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