VibraForge GUI

Authors: Darius Giannoli, Yang Chen, Gabriel Taieb

Haptic Graphical User Interface (GUI) for the VibraForge project of BingJian Huang

Pattern Generator — Main GUI

---

1. Waveform Lab

Main control tab for testing actuators and playing waveforms.

• Menu Bar → Connection
  • Scan Ports: Detect available COM ports.
  • Select Port: Choose a port for your device.
  • Connect: Connect to the selected device.
• Waveform Selection
  • Load a waveform from file.
  • Create a new waveform in the Waveform Designer.
• Global Parameters
  • Select Intensity and Frequency for actuators when testing:
    • Single actuator test
    • Drawing playback
    • Timeline playback
• Control
  • Preview: Test actuator activations manually or preview pre-made patterns without hardware.
  • Start: Play on device (pre-made patterns or selected actuators).
  • Pause: Stop playback on the device.

---

2. Pattern Library

Save and replay patterns, both pre-made and custom.

• Pre-Made Patterns
  • Includes: Trio Burst, 3×3 Sweep, Back Ring, Pulse Train (8-act).
  • Select and play via the Waveform Lab → Control panel.
• Custom Patterns
  • Saved patterns created with the Timeline.
  • Play with either Preview or Play on Device buttons from the Timeline.

---

3. Drawing Library

Save, replay, and live-render freehand drawings using phantom rendering.

• Parameters
  • Clear: Clear canvas (drawing + phantoms).
  • Save: Save the current drawing.
  • Draw: Enable freehand drawing on canvas.
  • Live Drawing: When enabled and connected, drawings are played immediately on the device.
  • High-Density Trajectory Creation
    • Max Phantoms: Maximum number of phantoms placed along a stroke.
    • Sampling Rate (ms): Minimum interval between phantom placements during drawing.
    • Trajectory Mode (phantoms): Display phantoms on the canvas.
• Drawing Library
  • List of saved drawings that can be reloaded and replayed.
• Draw Stroke Playback
  • Uses frequency & intensity from Waveform Lab → Global Parameters.
  • Total Time: Total playback time of the stroke.
  • Step Duration ≤ 69 ms: Interval between consecutive bursts (stimulus onset asynchrony).
  • Rendered: Number of bursts generated after resampling.
  • Phantom (3-Act): Phantom computation based on Park et al. 2016.
  • Physical (nearest-1): Single-actuator mode for testing.
  • Preview / Play Drawing / Stop: Preview on canvas, play on device, or stop playback.

---

4. Canvas

Visual editor for actuator layouts.

• General Parameters
  • Clear: Deselect all actuators.
  • All: Select all actuators.
• Designer
  • Drag & drop actuators onto canvas.
  • Create one or more actuator chains.
  • Move individual actuators or groups together.
• Layouts
  • 3×3 Grid: For testing drawings in a uniform grid.
  • Back Layout (2-4-4-2): Simulates back-mounted actuators.

---

5. Timeline

Precise sequencer for actuator clips and advanced patterns.

• Workflow
  1. In Waveform Lab, select a waveform for a given actuator (from Designer Canvas).
  2. Set start and stop times.
  3. Add a clip for the selected actuator.
  4. Play preview or play on device.
  5. Save the sequence to Pattern Library.
  6. Remove clips individually or clear the entire timeline.

---

6. Waveform Designer

Advanced tool for creating and customizing waveforms.

• Menu → Device
  • Connect to a device (scan/select port).
  • Test a waveform on a specific actuator.
  • Select frequency code and click Test Actuator.
• Menu → View
  • Show frequency, amplitude, or both on the canvas.
  • Clear plot, hide logs.
  • Save the signal as CSV.
• Modifiers
  • Modify amplitude, timing, and ADSR envelopes.

---

7. Waveform Library Tab

• Oscillators
  • Double-click to load a built-in waveform with default parameters.
  • Drag & drop onto the canvas to customize parameters.
• Customized Signals
  • Save and reuse your custom waveforms.

---

8. Waveform Design Tab

• Waveform Information
  • Name, category, and description of the waveform.
• Haptic File
  • Import CSV waveforms.
  • Import .haptic files.
  • Create with Meta Haptics Studio.
• Mathematic Generator
  • Generate signals from equations.
  • Define frequency, duration, and sampling rate.

---

Summary

• Waveform Lab → load, preview, and play signals.
• Pattern Library → replay pre-made and custom patterns.
• Drawing Library → phantom drawing creation, saving, and live playback.
• Canvas → design actuator layouts.
• Timeline → precise sequencing and clip-based pattern design.
• Waveform Designer → advanced waveform editing and generation.