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TM

TM
 Table of Contents
This manual covers both the CubicEye VIEWER and the full CubicEye product. Features
available only in the full version are noted as such in the text, and are more fully documented
toward the end of this manual.

The full CubicEye product is available as an upgrade to the CubicEye VIEWER at 2ce’s
website, www.2ce.com.

System Requirements & Installation 3

Overview 4
Navigation 5
The Tool Bar 7
The Menu 9
The Menu Icons 11
TM
The NavWheel 13
TM
CubicEye full version added features 15
Keyboard Shortcuts 17
 System Requirements & Installation
System Requirements

2ce’s CubicEye requires a Pentium III with 128Mb or more, running Windows 98, 2000, or
ME, DirectX 7 or 8, and Internet Explorer. 5.5, and a 3D enabled video card with 16Mb
memory, running in 16 bit color mode. 8 bit and 24 bit color are not supported, and 32 bit is
not recommended for performance reasons.

Installation

1. Place the CubicEye CD in your CD Drive or download the installation file from 2ce.com.

2. Locate and run the Install program. This may be done by double clicking on the file, or by
pressing the 'R' key while holding down the Windows key or selecting “Run” from the Start
menu and typing the following command: d:\install.exe If your CD Drive has a different
letter than d:, or if you have downloaded the file, replace this with the appropriate drive letter
and/or folder path, and the name of the downloaded installation file.

3. In the dialog that appears, depress the first available button, labeled "Setup".

4. The setup program will then be run and a welcome screen will show, after reading the
relevant information, click on the Next-> button to advance to the next screen.

5. The Software License Agreement will then be displayed, read the agreement then if you
accept all of the terms click on the Yes button.

6. The Destination Location screen will then be displayed. If you like the default location click
on the Next-> button, otherwise enter a new location and click on the Next-> button.

7. The program folder screen will then be displayed. If you like the default location click on
the Next-> button, otherwise enter a new location and click on the Next-> button.

8. The software will now be installed, if every thing gets installed properly a completion screen
will be displayed. By default, .eye (CubicEye cube) files will be associated with CubicEye,
however, you may disable this. Click the Finish button to complete Setup. All of the Setup
windows will then close and you have sucessfully installed the product. To run the product,
select the CubicEye icon from the 2ce group on the Windows Start menu.
 Overview
2ce’s revolutionary cube environment is
the visual interface for the information age.
2ce’s CubicEye creates a three-dimensional
environment from within which multiple
websites and/or pages can be viewed and
navigated at the same time.
This environment allows for individual but
simultaneous interaction with several
traditional web sites, multiple pages within
these websites, or the orchestrated navigation
of websites designed and organized by the
web designer in three dimensions.
This environment is initially presented in the
form of a six-sided cube, with one web page
directly ahead of you, four to the top, bottom,
left, and right, and one behind you.
The initial home status of these six web pages
is your home cube, to which you can return at
any time. Additionally, any combination of web
pages may be saved as a favorite cube.
Links on all six sides are active, so you can
navigate through the links on any or all of the
six panels. The cube may be rotated so that
any of the six sides is in the center, and the
center panel may be zoomed to fill the entire
screen.
Shortcuts are provided for searching, accessing
email, and jumping to either favorite web pages
or favorite cubes, as well as for navigating
through cubes you have previously visited.
 Navigation
Beyond the first cube, any number of additional
cubes may be created and then visited, in any
of six directions. This is done by Expanding
any one of the six sides of the cube you are
in, then entering the newly created cube.
By default, the original web page is pushed
onto the center wall of the new cube, and the
first four links on that page will be displayed
on the top, left, right, and bottom panels, as
shown to the right.
If the original web page is 2Ce enabled, the
new pages will be opened on the sides and
center of the new cube in the locations
specified by the website’s designer’s.
When a panel has first been expanded, as
shown above, it is initally available for display
only. The links on the new pages cannot be
accessed until you Enter the new cube.
However, all of the links on the remaining
walls of the current cube remain active,
including those on the back wall behind you,
which can be accessed by simply rotating the
cube.
Currently, up to seven cubes may be opened
at any one time. When you open your eighth
cube, the cube or cubes furthest away from
you close automatically. You can close cubes
manually with the Collapse button.
Any or all of the original six sides of the cube
may be expanded without entering any of
them.
In the example above, all five visible sides of
the cube have been expanded, and the user
is about to enter the new center cube.
Note that the cube which we had previously
expanded has been rotated to the bottom
panel, but we can still see into the new cube.
This is due to the unique hypercube display
mechanism of the CubicEye environment,
which allows you to see into the adjacent
cubes and even beyond.
After expanding a cube, you can enter it in
order to further access the information that
you have found.
The example above shows the user moving
toward the center cube in order to use the
web pages directly ahead.
This style of salvo navigationtm allows you to
preview multiple web pages at one time, and
provides quick access to the many pages you
have found.
Once you have entered into the next cube,
you can continue to expand the sides of that
cube to navigate even further.
 The Tool Bar

