Since last summer, I've been working on Graph3DC, a 3D grapher for the TI-84 Plus C Silver Edition. Based on the computation and rendering engine I built for Graph3DP for the Casio Prizm, it is a full-featured 3D graphing App written entirely in z80 assembly. Although I originally planned to make it a standalone program (like Graph3DP), Cemetech's members unanimously opined that as an App that can integrate with the OS, like TI's Transformation Graphing and Inequality Graphing Apps, it will be most useful. Among the features Graph3DC offers:
  • Rendering and rotation of 3D graphs on up to a 17x17-point grid at normal resolution, or 27x27-point grid at high resolution.
  • Simultaneous graphing of up to 5 3D equations at normal resolution, or 2 3D equations at high resolution.
  • Tracing over graphs to examine the (X, Y, Z) coordinates of points.
  • User-configurable grid colors, background colors, bounds and axis display, axis labels, and more.
  • User-settable window and zoom.
  • TI-OS integration with the Y=, Window, Zoom, Trace, and Graph tools.
  • Full compatibility with horizontal splitscreen mode.

After a month last summer spent implementing 3D math in assembly using 8.8-bit fixed-point numbers and about three months this year sporadically making forward progress on the App, I'm happy to announce the start of a closed beta of Graph3DC. Why a closed beta? One of the biggest reasons I have pursued Graph3DC this summer is that I feel it demonstrates the power of the calculator enthusiast community to create educational, professional programs and Apps for color TI calculators. To that end, I'd like to make sure that any publicly-released version of Graph3DC, either from Cemetech and ticalc.org or a third party, is as polished and bug-free as possible. In fact, I've spent countless hours examining how Transform and Inequalz interact with the TI-OS to make sure Graph3DC is respectful of the OS's stability, of users' settings and modes, and of the common interface users expect from their calculator. Secondly, I'm very keen to show TI that by releasing the keys necessary for us to write free Apps for their TI-84+CE, they'll be only strengthening that platform's appeal to students, teachers, and programmers.

If you're interested in testing out Graph3DC, please respond to this thread and/or send me a PM. I will warn that not every requestor will receive a beta copy; for those who do, I appreciate the testing help greatly, and for those who don't, it's nothing personal, I just got enough testers already. The only bugs of which I'm currently aware are (1) interactions with Doors CSE 8.1, and (2) when entering and leaving menus in splitscreen mode. Thanks in advance for everyone's help!

Ooh, i so want it! Hopefully this helps us get the public key for the CE, cause this would be really nifty. Also, congratz on getting this to beta, Kerm!
The screenshots are impressive, as well as the additional features; it looks like this will be very easy to use, and I'm glad there's a beta. Unfortunately I don't own a CSE.
Congrats on the beta Kerm!

I would like to offer my services as a tester too, as I have a CSE! Smile
Great job. How many testers do you have so far, and do you you need any more? I would also like to test the app.
It is interesting how TI failed in providing a 3D-graphing tool for TI83 OR TI84cse/ce. All they got is this: https://education.ti.com/en/us/products/calculators/graphing-calculators/ti-84-plus-ce/tabs/overview#tab=applications

Kerm, this is a nice and passive method to squeeze out them keys! Very Happy
Is turning the graph smooth, or does the app erase the graph and then redraw it? I like it when I can just see it turn smoothly. That is why I am using seamless images for my screensaver program.

Edit: I assume that you can turn the graph. It is a 3D graph, after all.
readroof2 wrote:
Is turning the graph smooth, or does the app erase the graph and then redraw it? I like it when I can just see it turn smoothly. That is why I am using seamless images for my screensaver program.

Edit: I assume that you can turn the graph. It is a 3D graph, after all.
This should help clarify things for you:

So it isn't possible to turn it smoothly? It is way faster than using the 2D graphing in the OS though. Is there an option to turn off the box? I would because that way, once it is done graphing, it wouldn't have to update the screen anymore. But only for the white background. I really like the black background. The color scheme looks nice. If that makes sense.
readroof2 wrote:
So it isn't possible to turn it smoothly? It is way faster than using the 2D graphing in the OS though.
In between erasing and redisplaying, it performs a few hundred point rotations in 3D space, then the rendering step draws every line, pixel-by-pixel. There's no way to speed it up much more (although on the TI-84 Plus CE, it would look much, much, much faster,
Quote:
Is there an option to turn off the box? I would because that way, once it is done graphing, it wouldn't have to update the screen anymore. But only for the white background. I really like the black background. The color scheme looks nice. If that makes sense.
If you look at the screenshots starting at this post and going forwards, you'll see the Format menu and its options, as well as various screenshots with different formatting options chosen.
Kerm: Did you get my email address in the PM?
readroof2 wrote:
Kerm: Did you get my email address in the PM?
I have indeed; you should find the .8ck in your email. Thank you in advance for your help testing Graph3DC.
Oh, I just got it. Thanks for letting me test it out!
Possible bug report that I doubt is a bug:

