Review of IDL

7 Data Output

7.1 Graphics Devices

IDL supports graphic output to number of devices, including Macintosh, Windows and X Window displays, postscript files, CGM (Computer Graphics Metafile), HP-GL (Hewlett-Packard Graphics Language), PCL (HP Printer Control Language) and a system printer. All the devices are access in the same way, for example:

SET_PLOT, 'ps'

sets the plotting device to Postscript

SET_PLOT, 'win'

sets the plotting device to the Windows display Once the device has been set, the DEVICE routine provides additional control. Each device will have different keywords associated with it, for example

SET_PLOT, 'ps'
DEVICE, FILENAME='myfile.ps' /LANDSCAPE

Multiple plots can be sent to any device using the keyword !P.MULTI which specifies the number of rows and columns of plots. With the postscript device, encapsulated postscript and colour files can be generated.

Image files in other formats can be created using the WRITE procedures supplied, and detailed above.

7.2 Animation

Animations can be created using the XINTERANIMATE procedure. This takes a series of images (in either off-screen pixmaps or memory buffers) and displays them at the specified display rate. The rate is specified as a percentage of the maximum playback rate, and therefore will be dependent on the machine's speed.

Graphics Multimedia Virtual Environments Visualisation Contents