procedure removes all your custom Button Sets and returns the Button
Sets list to the default settings.
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Using
Your Own Backgrounds
You can use your own backgrounds in
the character window, however, the files must be saved in powers of two
in both dimensions. For example, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256, 512, 1024,
etc. Using a picture that's 512 x 512 is good and also 256 x 26. Non square
images such as 512x128 might work; however, the picture is stretched to
exactly fit the window. Be sure to save your backgrounds as either .jpg
or .bmp format. You might want to save your backgrounds to the default
VirtualFriend Backgrounds folder. The default location is: C:\ProgramFiles\Haptek\VirtualFriend2.0\Data\
Backgrounds.
To load your own backgrounds into
VF, do the following:
1. Open the VF interface.
2. In the upper left corner of the
interface window, click on the Exclamation Mark button and keep
clicking until you see the
Customize
control panel.
3. In the General Options
section, click the Background button.
A file browser appears, and lets you enter the file name that you want
to import. Be sure to save your backgrounds as either
.jpg or .bmp format.
4. Double-click on the name of the
file you want, or click Open.
The character window then displays the new background.
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The Take
a Picture Menu
The Take a Picture menu allows you to snap a picture of your VirtualFriend
character or the entire VirtualFriend window. To
access the camera, open VirtualFriend and start one of the demos; the menu
is visible at the top of the interface window.
 |
The Preview Your Picture! Thumbnail
The preview window shows how your picture looks. The image shown is
not the actual size of the picture.
The Shutter Button
Click the blue shutter button to take the picture.
The Just My Friend Check Box
Clicking this means the camera will photograph only the character in
it's background window. Deselecting this means the camera photographs the
character window and the entire VirtualFriend interface surrounding it.
The Save Your Picture Button
Clicking this opens a file browser window where you can name and save
your picture.
The Forget It! Button
Clicking this closes the Take a Picture camera.
The ? Button
Clicking this opens a help file. Note: The help file for the
camera is not activated.
The I'm Done Button
Clicking this closes the Take a Picture camera. |
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The Control Panels
VirtualFriend contains five control panels where you can access all of
the program controls and features. The control panels are: Authoring,
Customize,
Chat
& Misc, Script, and Licensing. To access the control
panels, open VirtualFriend and start one of the demos; in the upper left
of the interface window, click the Exclamation Mark
button. You
can scroll through the control panels by continuing to click the Exclamation
Mark button or by using the Next button in the control panels themselves.
The Authoring Control
Panel
 |
The X Button
Clicking this closes the control panels.
The ? Button
Clicking this opens a help file for the Authoring control panel.
The Prev Button
Clicking this takes you back to the previous control panel.
The Next Button
Clicking this advances you to the next control panel.
The Big Edit Window Button
Clicking this opens the Big Edit Window where you can create your own
scripts, or see the commands for the current script that you opened the
program with. For instructions on using the Big Edit Window, see the Email
Movie document. For general information on the Big Edit Window, click
Here.
The Button Builder Button
This feature is not activated.
The Export to .wavButton
This feature is not activated.
The Make .htaccessButton
Clicking this opens a file browser window where
you can create an .htaccess file. For more information on .htaccess files,
see the VF2
Web Authoring document. |
The Authoring Control
Panel Continued
The Current URL Prefix Section
The features in this section are not activated.
The Voice Tune Section
Here you can alter the tone and pitch of the character's voice to experiment
with them or use the voice changes in a script.
The Pitch Slider Bar
This allows you to control the pitch of the character's voice. Sliding
the Pitch bar to the right, raises the voice to a higher pitch. Sliding
the Pitch bar to the left, lowers the pitch. You can test the changes in
pitch by clicking the Test button located below and to the right
of the sliders. Clicking the R button located to the right
of the Pitch slider bar, returns the voice pitch to the program default.