The tool bar is made of several components:

Minimize/maximize: collapses the tool bar or expands if it has been collapsed

Panel select: determines (and indicates) which face of the cube is controlled by
the tool bar. Initially set to the center face, this button allows you to work with any
of the five visible faces of the current cube. Note that the selected panel is indicated
by not only this button, but by a blue border around the currently selected panel.

center top left right bottom

Location: shows the URL of the panel selected using the

Panel Select icon. You can type a new URL here, followed
by ENTER on your keyboard to go to a new URL.

Browser buttons: these control the behavior of the currently selected browser (the
one indicated by the Panel Select icon). These are mostly standard browser functions,
described on the next page.

Drag handle: use the handle on the far right end of the tool bar (or any other gray
area which doesn’t have another function) to drag the tool bar to where you want
it on your display.
Reload:
Click this to update the current page if all the latest or expected information did not
appear. This is helpful if you see old information on a page that is updated frequently,
or if graphics appear incorrectly.
Back:
Click this to return to the previous page on the selected panel.

Forward:
Click this to go to the next page in a series of pages you have already visited on
the selected panel.

Stop:
Stops loading the page which is currently loaded into the selected panel. Click this
button if you have typed a URL or selected a favorite page in error, and don’t want
to wait for it to load before moving on.
Home:
Click this to go to your home page for the selected panel (the first page you see
on each panel when you open CubicEye).

Favorites:
Click this to open the Favorites dialog, where you can store links (shortcuts) to your
most frequently visited Web sites, or select an already stored favorite to load onto
the currently selected panel.
Expand/Collapse:
Expands the currently selected panel into another cube. Changes to
Collapse after Expanding, which lets you restore the original flat panel.

Enter:
Once a panel has been expanded, the Enter arrow becomes active, which allows
you to move into the expanded cube.
 The menu
At the top of the program’s window, below the title bar, is the menu, with the following functions:

Open opens a saved cube file into a single cube

(full version opens complex cubes)
Save saves a single or complex cube file (full version only)
Print Setup... brings up your printer’s page setup dialog box
Print... prints the document in the center panel
Exit exits the program

Cubes
these operations apply to the six panels in the current cube

Next Cube returns to the next cube after a previous cube operation
Previous Cube returns all six panels of the current cube to the last cube
you left. You leave a cube whenever you Enter another one or
when you go to a Cube Favorite, a Cube Home, etc.
Home goes to the home page on all six panels
Favorites brings up a dialog from which you can either save the
current cube as a favorite or go to a favorite cube.

Options

Tool Bar turns on or off the display and use of the Tool Bar.
NavWheel turns on or off the display and use of the NavWheel.
Status Bar turns on or off the display of the Status Bar
Borders turns on or off the display of the Panel Borders
View History displays a list of URLs that were active each time you
left a cube, preceded by information about how you
left that cube.
Preferences brings up the dialog show on the next page, which allows
the user to configure the six home URLs, the number of
steps used during rotations and zooming, and several
additional options available only in the full version.
Preferences...
Cube Content

Home page:
Type in a URL for the
home page for each
panel here, or use the
pull-down arrow on
the right to select from
your favorites.
Steps:
The number of steps
used during rotation
and zooming. Smaller
numbers indicate less
steps and faster
rotation and zooms.
Web Mail and Search Engine URL Boxes (full version only):
These allow you to specify the web mail service and search engine called by the menu items.
Skins (full version only):
Allow you to select from various installed skins to alter the look of the CubicEye interface.

Zoom
The first two commands,
Zoom In and Zoom out,
resize the center panel a
quarter-step at a time, while
the next five commands
jump directly to a the
specified Zoom ratio. When
you start the program, you
are fully zoomed out. When
you zoom all the way in, the
center panel fills the screen.
Help
The first three options take you to
the specified 2ce websites:
Help... help website
Register registration website
Upgrade upgrade website
About... brings up information
about the program
version, copyright, etc.
 The menu icons

To the right of the menu text items area number of icons which perform cube-related and
other common functions. These are divided into four functional groups as follows:

Cube browsing
These items are very similar to the functions which typically apply to a browser, except that
they apply to all six browsers in the current cube.

