/******************************* kf_news6.doc ******************************\ * * * Module : Kf_news6 * * Descript : KiteFlight Newsletter * * Project : KiteFlight * * Modified : 15-Feb-1996 (Sat 15:25) * * * * (c) 1996 by Peter van den Hamer * * * \***************************************************************************/ KITEFLIGHT NEWSLETTER #6 by P. van den Hamer 15-Feb-96 This is the 6th issue of a newsletter with information about the PC program KiteFlight. The newsletter contains information for current users and others interested in KiteFlight. Old issues of this Newsletter can be found on the KiteFlight home page on Web (see below). Contents of this issue: 1. What's KiteFlight? 2. What's the current version? 3. How to get updates 4. What's new in KF 2.06? 5. What's new in Compulsory Library 2.2? 6. Stunt kite simulator by young Dutchman wins prizes 7. Odds and ends 1. What's KiteFlight? --------------------- KiteFlight (KF) is an MS-DOS program which can simulate the movements of dual-line stunt kites or stunt kite teams. The movements of the kites are controlled by control files written in a kite simulation language called KF1. KF is useful both for visualizing existing routines and as a tool for developing your own routines. The commercial floppy ("Kite 2.0") with KiteFlight also contains software (Plot and Sputnik by Peter Ruinard) for printing and customizing kite plans from the books by Servaas van der Horst and Velthuizen ("Stunt Kites..." and "Stunt Kites II..."). Plot and Sputnik are meant to be used without the book(s). KiteFlight, however, can be used without owning the books. 2. What's the current version? ------------------------------ Latest version: 2.06 (latest complete version in my own possession) Latest release: 2.06 (demo version available on Internet by ftp, see below) Latest release: 2.01 (on 1.44MB floppy in CD Box via shops/magazines) Compulsories : 2.2 (available on Internet by ftp) Web home page : 2.06 (below http://www.win.tue.nl/win/cs/fm/pp/kites/) In other words, we have just released an update (KF 2.06) of the commercial version (KF 2.01) sold in kite stores and via KiteLines and Drachen Magazines. 3. How to get updates --------------------- If you buy and register the commercial Kite 1.0 diskette, you can get free upgrades up to KF 1.18 via Internet. Although you can register even if you don't have any form of access to Internet, you will not be able to get updates (but maybe your nephew can help out with the Internet part). If you buy and register the commercial Kite 2.0 diskette, you can get free upgrades to KF 2.xx. You can register (free) by sending an E-mail message to the author (vdhamer@natlab.research.philips.com) stating your address, which version you own and where you bought it. You then receive a reply explaining how the update procedure works. Users who already registered Kite 2.0 should receive this information within the next few days. Non-registered users can obtain free copies of the demo versions of KiteFlight (e.g. KFCD 2.06) from the rec.kites archives on Internet: ftp://ftp.uni-bremen.de/pub/kites/simulation/kfd/kfcd_206.zip (Germany) ftp://kites.its.Hawaii.Edu/pub/kites/simulation/kfd/kfcd_206.zip (USA) The demo version is able to run all STACK/AKA/AJSKA compulsories, but not the full length animations. The demo version has a less sophisticated/powerful user interface than the commercial version. 4. What's new in KF 2.06? ------------------------- The main improvements in KF 2.06 compared to KF 2.03 (Sep 1995) are: 2.04a - 24 new compulsories (in COMPUL22.ZIP, see below) 2.04c - Fixed bug which caused trail problems in T20.KF1 compulsory. 2.05a - "Capture to file" option removed from KFC/KFCD. 2.05b - New multi-segment capture mode in "Animation options" dialog (Alt-A). 2.05i - Debug feature (Alt-Y) to test the program under low memory conditions. 2.06x - New team routine by Japanese team AiAi. 2.0xx - Various improvements to the built-in documentation (F1). Note to users of KFCD (Demo version): in order to run some of the new compulsories, you need to upgrade from KFCD 2.0x to KFCD 2.06. 5. What's new in Compulsory Library 2.2? ---------------------------------------- The following table shows which compulsories were distributed in which version of the Compulsory Library. +---- 52 files distributed with KiteFlight 1.0 (and part of Compul10.zip) |+--- 65 files distributed with KiteFlight 2.0 (and part of Compul21.zip) ||+-- 89 files distributed with KF 2.06 upgrade (as part of Compul22.zip) vvv File Name ------- ---------------------------- xxx I01.KF1 Infinity Downwards xxx I02.KF1 Square xxx I03.KF1 Ladder Down xxx I04.KF1 The Jump xxx I05.KF1 Wedge xxx I06.KF1 The Mount xxx I07.KF1 Eight xxx I08.KF1 Pyramid xxx I09.KF1 The Bulb xxx I10.KF1 Power Dive with Roll xxx I11.KF1 Two Circles within a Circle xxx I12.KF1 Square Cuts xxx I13.KF1 Steps Down xxx I14.KF1 The Bristols xxx I15.KF1 The Dice xxx I16.KF1 The T-Bone xxx I17.KF1 Hair Pin xxx I18.KF1 Eight in a box xxx I19.KF1 Tubular X xxx I20.KF1 Square Spiral xxx I21.KF1 Bow Tie xxx I22.KF1 Octagon xxx I23.KF1 Diamond in a Triangle xxx I24.KF1 Four Squares xxx I25.KF1 Clover Squares xxx I26.KF1 Circles and Loops xxx I27.KF1 Spiral Diamond xxx I28.KF1 The Rug xxx I29.KF1 Star xxx I30.KF1 Split Figure Eight