The Speed Slider Bar
This allows you to change the speed of the character's voice. Sliding
the Speed bar to the right, speeds up the voice. Sliding the Speed bar
to the left, slows the voice down. You can test the changes in speed by
clicking the Test button located below and to the right of the sliders.
Clicking the R button located to the right of the Speed slider
bar, returns the voice speed to the program default.
The Test Button
Clicking this cause the character to say whatever text is in the Voice
Tune Test type-in field and allows you to test the character
voice parameters you have specified with the pitch and speed sliders. Type
your own text into the type-in field or just hit the Test
button
to hear the character speak the default sentence, which is Hi There!
The Insert the Command! Button
Use this button to insert the specified voice commands into a .vfe
script. Note: You must have the Big Edit Window open and have
clicked the cursor in the script where you want the commands to go. For
instructions on entering commands into a script and using the Big Edit
Window, see the Email
Movie document.
The Handy Timer Section
Here you can time both the length of your script
or sentences in your script, in seconds. You can reset the timer or have
it reset automatically. Choose the event that resets the Handy Timer from
the Reset at Every: scrolling menu (described below).
The Reset at every: Scrolling Menu
Here you can set the timer to reset whenever
a specific event occurs, as described below.
Nothing- Selecting this means the timer
never resets.
Sentence- Selecting this means the timer
resets itself at every sentence in the script.
Position- Selecting this means the timer
resets itself when a key frame is reached in a script.
Script- Selecting this means the timer
will time the entire script and reset itself at the very end.
Play- Selecting this means the timer resets
itself when the script is played.
The Snapshot every: Scrolling Menu
Here you can set the timer to take a snapshot
of itself when one of several events occurs (described below). Select
the event in the same way as for the Reset functions, but notice that you
can also select "same", which means the snapshot will occur whenever the
timer reset occurs. For example, if you want to know how long a particular
sentence in your script takes, set the timer to reset every sentence
and set snapshot to same. Then play your script. The snapshot window
will show the length in seconds of each sentence.
Nothing- Selecting this means the timer
does not take a snapshot of itself.
Sentence- Selecting this means the timer
takes a snapshot of itself at every sentence in the script.
Position- Selecting this means the timer
takes a snapshot of itself when a key frame is reached in a script.
Script- Selecting this means the timer
takes a snapshot of itself at the end of the script.
Play- Selecting this means the timer
takes a snapshot of itself when the script is played.
(same)- Selecting this means the timer
takes a snapshot of itself whenever a reset occurs.
The Reset Button
Clicking this resets the timer to zero.
The Go Button
Clicking this starts the timer. You'll see the seconds ticking off
in the timer window.
The Stop Button
Clicking this stops the timer. |
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The
Big Edit Window
The Big Edit Window is located in the Authoring control
panel and is used to create, open, and edit Email Movies (also referred
to as scripts
or .vfe files). When opened, the Big Edit Window
displays the sentences and character commands for the current VirtualFriend
demo or selected .vfe file. For instructions on using the Big Edit Window,
see the Email
Movie document.
The Big Edit Window
 |
The Load Button
Clicking this opens a file browser window where you can select and
open a .vfe file to then edit it in the Big Edit Window.
The Save Button
Clicking this saves the current .vfe script.
The Save As Button
Clicking this opens a file browser window where you can save the current
.vfe script with another name.
The Insert Mark Button
Clicking this inserts a Mark (or Key Frame) where specified, into your
current script. Key Frames are the locations programmed into your script
that tell your character where to move as it is performing the script.
Key Frames allow you to create a sequence of fluid character movements
that make your Email Movie appear animated.
See the Key
Frame document for instructions.
The Walk Thru Marks Button
Click this to see your character walk through the Marks (or Key Frames)
you have inserted into your script. See the Key
Frame document for instructions.
