Need a hand testing my screensaver... please?

[ppinter1]

I was referred here by a contributor on the opengl.org forums at http://www.opengl.org/discussion_boards/ubb/Forum5/HTML/000333.html

as a place where Mac OpenGL wizards hang out.

I need to ask for some help... my screensaver works perfectly here, but logs a 'System Preferences[561] can't get principalClass' error on the one other machine I've tested this on.

First, would someone please confirm they get the same error? Again, the screensaver and its 3DS mesh loader framework both work perfectly on my machine.

Second, would anyone have a clue as to the nature of the above error code?

Additional details are available via the discussion thread listed above.

Many thanks,
/p2

[OneSadCookie]

I followed your installation instructions, and it's working for me. I don't get anything printed in the Console log.

Don't use metal for the configuraton sheet -- it's not really appropriate for a sheet in the first place (they're supposed to be semitransparent), and it looks completely out of place in the system preferences. It could also be causing the screensaver to fail on 10.1 installations.

[ppinter1]

Hello again OSC!

It's working for you insofar as you're getting the 3DS meshes, animated starfield and all?

I admit I made a wild-ass guess last night and removed the principalClass entry of "Mesh3DS" from the Mesh3DS.framework project, leaving only the super-ordinate class called "SpaceTime" as boss.

Maybe that's all it was, but I'd be happier with a few more successful tests before breaking out the beers!

I dunno...

[OneSadCookie]

It's working for you insofar as you're getting the 3DS meshes, animated starfield and all?

Well I don't have a reference screenshot to go by, but it looks like it's working just fine to me... certainly I get some stars in the background, streaks in what looks like a cylinder, and a spaceship model flying round in the middle.

[ppinter1]

Yup, that's all there is with this Beta.

Well, maybe just one beer then...

[macboy]

Didn't work for me. Installed it and the framework in the correct places, restarted, no preference pane in the system preferences, went to the Screensaver pane and tried it anyways and nothing but a blank screen came up.

OS X 10.1.5

P.S. This could go in the Help Wanted/Offered section.

[Feanor]

Hello, works fine on my machine.

Config: D867, X.2.4, GF4mx, 256MB

[ppinter1]

macboy,

Thanks for the testing help, and the pointer to help wanted/offered.

This thing is jaguar only; I'll update the Release Notes file to indicate the caveat.

Cheers,
/p2

[ghettotek]

works fine for me. i do get "can't get principalClass for /Library/Screen Savers/SpaceTime.saver" printed in Console when i go to configuration. otherwise the screensaver works perfectly.

[ghettotek]

btw ppinter1, thanks for introducing me to Mesh3DS. ive been looking everywhere for something like this.

[ppinter1]

Thanks ghettotek...

Baffling why Preferences barks about principalClass, yet loads and configs the screensaver happily enuf.

Also, I'm pleased to hear Mesh3DS (I'm assuming the Windows version) may be useful to you!

Cheers,
/p2

[Feanor]

Ghettotek,

PLEASE, start a new thread for this.

[griffin239]

Works 100% on dual 450 g4 running 10.2.4.

This screen saver rocks!

Choose folder option for 3ds files is a must!

I just changed the TIE fighter to a deathstar by hand
and it worked perfectly..except texture loading.
There are 13 textures for the deathstar..ugh.

Hang around here and make games ppinter!

[ppinter1]

So, some people get the gimpy message about "can't find principalClass" and other don't.

Among those that do, some get a black screen, some do not.

No consistency among OS X levels; gotta be something environmental. Are the guys with the error definitely putting the .saver file in their /home/users/myusername/library/screen savers folder?

I'm just not clever enough to fathom the vagaries of this new environment, I guess.

Griffin239 : Grats, eh? BTW: send me your deathstar plus textures and I'll fix it. I'm at pinter@p-squared.com

If someone could point me to a simple example of opening up a 'file selection dialog', I'll add that too. It's a couple lines of code on Win32; must be easy on Cocoa as well but I'll be buggered if I can find a cogent example.

[Feanor]

Originally posted by ppinter1
If someone could point me to a simple example of opening up a 'file selection dialog', I'll add that too. It's a couple lines of code on Win32; must be easy on Cocoa as well but I'll be buggered if I can find a cogent example.
Here's pseudocode:

[[NSOpenPanel openPanel] beginSheetForDirectory:(NSString *) directory
file:(NSString *) filename
types:(NSArray *) fileTypes
modalForWindow:(NSWindow *)docWindow
modalDelegate:(id)modalDelegate
didEndSelector:(SEL)didEndSelector
contextInfo:(void *)contextInfo];
There's also a simpler method. From the docs:

-(int)runModalForTypes:(NSArray *)fileTypes

Invokes the runModalForDirectory:file:types: method, using nil for both the filename and directory arguments. See the description of runModalForDirectory:file:types: for details. The fileTypes argument is an NSArray containing the extensions of files to be shown in the browser. Returns NSOKButton (if the user clicks the OK button) or NSCancelButton (if the user clicks the Cancel button).
You get the filenames by calling [[NSOpenPanel openPanel] filenames] which returns an NSArray of NSStrings containing user selected file names as absolute paths.

[ppinter1]

Feanor , thank you very much for the care package! I'm gratified by the supportive ethos on this board...

While this screensaver is my first Mac program, I am very enthused and hope to be able to contribute something back to the community very soon.

Cheers mates,

/p2 (aka Pete to my new found friends!)

[griffin239]

I got the deathstar last night at
http://www.theforce.net/scifi3d/

I was able to break your screen saver.
opening tie 3ds duplicating the model twice and exporting to 3ds
resulted in an empty warp tunnel..ie no model.

loading a 50 megabyte Cthulhu model totaly crashed my mac
needed a hard reboot. surprise!

The black screen some people get tends to happen for about 7 to 30 seconds.
Which can be long enough for people to cancel it.
I get it for a short time, depending on the complexity of the model
I attempt to import.

[ghettotek]

btw i forgot to mention im using:

eMac 700/X.2.4

[wallyfoo]

No problems on a stock iMac 500
OS X 10.2.4