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NAME

       cubeview - view 3D FITS files

SYNOPSIS

       cubeview [--stand-alone[=stand-alone]] [--ui=ui] [file]
       or yorick -i cubeview.i [--stand-alone[=stand-alone]] [--ui=ui] [file]
       or from within yorick(1): cubeview,options or cv_gtk[,options].

DESCRIPTION

       Cubeview   is   a   3D  data  viewer  specialized  in  spectro-imaging,
       implemented using the Yorick interpreted language (see yorick(1)). A 3D
       data  cube  in  the  sense  of cubeview is a three-dimensional array of
       numbers, usually stored in a FITS file.

       Cubeview can function either as a stand-alone  viewer  for  viewing  3D
       FITS  files  (in which case you don’t need to know much about Yorick to
       use it) or as a Yorick package, in which case it is  possible  to  view
       Yorick arrays directly. Cubeview can be customized and enhanced through
       "hooks" which can automatically perform custom actions while  the  cube
       is  being viewed. For instance, it is possible to overplot some complex
       contour map over the slice view each time it  is  refreshed.  For  more
       details  about  the  cubeview  API  in  Yorick,  read  cubeview.i. When
       cubeview is launched from a terminal window, it  is  possible  to  type
       Yorick  commands  in  that window almost at any time. In the following,
       this manpage assumes the reader is not a regular Yorick user.

       Since Cubeview is specialized in spectro-imaging, it assumes the  first
       two  dimensions  of  the  cube are of spatial nature while the third is
       spectral. Cubeview is able to correclty interpret the FITS  headers  of
       data  produced with the decommissioned BEAR instrument which used to be
       operated at CFHT and SINFONI currently operated at ESO VLT. Other  data
       may  be  interpreted  if  they follow the same conventions. If the FITS
       header cannot be interpreted, the axes in the plots cannot be  trusted,
       but you can still explore the 3D cube.

       Cubeview  uses  three  windows:  a  toolbox, a slice image window and a
       spectrum plot window. The toolbox allows to open a new FITS file,  save
       the  currently  selected  sub-cube (determined both by the spectrum and
       slice being  viewed),  set  various  display  parameters,  and  perform
       various  actions, most notably selecting a new spectrum or a new slice.
       If file is set in the calling sequence, then all three windows open  at
       once,  else  only  the  toolbox  appears at first, allowing the user to
       select a file to read.

MAIN PAGE

       The Main page in the toolbox offers reasonably self-explanatory buttons
       to  perform  various  actions. To select a new slice, click on Slice in
       the Select frame, then drag  the  mouse  pointer  over  the  region  of
       interest in the spectrum window. Conversely, a new sepctrum is selected
       by first clicking Spectrum and  then  using  the  mouse  in  the  slice
       window.  How  you use the mouse for selecting a spectrum depends on the
       Aperture type selected in the Spectrum property page:

       Circular
           left button: click to select new center; right  button:  drag  from
           new center to new edge;

       Square
           left  button:  click  to select new center; right button: drag from
           new center to new edge;

       Rectangular
           drag from one corner to the opposite.

SPECTRUM PAGE

       The Spectrum property page allows to select the Aperture type mentioned
       above.  In addition, if the FITS header has been interpreted correctly,
       it  is  possible  to  switch  the  spectral  axis  between  Wavelength,
       Frequency, Channels (raw indices in the cube, the only meaningful value
       if the header was not interpreted correctly) and Velocity relative to a
       Reference wavelength which can also be set on this page. Smoothing FWHM
       controls whether the displayed spectrum should be Gaussian-smoothed  to
       increase the apparent signal-to-noise.

SLICE PAGE

       The  slice  can  be  displayed  in two modes. The most usual one (named
       Normal (palette) in Cubeview) is palette-based. The corresponding Color
       palette  can be selected among the standard Yorick ones. Alternatively,
       Cubeview can produce three-color images using virtual, overlapping red,
       green  and blue filters. The slice can then be displayed either at 8 or
       24 bit color-depth. 24 bit color depth is usually better, but 8 bit  is
       useful  to save to some image formats, which you can do from the Yorick
       command line. Smoothing FWHM and  Oversampling  control  two  means  of
       smoothing the displayed image for eye candy.

OPTIONS

       --stand-alone[=(false|true)]
           Control   whether   closing   the   toolbox  window  exits  Yorick.
           --stand-alone is equivalent  to  --stand-alone=true.  This  is  the
           default  for  he  first  form of invocation. If set to false, it is
           necessary to type "quit" at the Yorick prompt  to  completely  quit
           the application.

       --ui=(gtk|tws|text)
           Control  the look-and-feel of the toolbox. The default toolbox uses
           the GTK  toolkit,  and  requires  several  software  components  in
           addition  to  Yorick  (python,  pygtk and libglade). An alternative
           toolbox coded entirely in Yorick is also  available.  It  uses  the
           "TWS"  package to draw buttons and other widgets. It is uglier, but
           more portable, than the GTK-based toolbox. Finally, it is  possible
           to  completely  control  cubeview from the Yorick prompt, in "text"
           mode. Type "cv_library" for a list of available commands.

SEE ALSO

       yorick(1), cubeview.i

AUTHORS

       Thibaut Paumard <paumard@users.sourceforge.net>

                                  2008-01-03