The Phonemize Button
The phonemize feature converts selected text
into raw phoneme codes that allow you to manipulate how VirtualFriend pronounces
various words. For example, the word Excellent is phonemized like
so: [ehKsELaxNtIX_] . To
phonemize words, you must first select the text that you want to convert
to phonemes, and in the Big Edit Window, click the
Phonemize
button. The software converts the text into code.
The Email Button
Clicking this opens the Email Building window. Note: Sending
email movies from within the program is not activated. Email Movies are
sent as attachments through a regular email application. See the Email
Movie document for instructions.
The ? Button
Clicking this opens a help menu for the Big Edit Window.
The Get Script Button
Clicking this copies the current script into the Big Edit Window.
The Put Script Button
Clicking this copies the contents of the Big Edit Window into the current
script.
The Play Button
Clicking this plays the currently loaded script from the beginning.
The Play From Cursor Button
Clicking this plays the script from a point specified in the script
by the user.
The Stop Button
Clicking this stops the character from performing the currently loaded
script.
The Sync Button
Clicking this keeps the Big Edit Window synchronized
with the current script. This enables you to follow along with complex
scripts, such as the Monkey See Monkey Do demo, that jump from script
file to script file. |
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The
Customize Control Panel
 |
The X Button
Clicking this closes the control panels.
The ? Button
Clicking this opens a help file.
The Prev Button
Clicking this takes you back to the previous control panel.
The Next Button
Clicking this advances you to the next control panel.
The General Options Section
Here you can set general options for your character
as described below.
The Your Name Field
Enter a name into the Your Name type-in
field and VirtualFriend will say it at the beginning of its scripts instead
of saying the default, "Greetings, my friend". For example, VirtualFriend
will say "Greetings, Bob" or "Greetings Carol".
The Seconds Between Wisdom Field
Here you can enter the amount of seconds between wisdom messages. Wisdom
messages are short, usually funny, and often non sensible sentences that
the program randomly plays once a demo has been paused. For example, entering
60
into the Seconds Between Wisdom type-in field means the character
will speak a wisdom message every sixty seconds. To stop the wisdom messages
entirely, enter the number zero in the Seconds Between Wisdom type-in
field.
|
The Customize Control
Panel Continued
The Show Commands Button
Clicking this shows the commands for the character
options selected by the user (Shapes, Skins, Combos, Things to Say, Emotions,
and Backgrounds) in the ClipArt Button Customizing portion of the control
panel and in the command window at the bottom of the interface. This is
a great way to learn how to use VirtualFriend commands in your own scripts.
The Background Button
Clicking this opens a file browser window where
you can import your own backgrounds.
See Using
Your Own Backgrounds for instructions.
The ClipArt Button Customizing Section
Here you can customize your own Button
Sets, view character commands, and access all of the character options,
as described below.
The ClipArt Button Customizing Thumbnail
This thumbnail shows a preview of a selected character option and allows
you to customize your Button Sets.
The Presets Button
Clicking this opens a dialog box where you can save your own customized
Button Sets. For more information, see
Customizing Button Sets.
The Show Buttons Button
Clicking this displays the character options buttons around the interface
window. Deselecting this hides the character options buttons.
The Shapes Scrolling Menu
Here you can select shapes for your character. Scroll down and select
a shape. A picture of it appears in the ClipArt Button Customizing thumbnail.
To make your character adopt the new shape, click the ClipArt Button Customizing
thumbnail.
The Skins Scrolling Menu
Here you can select skins for your character. Scroll down and select
a skin. A picture of it appears in the ClipArt Button Customizing thumbnail.
To make your character adopt the new skin, click the ClipArt Button Customizing
thumbnail. Please see our Textures
page for thumbnail representations of all the VirtualFriend 2 textures.
The Combos Scrolling Menu
Here you can select combinations of skins and shapes for your character.
Scroll down and select a combination. A picture of it appears in the ClipArt
Button Customizing thumbnail. To make your character adopt the new
combination, click the ClipArt Button Customizing thumbnail.
