To build it use:

make MapTools

This page is a high level overview of the program; to dig into the details read the comprehensive overview.

Dependencies:

SpaceMap
cogutil
sdl
sdlgfx
opengl
boost program options

This is a tool designed for debugging purpose. It can be used by a developer that want to "see" what the agent is perceiving in real time. Each agent contains a MapExplorerServer inside it. A MapExplorerServer is a service that capture the latest version of the map, managed by the agent, and sends it to each client that is connected to it. A MapExplorerServer is a network service that accepts at most 5 clients per agent. MapTools contains a visualizer that renders the map, sent by the MapExplorereServer, in a graphical 3D space. Once an agent is running inside OpenCog, MapTools, switched in "remote" mode, can be used as a map browser.

There are three parameters that must be configured in the embodiment.conf file:

VISUAL_DEBUGGER_ACTIVE = true
VISUAL_DEBUGGER_HOST = localhost
VISUAL_DEBUGGER_PORT = 6000

where, parameter 1 is responsible for activating or deactivating MapExplorerServer; parameter 2 and 3 define the address and port used by the MapExplorerServer to communicate with the clients.

It is important to note that each loaded agent binds the MapExplorerServer in a different port. Supposing that the port was set to 6000, the first loaded agent will use the port 6000 in its MapExplorerServer service. The second will use 6001 the third 6002, and so on.

Once an agent is running, it is possible to use MapTools to visualize the agent's map, for instance:

$ ./MapTools --mode remote --host localhost --port 6000 --video-mode 1

Type "MapTools --help" for more informations about this tool.