Basics:What is Revvie?

Installation

Type these commands from a DOS shell: A series of files will be created (in the revol directory); check the files README and CONTENTS for more info on these files ...you are now ready to run revvie!
Revvie is free; you may copy it to any system you like. However, not all features are enabled; to fully use Revvie, you need a License, which costs US$20. See the section on Licensing on how to obtain a full license.

Main Screen

Here is a picture of a revvie, showing the screen layout.

In the scrollable Work Area, there are several Modules (the small windows) hooked together with Pipes (blue lines) to form a Network. Modules come from the Module List, which is on the left. A Module performs a function, like creating or reading data, or maybe processing data into MIDI. Modules can be moved around in the Work Area and hooked together through their Input and Output Ports.

Ports appear as small clickable icons to the right and/or left of a module; the Input Ports are at the left, the Output ports are at the right. Most Modules have Controls which change the way the Modules behave when Fired.

Revvie does its stuff when you Fire the Network. This sets all of the Modules in action, one after another. Each Module creates or processes data, and sends it downstream to any Modules connected to it. Finally, after all the Modules have fired, you should hear some music, if you have hooked up some MIDI output Modules to your Network.

The Control Buttons at the right perform all the most basic operations, such as loading/storing information, or making music. Above the Control Buttons is a spinning symbol, called the Activity Icon. This changes to indicate what Revvie is doing. This icon should ALWAYS be spinning.

Module List

This is a scrollable list, showing all the Modules you can play with. The list reacts to the keyboard, so if you are at the top of the Module List and want to find a Module whose name starts with the letter 'S', for instance, you can quickly jump down through the list by pressing the 'S' key when the mouse is over the list.

Clicking on a Module's name in this list creates a new Module in the work area. Modules are created without any connections to any other Modules, and with their controls set to default values. If you accidentally create the wrong Module, just click on it's titlebar and press the Backspace or Delete key to get rid of it.

Control Buttons

Help: Brings up this helpfile. If a Module was just recently selected or moved, pressing this button will instead invoke the RevoLucid 'QuickHelp' program, which is a little window with help text in it.

Clone: Makes a new copy of the most recently selected or created Module. All Module parameters are copied, too, but NO ports are hooked up. You can also use SHIFT-C or ALT-C to clone a Module.

Hammer: Destroys the most recently selected Module; if no Modules are selected, destroys the ENTIRE Network (first puts up a confirm prompt). The Backspace or Delete keys also perform this function. If MIDI is playing, this halts the MIDI stream as soon as possible, but doesn't delete any Modules.

Todisk: Saves the current Network. Puts up a browser to prompt for filename. You can also quickly save the current Network by pressing SHIFT-S or ALT-S. It is a good idea to save your work frequently, especially if you have put a lot of time into it.

FromDisk: Puts up a browser so you can select a Network, and loads the file selected. Any old Network is DESTROYED. You can also press SHIFT-O or ALT-O to load a new Network.

Fire: Fires the entire Network. You can use the spacebar to fire, as well. You can halt MIDI output by pressing the spacebar once more, or by pressing any mouse button while the MIDI is playing.

Quit: Exits Revvie IMMEDIATELY. There is no confirm prompt at this date. The current Network is lost. You can also exit by pressing the Escape Key, if it is enabled.

Moving Modules around:

The placement of the Modules in the work area can either be intuitive or confusing. The best organization of a Network is so that it looks like it "flows" from left to right, top to bottom. Moving Modules around, therefore, is very important to making a Network understandable.

To move a Module, click the left mouse button over its TitleBar and drag. When you release the mouse button, the Module will be moved to the new location. You can also use the arrow keys to move a Module by a small amount in one direction. After moving a Module (or clicking on it to select it), there is a yellow "halo" which appears around the Module. This indicates selection; the halo fades away after a few seconds, after which the Module is no longer selected.

While selected, a Module can be moved using the arrow keys, or deleted, or cloned. Also, when a Module is selected, any connections it has with other Modules are highlighted in blue-green. This is useful when you have a large or complex Network as you can see where all the data from a Module is going.

Hooking up Ports:

Most (but NOT all) Modules have Input or Output Ports, or both. Ports are what Modules use to communicate with each other. Input Ports are always on the Left side of a Module, Output Ports are always on the right side. The appearance of a port changes when it is hooked up (see the picture above). To Connect Module A's output to Module B's input, first click the mouse on an Input Port on Module B. It will be highlighted in a contrasting color. Next, click the mouse on the desired Output Port on Module A. If the connection is possible, the Ports change to the "hooked up" state, and a blue pipe is drawn between the two Modules.

To Disconnect a Pipe, click the Mouse over the Input Port (at the "downstream" end of the Pipe) of the Module which you want to disconnect. The pipe vanishes and the Port reverts back to its "unhooked" appearance. Any output port can "fan out" to eight inputs ports.
Don't try to make loops; this feature is not yet supported and will result in a runaway process or a crash!

Destroying Modules:

To Destroy a Module, select it and press the Hammer Button or the Backspace/Delete key. The Module will disappear, and all of its connections with other Modules will be broken.

Module Controls

There are several special types of controls. Most controls become active when the mouse is moved over them. Some controls, like the ones used to set MIDI patches or Drum patches, actually send out MIDI signals when activated.

Numeric: used to set an integer value The arrows increase or decrease the value. You can also type in a new value or use the arrow keys to change the value.

Keyword: used to set a keyword value. Works like a Numeric Control, but displays a set of Keywords instead of numbers. You can use the arrow keys to select keywords.

MusicNote: used to set a musical note Works like a Numeric Control, but displays a musical note (C,C#, D, etc) with an octave indictor. You can use the arrow keys to change this type of control.

Band: sets a high and low range. A special type of control, this allows you to set two values at once. The left end of the Blue bar represents the LOW value and the right end represents the HIGH value. Some Bands are Vertical; in this case, the top side of the blue bar represents the LOW value, and the bottom represents the HIGH value.

Text Type-in: This works like any other type-in control in windows. You can select, delete, and enter text into one of these fields. Of course, each Module may use this control in a different manner.

Bitmap Control This is a rather unique control. It allows you to slide a bitmap around and to select a "hot" row and column in the bitmap using the dotted crosshair shown. To drag the bitmap, hold down the left mouse button and DRAG. To select a new crosshair location, click with the left mouse button WITHOUT DRAGGING and let go. Currently, this control only comes in one size: 128x128 pixels. Although shown dithered in this example, the actual bitmaps are rendered in 24 bits, even though for most cases, you will only see 8 bits of color.