The Things To Say Scrolling Menu
Here you can select speech clips for your character to say. Scroll
down and select a speech clip. A picture of it appears in the ClipArt
Button Customizing thumbnail. To make your character say the speech
clip, click the ClipArt Button Customizing thumbnail.
The Emotions Scrolling Menu
Here you can select emotions for your character. Scroll down and select
an emotion. A picture of it appears in the ClipArt Button Customizing
thumbnail. To make your character adopt the new emotion, click the ClipArt
Button Customizing thumbnail.
The Backgrounds Scrolling Menu
Here you can select backgrounds to go behind your character. Scroll
down and select a background. A picture of it appears in the ClipArt
Button Customizing thumbnail. To make your window adopt the new background,
click the ClipArt Button Customizing thumbnail.
The Scripts Scrolling Menu
Here you can select between three preprogrammed scripts:
Visit Baba,
Visit
Howie, or Visit Roswell.
The Miscellaneous Scrolling Menu
Here you can select from several menu options
found elsewhere in the program. |
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The Chat & Misc
Control Panel
 |
The X Button
Clicking this closes the control panels.
The ? Button
Clicking this opens a help file.
The Prev Button
Clicking this takes you back to the previous control panel.
The Next Button
Clicking this advances you to the next control panel.
The Send Email! Button
Sending Email Movies from within the program is not activated. Email
Movies are sent as attachments through a regular email application. See
the
Email
Movie document for instructions.
The Chat Section
Chatting with VF2 is not activated. However, the Haptek team has created
a chat room using our free 1MB browser plugin, VF3. Download and install
VirtualFriend
3, and head on into the Chat Room.
Have fun! For help with VF3 Chatting, please visit http://chat.haptek.com/help_main.html.
The Miscellaneous Section
Here you can load and create grammar files for your VirtualFriend characters,
and use the CD controls.
The Load Grammar Button
Clicking this opens a file browser window where you can load various
grammar files for your character to perform as wisdom. |
The Chat & Misc
Control Panel Continued
The Grammar Builder Button
Clicking this opens the Grammar Builder window where you can create
your own wisdom and program exit files for VirtualFriend. Instructions
for using the Grammar Builder are Here.
The Hide Banners Check Box
This feature is not activated, as VirtualFriend
contains no banners.
The Stop Playing CD On Exit Check Box
VirtualFriend can play music from your computer's
CD Drive. To use the CD controls, select the
CDPlayer Button
Set. The CDPlayer Button Set buttons appear around the interface
window and include Play, Pause, Stop, Resume, Eject, Skip Forward, and
Skip Back. The Stop Playing CD On Exit check box toggles whether
or not the music will automatically stop when VirtualFriend quits.
The Do Not Predisplay Images (Text)
Check Box
Selecting this turns off a feature that VirtualFriend
uses to speed up the loading of certain textures. Unless you are
having a problem with textures, you might want to leave this checked.
The Do Not Store Textures (Text) Check
Box
Selecting this tells VirtualFriend not to remember
textures after they are loaded. If this box is unchecked, VirtualFriend
will save textures once after you load them. This speeds up the software
performance when changing textures. Unless you are experiencing graphical
problems, you'll get the best results by leaving this setting on (or checked).
The Do Not Restore On Resize (Text)
Check Box
This check box tells VirtualFriend not to refresh
the textures that it has remembered when you change the size of your window.
This may cause a slight pause on loading those textures. However, if this
is not checked, it will cause a longer pause immediately after resizing
and when VirtualFriend is first started. The benefit is that when you change
textures, it will be faster. Unless you are experiencing graphical problems,
you'll get the best results by leaving this setting on (or checked). |
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The Grammar Builder
The Grammar Builder is located in the
Chat & Misc control panel and is used to create personalized Wisdom
or program Exit files for VirtualFriend. To access the Grammar Builder
window, open VirtualFriend and start one of the demos. In the upper
left corner of the interface window, click the Exclamation
Mark button. Keep clicking the Exclamation Mark button until
the
Chat & Misc Control Panel appears.