From left to right, these include Previous Cube, Next Cube, Stop (stops all six browsers from
loading), Cube Home, and Cube History.

It is important to understand the first of these functions, Previous Cube, because the Next
Cube and Cube History functions depend upon it as well.

You probably know that in a conventional browser, as in CubicEye, the Back function takes
you to the last page visited. In a similar fashion, the Previous Cube function takes you to the
last Cube visited. The question is, what is the definition of the Previous Cube?

In CubicEye, a History is saved, consisting of each Cube that you leave. This history, viewable
with the Cube History function, is what is used when you select the Previous Cube function.

For example, when you first start the program, six URLs are loaded from your Home Cube.
This is your starting position. Suppose that you navigate by linking or typing URLs on any
or all of the six panels, and then you decide to go back to your Home Cube by pressing the
Home Cube icon. Before moving to your Home Cube, the six URLs that are in the current
cube now become your Previous Cube, and are added to the History.

Suppose that you use Cube Favorites to jump to another cube you have previously saved.
The six URLs present in the current cube become your Previous Cube at this point, and are
saved in the History.

Finally, if you first Expand and then Enter a cube, the cube you are leaving becomes your
Previous Cube, and is added to the History.

Once these items are added to the History, you may use Previous and Next Cube functions.
 Macro functions
From left to right:

Search brings up a search engine (Google) on the center panel

(choice of search engine is user configurable in the full version)

Print prints the web page currently displayed on the center panel

Email brings up an email web page (HotMail) on the center panel

(choice of web mail provider is user configurable in the full version)

Favorites brings up a dialog from which you can name the current cube as a favorite or select
from the cubes you have already named as favorites. This dialog also provides the
opportunity to make either the current cube or any previously saved favorite into
your Home Cube.

Zooming
These duplicate the Zoom menu items. The ‘+’ and ‘-’ at either end Zoom In or Out by a
quarter step at a time, while the clicking on the individual circles jumps directly to the Zoom
level indicated.

The small circle indicates fully zoomed out, which is the default, while the large circle indicates
fully zoomed in, in which the center panel is expanded to fill the screen.

Rotation
These icons rotate the cube in the direction indicated.

From left to right these are as follows:

The first icon brings the left panel to center, while the second brings the right panel to center.
The third icon brings the bottom to center, while the last brings the top to center.

Note that the cube can also be rotated with the NavWheel (see NavWheel).
 The NavWheelTM
The NavWheel is an alternative interface to the more familiar
toolbar, and has the advantage that it is not displayed on-
screen until you need to use it. Use of the NavWheel is enabled
by checking the NavWheel command on the Options menu.

The NavWheel is activated by right-clicking the mouse, and

controls the browser that the mouse is over when you click.

If, instead of releasing the right button when you click, you
continue to hold down and drag the mouse away from the
center of the NavWheel, a line is drawn from the center to the
cursor. If the line intersects one of the icons, that command
is highlighted, and it is activated when the mouse is released.

Releasing the mouse button in the gray area between the

round icons and the cube in the center cancels the NavWheel.

If you do not hold down the mouse, (i.e. click and release
quickly) the NavWheel stays up until you click (right or left
mouse button) on one of the icons. In this case, you may
cancel the NavWheel by clicking in either the gray area or
anywhere outside the NavWheel.

Sub-menus

In some cases, holding the mouse down over one of the icons
will bring up a menu of options relating to that icon. Clicking
or releasing the mouse over one of these items activates the
highlighted item. Hovering over the “reload” icon brings up a
box where you can type a new URL for the selected panel.
Rotation using the NavWheel
At the center of the NavWheel is a cube icon which indicates the panel that will
be brought to the center of the cube when you click or release on the icon. This
is the same as the panel that you originally right-clicked over. Click or release
over this cube icon to rotate the cube in the indicated direction.
Reload
Click this to update the current page if all the latest or expected information did
not appear. This is helpful if you see old information on a page that is updated
frequently or if graphics appear incorrectly.
Back:
Click this to return to the previous page on the selected panel.

Forward:
Click this to go to the next page in a series of pages you have already visited
on the selected panel.

Stop
Stops loading the page which is currently loaded into the selected panel. Click
this button if you have typed a URL or selected a favorite page in error, and don’t
want to wait for it to load before moving on.
Home:
Click this to go to your home page for the selected panel (the first page you see
on each panel when you open CubicEye).