I found an error that I don't think is Graph3DC's fault, but it interacts weirdly with the Inequalz app. Here is a video:

Video of Bug

Steps to Recreate the Error:
Note: You will need to reset your calculator, so archive your stuff first.
1. Put the apps Inequalz and Graph3DC on your calculator.
2. Run the app Inequalz.
3. Exit the Y= screen.
4. Run and install Graph3DC.
5. Press the APPS button and see what happens.

This is build 756, and by running Inequalz and then Graph3DC at the same time, I got this weird error. I don't think it is a bug, but it is weird.

Earlier something weird was going on when I had it on the graph and then pressed Zoom, but now it is not happening. Could you add the shortcut menus to using 3D graphing, so you can get stuff like abs( or logBase( with F2? Also, is there any way to make it use MathPrint and the Alpha up/down scrolling for multiple lines?

Edit: Actually, I think this is a bug because of:

KermMartian wrote:
To that end, I'd like to make sure that any publicly-released version of Graph3DC, either from Cemetech and ticalc.org or a third party, is as polished and bug-free as possible. In fact, I've spent countless hours examining how Transform and Inequalz interact with the TI-OS to make sure Graph3DC is respectful of the OS's stability, of users' settings and modes, and of the common interface users expect from their calculator.
Bug report!!!

The gif doesn't make it very clear, but when in horizontal splitscreen mode, if you are are on the 3D Y= editor and move the cursor up to 2d and back down again, it draws half of the 2d graph.

Ivoah: I don't think it was just drawing half of the 2D graph--It is just drawing the graph based on the graph's window, which is showing the graph starting at X=0. I don't think I am explaining this very well, but I don't think it is a bug. It could be, though, if Graph3DC is messing with the window settings of Ymin when it goes to horizontal.

Edit: You should post instructions for how to get that error the way I did.
readroof2 wrote:
Ivoah: I don't think it was just drawing half of the 2D graph--It is just drawing the graph based on the graph's window, which is showing the graph starting at X=0. I don't think I am explaining this very well, but I don't think it is a bug. It could be, though, if Graph3DC is messing with the window settings of Ymin when it goes to horizontal.

Edit: You should post instructions for how to get that error the way I did.


Um, I did put instructions on how to replicate the bug. Also, it most certainly is a bug, because I didn't actually select the 2d mode, just moved the cursor over it and off again.
Are you sure you didn't actually select the 2D mode? It looked like you switched to 2D mode in the gif. What did you press after going into Y= for 2D equations?
readroof2 wrote:
Are you sure you didn't actually select the 2D mode? It looked like you switched to 2D mode in the gif. What did you press after going into Y= for 2D equations?


Um, of course I'm sure, I've reproduced this bug multiple times. I never went into Y= for 2D equations, I just moved the cursor up to the option, and back down again.
Okay. Well it doesn't really matter to me. I have my own bug to report in addition to that first one. There will be one more after this. This bug occurs with Transfrm and is just like the one that happened with Inequalz, but slightly different.

Here is a (bad) video I took of the bug: https://youtu.be/qOfCpFWxLK0

Steps to Recreate the Error:

1. Put Transfrm and Graph3DC on your calculator.
2. Exit the Y= screen.
3. Run and install Graph3DC.
4. Press the apps button--here is the bug thingy.
5. To see a weird part of this bug, go to 3D mode in Y=.
6. Graph something random, preferably something that won't take long to calculate.
7. Press the apps button--now you should see a list of your apps like it was normal.

Edit: Ooh ooh ooh! This part is really weird. I did steps 1-4, and then, when I got the 1. Quit 2. Goto menu, I picked Goto. There had been no entries before I did that, but then there was one. I pressed up, and it showed Error, and then when I pressed up again to see what it had done, and my calculator did the buggy flickering white screen thing. Then I turned it off and on again (see what I did there?) and it was fine. This is what it looked like from after steps 1-4:

https://youtu.be/wZlFTxRbPPY

This is build 756, and my next bug is a little different from the first two and very, very minor. It doesn't really affect the functionality of my calculator, but it is like the calculator thinks that I am on the graph screen as well as the home screen--without horizontal mode. My next post will include this third bug.
  
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