In the Chat & Misc control panel, click the Grammar Builder
button.
The Grammar Builder
Window
 |
The Add Grammar Button
Clicking this opens a dialog box where you can type in a name for your
new grammar set. Use the word Wisdom or Exit,
in the name of your set, as these indicate to the program when the new
grammar will be used. For example, a name containing the word Wisdom
means your new grammar is spoken by the character as Wisdom, and a name
containing the word Exit means your new grammar is spoken
by the character when exiting the program.
The Add Word List Button
Clicking this opens a dialog box where you can name the word lists
that you'll be creating grammar for. You can name a word list anything
you want. Some examples from the program are: Intro,
Who, Adjectives, Verbs, Nouns, Plural Nouns, Linkers, Pre Verbs, Terminators,
Pre Adjectives, etc.
The Add Word Button
Clicking this opens a dialog box where you can add words and phrases
to the various word lists. For example, if you are working on creating
a Word List of adjectives, you'll then input the adjectives you
want to use into the Add Word dialog box. Be sure to save your grammar
file as you work on it, to avoid lost data. |
The Grammar Builder
Window Continued
The Delete Button
Use this to delete grammar sets, word lists, or words.
The Generate Toggle Button
Generate 1- infinity. The Generate toggle button
is used to test your new grammar. When you click the generate button once,
a single sentence is generated and displayed in the text box at the bottom
of the Grammar Builder window. To generate many sentences quickly, use
the arrow buttons to determine the number of sentences you want produced.
The Mask Field
This field isolates types of grammar that you
might want to test, as multiple sets of grammars often exist in a single
file. For example, the default Roswell grammar file contains two different
sets of grammar for wisdom, one set of grammar for exiting the software,
and one set of grammar for licensing the software. If, for example, you
want to test only the wisdom grammar sets, enter the word Wisdom
into the Mask field. Then only wisdom grammar sets are accessed and played.
The Save Button
Clicking this opens a file browser window
where you can name and save your new grammar or wisdom set. The screen
shot above shows a grammar set named Wacky Wisdom.
The Load Button
Clicking this opens a file browser window where
you can choose a wisdom file and load it into the Grammar Builder window
to work on it. Caution! When creating a new grammar set, be sure
to save it before clicking the Load button or your data will be lost.
The ? Button
Clicking this opens a small help file for the
Grammar Builder. |
Creating
a New Grammar File
The Grammar Builder is used to create
personalized Wisdom or program Exit files for the VirtualFriend character
to speak. To create new grammar, do the following:
1. In the Chat & Misc control panel, click
the Grammar Builder button.
The Grammar Builder window
appears.
2. In the Grammar Builder window, click once
on the Add Grammar button.
A type-in dialog box appears.
3. In the type-in dialog box, enter a name for your
new grammar set. Note: You can name your grammar set anything you
like;
however, you'll get the
best results by using the word Wisdom or Exit
in the name, so they are easily identified later when you load
the
files for use. For example, a name containing the word Wisdom means
your new grammar is spoken by the character as
wisdom
grammar, and a name containing the word Exit means your new
grammar is spoken by the character when exiting the
program.
The above graphic shows a grammar set named
Wacky Wisdom.
4. Hit the Enter key on your keyboard.
The
name appears in the Grammar Builder window.
To create a name for your Word List, do the
following:
1. In the Grammar Builder
window, click the Add Word List button.
A
type-in dialog box appears.
2. In the type-in dialog box,
enter a name for the Word List that you'll be creating.
Note:
You can name your word list anything you like; however, you'll
get better results using a name like Adjectives or Nouns
for
your
word list name. To see all the grammar categories recognized by VirtualFriend,
open one of the wisdom text files in the
default VirtualFriend directory.