Favorites:
Click this to open the Favorites dialog, where you can store links (shortcuts) to
your most frequently visited Web sites or select a website to load onto the selected
panel.
Expand
Expands the selected panel into another cube. If the site is 2ce enabled, the
website’s specified panels will be loaded, otherwise, the first four links on the
page will be loaded.
Collapse
Once a panel has been expanded, the Expand icon changes to this Collapse
icon, which lets you close the expanded cube and return to the original flat panel
which existed before the cube was expanded.
 Additional features of the full version of CubicEyeTM
Registration and Upgrade Process:

Product Registration and Upgrade codes can be obtained at 2ce’s website at www.2ce.com.
Registration ensures that you are notified when both free and for-fee upgrades are announced.
Once you have obtained either a serial number and registration or upgrade code from 2ce,
which will be sent to you by email, both the serial number and the registration should be typed
into the appropriate fields in the CubicEye About... box. Typing a valid serial number and
registration code will update your status to “registered” and cause your splash screen to
disappear automatically when loading the program. A valid update code will change your
status to “updgraded” and automatically unlock the additional features of the full version. In
either case, you only need to type the information once, not every time your run the program.

Cube configuration files:

The Save command on the File menu allow you to save files describing simple or complex
cube layouts. These files are saved with the file extension “eye”, and can be saved wherever
you like. If you elected to associate the eye file extension with CubicEye during installation
(the default), you can open these cube files by double-clicking on them, by dragging them
onto the CubicEye application icon, etc., as well as with the Open command on the File menu.

Share your cubes:

You can save these “eye” files on a disk, share them across a network, or even email them
to a friend. The recipient must have the CubicEye or the CubicEye VIEWER installed on their
computer in order to open the files, available at www.2ce.com. The CubicEye VIEWER will
open single cubes, while the full version of the CubicEye can open complex layouts.

Skins:

When you download CubicEye skins from the 2ce website (or make your own), each one
should be in its own folder inside the “skins” folder in your CubicEye folder. These will
automatically appear in the Skins drop-down item in your Preferences box. Selecting one of
these skins will automatically apply it to the CubicEye interface when you press OK in the
Preferences dialog.
Panel Operations:

Several commands on the Panel menu in the full version of the CubicEye users more control
over the individual panels which make up an individual cube.

Swap: swaps the contents of any two panels in the current cube. After selecting this command,
you will be prompted (in the Status Bar) to select the first panel, and then the second. Click
on each panel when prompted. If the Status Bar is turned off, simply click on one panel, and
then another. After the second click, the panels will be swapped. If you change your mind
before the second click, press ESC on your keyboard and the operation will be aborted.

Join Horizontal/Join Vertical: These two commands connect any two panels in the current
cube together so that one website can share them. Choose the operation that makes sense
for the website you want to veiw on the panels. Most websites will work best on vertically
joined panels rather than horizontally, because many websites are limited to 800 pixels wide
due to the constraints of conventional display mechanisms. As with the Swap function, you
will be prompted to select the first panel and the second. Unlike the Swap function, however,
the order makes a difference. The first panel that you select should be the one that contains
the website that you want to run across two panels. The second panel is the one that the first
website will flow onto. The content currently on the second panel will be covered while the
two are joined.

The most obvious use is to join two adjacent panels, but adjacency is not required. Interesting
configurations can be created by joining two panels across from other, the ceiling to the floor,
etc.

Split: This command is used to separate two joined panels. After clicking the command,
simply click on either of the two joined panels, and their original status will be restored. The
primary content will return to the original single panel, and the hidden content on the second
panel will return.

Web Mail URL / Search Engine URL:

Two text boxes are provided in the Preferences dialog where you can enter the URLs of your
favorite Web Mail site and Search Engine site. Once entered here, these websites can be
accessed quickly by clicking the Mail and Search icons on the main menu, respectively.
 Keyboard Shortcuts
There are keyboard shortcuts for a number of CubicEye functions, including the following:

Navigation:

rotate left Ctrl + Left Arrow

rotate right Ctrl + Right Arrow
rotate up Ctrl + Up Arrow
rotate down Ctrl + Down Arrow

Zooming:

zoom in Ctrl + Page Down

zoom out Ctrl + Page Up
zoom in full Ctrl + End
zoom out full Ctrl + Home

Scrolling:

scroll up Up Arrow
scroll down Down Arrow
scroll up a page Page Up
scroll down a page Page Down
scroll to top of page Home
scroll to bottom of page End

Editing:

cut Ctrl + X or Shift Delete

copy Ctrl + C
paste Ctrl + V
undo Ctrl + Z or Alt + Backspace

All shortcuts require that the cube, desired panel or editable item be clicked first. Once clicked,
any number of shortcut keys may be used in sequence.
 TM

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http://www.2ce.com
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v 1.0
Software and documentation © 2001 2ce, Inc.
Patents pending on proprietary software concepts and features