• What are the things that I need to work on Blocks World Problem/Assignment?

 
1. First of all make sure that you have a valid sod/abacus account
2. You need to write your version of the code in LISP programming language
3. Get the blocks.l program
4. Modify the blocks.l program according to the requirements of the assignment.
5. Get the routines dump-vrml.l and load them into your program (load "dump-vrml.")
6. Issue the script command to capture your run and run your program.
7. As part of your run call the routines to dump out the current state of the world (dump-vrml).
8. Exit the lisp program and exit the script program ((bye) and exit).
9. The file typescript now has information about the state of the world when the (dump-vrml) command was issued.
10. Run the to-vrml.sh command (./to-vrml.sh) to produce a temp.wrl file.
11. To view this file, you will have to go to a Windows machine.
12. Bring up the Netscape 4.? broswer and go to the file. You need to use the ftp form for the URL.
13. You need to have the cosmoplayer plug-in on the local machine. Most of the cluster machines have cosmoplayer plug-in already installed, so you don't need to worry about this. But if your are working from your home or any other computer make sure that you download the cosmoplayer plug-in from the link given below:

CosmoPlayer plug-in

Note:

• After downloading the plug-in it is very important that you read the instructions on how to install it.
• DO NOT try to download the plug-in on the x-windows/sod/cluster windows machines

 
• What are the two versions of the Blocks World Program?

 
1. Command Line Version
2. Web based version

 
• How do I work on my assignment with the command line version?


Copy the perl script comandver.pl to a file in your sod/abacus account. Make sure that you have your "typescript" file in the same directory. Run the perl program from the prompt by typing "perl filename". The perl script takes the output from the file named "typescript" and generates the VRML world into a file named "temp.wrl". You can view the "temp.wrl" file in one of the cluster windows machines (Most of the cluster machines have cosmoplayer plug-in already installed).

Open netscape browser and give the following URL:

ftp://username@cb02.cc.ndsu.nodak.edu/home/username/
(if using sod account)

OR

ftp://username@abacus.nodak.edu/home/username/
(If using abacus account)

where username = your own user name
for eg: ftp://juell@cb02.cc.ndsu.nodak.edu/home/juell/
Then choose the appropriate directory in which you have the "temp.wrl" and then click on it to see the world.

You don't have to specifically give cb02. This signifies that you are connected to the 02 machine in the sod cluster. You can give any one of the machines from 01 to 12.

You cannot view the VRML world on the x-windows/sod machines as they do not have the VRML plug-in and neither can you install it.
 
 

• How do I work on my assignment with the Web-Based version?


The other version of this tool is a web-based version. In this the user can submit his output on-line and the CGI script takes this output and generates the VRML world in the same way as the perl script does it. FTP your typescript file from your sod/abacus account into the local machine. Click on the link given below to open up the web based interface:

Web-Based version

Submit the typescript (output) file by clicking on browse button and then click on submit button. View the VRML file by clicking on the Show_VRML button
 

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