The default location is: C:\ProgramFiles\Haptek\VirtualFriend2.0\Data\Mine\Grammars.
3. On your keyboard, click Enter.
The name appears in the
Grammar Builder window.
To create your Word List, do the following:
1. In the Grammar Builder window, click the Add
Word button.
A
type-in dialog box appears.
2. In the type-in dialog box,
enter a word that fits the type of list you are creating. For example,
the above graphic shows that the
Word
List is an adjective group, and all the words entered into the list are
adjectives.
3. On your keyboard, click
Enter.
The
word appears in the list.
Repeat the three steps above
until you have all the adjectives you want added to the list. After saving
your grammar set, create other sets like
Nouns, Verbs, Plural Nouns,
etc.
To Save your Grammar Set, do the following:
1. In the Grammar Builder window,
click the Save button.
A
browser window appears where you can name and save your file. Be sure to
save it as a text file with the extension .txt.
For
example, the Grammar Set depicted in the above graphic was named and saved
as such: WackyWisdom.txt.
2. In the browser window,
click Save. Note: For best results, save the file to the same directory
as the program default wisdom files.
The
default location is: C:\ProgramFiles\Haptek\VirtualFriend2.0\Data\Mine\Grammars.
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The Script Control
Panel
 |
The X Button
Clicking this closes the control panels.
The ? Button
Clicking this opens a help file.
The Prev Button
Clicking this takes you back to the previous control panel.
The Next Button
Clicking this advances you to the next control panel.
The Load Button
Clicking this opens a file browser window where you can select and
open a .vfe script to edit in the Script control panel. Note: Be
sure to save a new Grammar file before you click Load or your data will
be lost.
The Save Button
Clicking this saves any changes you made to the current script.
The Save As Button
Clicking this allows you to save the current script by another name.
The Font Button
Clicking this opens a Font option window where
you can chose the font for the script that appears in the Current Script
window. You can choose the font type, style, and size, and you can view
a sample of what the font choices look like. |
The Script Control
Panel Continued
The Phonemize Button
The phonemize feature converts selected text
into raw phoneme codes that allow you to manipulate how VirtualFriend pronounces
various words. For example, the word Excellent is phonemized like
so: [ehKsELaxNtIX_] . To
phonemize words, you must first select the text in the Script Window that
you want to convert to phonemes, and then in the Script Control panel,
click the Phonemize button. The software then converts the text
into phonetic code.
The Insert Mark Button
Clicking this inserts a key frame into your current script. Key frames
are the locations programmed into your Email Movie that tell your character
where to move as it performs your script. Key frames allow you to create
a sequence of fluid character movements that make your Email Movie animated.
For more information on using key frames to create character movement,
see the Key
Frame document.
The Current Script Path
This shows the path to the current script.
The Current Script Scrolling Window
Here you can view the current script, and if it's allowed to play,
the script scrolls through this window. By default, this window displays
the demo script that you opened the program with. In the script window,
.vfe scripts are edited in the same manner as in the Big
Edit Window. |
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(This area left intentionally blank for print pagination.)
The Licensing Control
Panel
 |
The X Button
Clicking this closes the control panels.
The ? Button
Clicking this opens a help file.
The Prev Button
Clicking this takes you back to the previous control panel.
The Next Button
Clicking this advances you to the next control panel.
The System ID: Field
This field shows your nine digit system ID#.
The License Code Field
Enter your nine digit license code into this field to unlock software
functionality. For more information about licensing VirtualFriend, see
our FAQ
document.
The Apply Button
If your code is entered into the License Code field correctly, clicking
the Apply button opens a dialog box indicating that your code has
been accepted by the software. The added software functionality is simultaneously
unlocked.
The What Features Are Disabled? Field
This is a list of disabled features that can be enabled with licensing. |
(c) 2000 Haptek, Inc. All rights reserved. VirtualFriend
is a registered trademark of Haptek, Inc.