xxx I31.KF1 Heartbeats xxx I32.KF1 Tulip xxx I33.KF1 Clover leaf xxx I34.KF1 Danger Zone xxx I35.KF1 Pinwheel xxx I36.KF1 Soup Can --x I37.KF1 Graduated Circles --x I38.KF1 Two and a Half Square -xx I40.KF1 Frog Legs -xx I41.KF1 Roly-Poly --x I42.KF1 Ladder with Roll --x I43.KF1 The House (Envelope?) -xx I44.KF1 Power Dive, Stop and Loop --x I45.KF1 Square and Circle --x I46.KF1 Inverted Eight with Landing --x I47.KF1 Looper --x P01.KF1 Evil Eye --x P02.KF1 Snake with Loops --x P03.KF1 Loops and Diamonds --x P04.KF1 Starburst with Loops --x P05.KF1 The Wig-wams --x P06.KF1 Inverted Eight with Landing --x P07.KF1 H --x P08.KF1 Twist -xx P09.KF1 The Cliff -xx P10.KF1 Split Pair Square -xx P11.KF1 Meet Again --x P12.KF1 Bristol Doubles xxx T01.KF1 Team Eight xxx T02.KF1 Team Power Dive with Roll xxx T03.KF1 Follow, Flank Up and Square xxx T04.KF1 Follow, Roll, Across & Roll xxx T05.KF1 Horizontal Thread xxx T06.KF1 Vertical Thread xxx T07.KF1 Diagonal Loops xxx T08.KF1 Team Hairpin xxx T09.KF1 Horizontal Thread with Loop xxx T10.KF1 Team Diamonds xxx T11.KF1 Cascade xxx T12.KF1 Loops & Vertical Thread xxx T13.KF1 Starburst & Return xxx T14.KF1 Eight in a Rectangle --x T15.KF1 Quick Cuts -xx T16.KF1 Inverted Eight with Landing --x T17.KF1 Team Diamonds Downwards --x T18.KF1 Hairpin with Landing --x T19.KF1 X-Crossed Rolls xxx T20.KF1 Mirrored Diamonds xxx T21.KF1 Team Roly Poly --x T22.KF1 Team Graduated Circles -xx T23.KF1 The Basket -xx T24.KF1 Up, Roll, Down and Land -xx T25.KF1 Arch de Triomph -xx T26.KF1 Follow, flank up and loop -xx T27.KF1 The Aqualud -xx T28.KF1 Knit One, Pearl one --x T29.KF1 The Daltons --x T30.KF1 Team Power Dive, Stop and Loop --x T31.KF1 Manhattan 6. Stunt kite simulator by young Dutchman wins prizes ----------------------------------------------------- Mr. Gijs van Oort of Eindhoven in the Netherlands has written an MS-DOS program which simulates the motions of dual line stunt kites on a PC screen. Gijs, who is 17 years old, wrote the program as his entry for the Dutch National Contest for Young Scientists ("Nationale Wedstrijd voor Jonge Onderzoekers 1996"). The program allows one or more users to control the motion of one or more on-screen kites. A user can control a kite by holding down certain keys on the keyboard, moving a joystick or mouse, or -best of all- pulling kite grips attached to lines. The line movements are monitored by a PC. For the technically interested: each line is attached to a rod which can turn around an axis. The line tension is created by a spring attached to the rod. When a grip is pulled forward, the rod turns around its axis, causing a potentiometer (variable resistor) to turn. The position of the potentiometers (one per line) is monitored by analog to digital (A/D) convertors connected to the parallel port of the PC. Unlike KiteFlight, the kites in Gijs' program exhibit relatively realistic behavior because the program contains a rough model of the aerodynamic behavior of a kite: When a kite moves towards the center of the wind window, it accelerates. When it moves towards the edge of the window, it slows down and stops. Joerg Buchholz, the author of RevSim, and others provided Gijs with some advice in how to model the aerodynamics and inertia of a simplified kite. I provided one or two small routines from KiteFlight. Gijs himself obviously did all the real work and integrated the various technologies (electrical, mechanical and software!). Hands-on experience shows that controlling a kite using the grips is very easy. The keyboard and mouse controls are, on the other hand, probably only a treat for those who also enjoy opening cans with a screwdriver or programming computers in C. At the competition in The Hague on February 2th-4th 1996, Gijs' project won second prize, thereby earning Gijs a trip to Stockholm to the 1996 Nobel Prize award ceremonies. The jury incidentally noted that Gijs would have won a first prize with his project and report (45 pages, in Dutch), but this was not allowed by the rules: first prize winners win a trip to compete in the European contest. A person was allowed to win this first prize only once. Gijs had won first prize with a different project in a previous year. Gijs incidentally also won an additional prize from the museum which hosted the competition for his excellent display. Good work, Gijs! Gijs van Oort can be reached by E-mail at gijs@djoe.iaf.nl (Gijs reads his E-mail about twice a week). 7. Odds and ends ---------------- * Author's E-mail address ----------------------- I now have E-mail at home (vdhamer@msn.com). This is now my preferred address. I check this mailbox on a daily basis. * KiteFlight 2.0 plans -------------------- There are no plans to release an updated version of the commercial version of the KiteFlight 2.0 diskette in the near future. There will, however, be more (free) upgrades with enhancements, bug fixes and additional routines/compulsories for registered users. * No T32.KF1 ---------- For those who were wondering, T32.KF1 was removed at the last minute from COMPUL22.ZIP at the request of Hans Jansen op de Haar. Apparently feedback from experienced teams (at the 1995 EuroCup) indicated that the routine ("Stacked Squares") was unsuitable. Maybe a different future compulsory will be named T32 instead. -=-=-=-