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Insert 3D Graph in a PowerPoint presentation

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Hi everybody !

I would like to insert a Graph 3D object generated with LV in a Powerpoint document. So far, copying a static image is not a problem, but I would like to be able to pan/rotate the 3D graph. Any idea ?..

Thanks for your help !

CC
Chilly Charly    (aka CC)

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Message 1 of 19
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Chilly, I haven't done this, but if you don't mind I'll just throw out some abstract theories:
1) you could enable your LV code as an activeX server and call it from VBA in powerpoint... I think this would result in your graph in a separate window.
2) you could drop an ActiveX container on your presentation, and configure it through VBA (though PP seemed pretty unhappy when I just tried this)
3) you could potentially create a 3D object that PP already knows how to display.. maybe QuicktimeVR or something with Flash (I'm not positive PP can handle either of these, but at least the quicktime seems likely)

sorry that there is nothing concrete here.
Chris
Message 2 of 19
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Thanks for the comments, but you should know that as a Mac user, there are some basic (or supposed so...) Windows things that I ignore, deeply...
If you could just propose some example, I would be very gratefull !

CC

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Chilly Charly    (aka CC)

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Message 3 of 19
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Funny you should say that.. I am also a mac afficionado; however, 99% of my LabVIEW work is on windoze, and I have to say, NI has been very good about integrating functionality from the most used OS. I've never played with integrating Applescript into LV code (or the other way around for that matter), but I don't think your solution will come from there. I believe REALbasic is supported on PowerPoint mac, but I don't know if that extends to the ability to drop a control onto a powerpoint presentation, and even then I doubt the existence of a REALbasic 3D model container. I still think the best bet is to find a "container" that pp is happy with, and then write the code necessary in LV to create the element for the container.

An obvious alternative is to duplicate the functionality of PP in your labview app. It would be pretty simple to make LV play a series of images like a slide show (though transitions would be tricky). If you are looking to actually read pp files, then it gets more complex, and I would suggest looking into using applescript to control powerpoint.

Back in the mid 90's I remember wanting to do something similar. I had a 3dmx model that I wanted to display in PP, but at the time pp didn't support it. I think Quicktime3D and the 3DMX standard has evaporated (it was one of those things that Apple thought was a cool idea, but the industry never adopted it - kinda like opendoc, but on a smaller scale). I had to settle on static images, but I was on a deadline.

It's not ideal, but you could make a movie of your 3d model. It's not interactive, but it would look nice.

Still nothing concrete. sorry.
Chris
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Message 4 of 19
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Thanks for your answer, but I think my question was slightly misinterpreted.

First thing is that I was a mac afficionado but I'm now working on PC. But there are a number of things that I do not master (not to say fully ignore) on Windows;

Secondly, I will not rewrite a PowerPoint style app with LV. No time for that, and anyway that would not solve the problem at all : I can't imagine installing LabVIEW on any conference PC, just to display a front panel with a single terminal on it and an empty diagram !

On another hand, I believe that 3D graphs are not LV objects (seems that it is a pain to incorporate them in a LV executable). So I wonder is there is any light possibility to embed 3D directly in a PP presentation in order to be able to have a 3D display without being obliged to use LV as an intermediate.

The problem I have to solve is to be able to present my work in an attractive way, in any conference room, without being obliged to carry my computer with me.

I already know how to create an animation from a series of pictures, but that's not what I'm looking for since the interactivity is lossed : you can't rotate the graph at will to present the most interesting points of vue, zoom in to show details, etc...

Any advice ?
Chilly Charly    (aka CC)

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Message 5 of 19
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CC:
My suggestion would be to switch from Power Point to some other 3d graphics program when you are wanting to pan,zoom,rotate. Not sure if this is an alternative. I really don't think that Power Point supports interactive 3D actions. You may just have to carry a laptop computer with you to make this presentation.
- tbob

Inventor of the WORM Global
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Message 6 of 19
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Solution
Accepted by chilly_charly
In LabVIEW right click on your 3D graph and choose CW3DGraph>>Export Style to export the graph style to a file. Then go into powerpoint and choose View>>Toolbars>>Control Toolbox. On the bottom right hand side is the more controls box. Select this and then choose the CWGraph3D object. Drag a box on the powerpoint slide and the graph object should appear. Right click on the object and go to CW3DGraph Control (National Instruments) and select Import Style and select the style you exported previously. When you run your slide show you will have the ability to rotate/etc what you imported from the style.

Marcus
Message 7 of 19
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@boltzmann wrote:
In LabVIEW right click on your 3D graph and choose CW3DGraph>>Export Style to export the graph style to a file. Then go into powerpoint and choose View>>Toolbars>>Control Toolbox. On the bottom right hand side is the more controls box. Select this and then choose the CWGraph3D object. Drag a box on the powerpoint slide and the graph object should appear. Right click on the object and go to CW3DGraph Control (National Instruments) and select Import Style and select the style you exported previously. When you run your slide show you will have the ability to rotate/etc what you imported from the style.

Marcus


That was pretty evident. I wonder why I didn't thought to that before 😉 😄

Marcus, you are GREAT ! and I hope that a few others will rate your answer 5 stars !!!!!!!!!

CC
Chilly Charly    (aka CC)

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Message 8 of 19
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Excellent! This is what I was getting at with the ActiveX control, but I wasn't sure how to implement it. My powerpoint gets a little flakey when I drop a activex contol on it, but it may just be my computer. Also, I imagine you will still need to install the LabVIEW runtime to have access to the control.

Chris
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Message 9 of 19
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Wonderful exchange all!

CC you get stars for asking a great Q.

Chris you get stars for having the correct suspicion.

Marcus, I am disappointed I can only give you 5 stars.

Ben
Retired Senior Automation Systems Architect with Data Science Automation LabVIEW Champion Knight of NI and Prepper LinkedIn Profile YouTube Channel
Message 10 of 19
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