User Interface

For data analysis functions or trajectory comparison plots, select cartridges from the list in the data base using the familiar mouse click for one cartridge, SHIFT+click for a range of cartridges, and Ctrl+click for additional individual cartridge selections. Double click on a cartridge to work with that cartridge immediately. You may select as many cartridges as you like for the comparison plots. All of the images shown in this tour were captured at 1600x1200 resolution. However, JBallistics looks quite similar at other resolutions down to 1024x768. Below that there is simply not enough screen "real estate" to properly display the volume of data that must be shown. On the left is the cartridge/bullet list (currently 1503 entries) and the buttons for producing trajectory comparison plots. On the right is the Shooting Parameters window. You may specify: the muzzle height below the sights, the target height, the sight 'zero' distance or fixed muzzle shooting angle, the analysis distance or time, wind velocity and direction, altitude, temperature, relative humidity, barometric pressure, atmosphere model (ICAO or Army Standard Metro), trajectory model (Vacuum, Point Mass, or Modified Point Mass), drag function (standard 'G' functions plus user defined functions), firing latitude and direction (for Coriolis effects), your barrel length and twist rate, and trajectory distance and time increments.

With a Java Application you can have numerous similar windows open on the screen at the same time. Here, each of these windows provides access to the data and analysis functions for a cartridge/bullet. Data for each cartridge includes the cartridge name, bullet type, weight, diameter, Ballistic Coefficient (G1 provided), muzzle velocity, and barrel length used to obtain that muzzle velocity. Here you may specify the units for the trajectory plots to be either distance or time. The individual trajectory analyses are launched from this window by clicking on the appropriate buttons.

When you have many windows on the screen at the same time JBallistics can tile them all to help you see what you have going on. You can also iconify and deiconify windows to assist with screen space management.

Displayed plot windows have a number of user interface features available. The mouse can be used as a digitizer showing the position of the mouse in plot value coordinates. This enables precise reading of plot values. Plots may be printed on your printer. Background colors can be switched to/from white and black. The size may be varied from a minimum window all the way up to full screen. User-defined areas of the plot inside a box drawn with the mouse may be cropped and redisplayed as the entire plot. The full plot may be redrawn at any time. The data points used to construct the plot lines may be displayed or hidden. For plots with multiple lines, a separate labels window may be displayed to make the line legends more visible. Here, the various standard Aerodynamic Drag Functions are displayed on one plot.