HOW TO: Switch desktops in 3D view! Cool!

[anil_robo]

First, make sure you have all the repositories and 3D support enabled!

1. Open a terminal window, type:

sudo apt-get install 3ddesktop

press enter
2. 3ddesktop should be installed.
3. you can type 3ddesk and press enter in terminal to run this. (Use arrow keys to change desktops, enter to select that desktop)

You'll see something like this:



You can switch between desktops by:
1. Using the up and down arrow keys
2. Using the right and left arrow keys
3. Using the mouse scrolling wheel.

How to make a desktop launcher for 3d desktop:

1.Right click on an empty area in the taskbar, and click "add to panel"
2. Double click "custom application launcher"
3. Name: 3D Desktop changer
Comment: My cool 3D Desktop changer (or whatever you like)
Command: 3ddesk
Make sure you have "run in terminal" unchecked.
If you want, you can select an icon by clicking on "no icon" button.
4. CLick OK

To run 3ddesktop switcher, just click on the icon you just made on the panel.

How to assign the windows key to 3ddesktop:

1.

gconf-editor

2. Navigate to apps/metacity/keybinding_commands
3. Choose an empty command (I chose Command_1), double click, set value to 3ddesk
4. Now navigate to apps/metacity/global_keybindings in gconf-editor
5. Find Run_command_1 (or whichever command you chose in step3 above), double click it, set value to Super_L
6. Close gconf-editor
7. Check by pressing your windows key. It should start 3ddesktop.

Tips:
1. If the screens come up grey when you first run it, you probably do not have 3ddesktop daemon (3ddeskd) running. So you have to pass a command from terminal manually:

3ddesk --acquire=100

2. 3ddesktop has many display modes. Try these:

3ddesk --mode=linear --nozoom

3ddesk --view=slide

3ddesk --view=linearzip

Other command-line options are:

--version Display version information
--view=xxx Uses the options from the view in 3ddesktop.conf
--mode=xxx Sets the arrangement mode
(one of carousel, cylinder, linear, viewmaster,
priceisright, flip, or random)
--acquire[=#] Grab images for all the desktops by cycling thru
(sleep for x millisecs at each screen for refresh)
--acquirecurrent Grab image for current desktop
--nozoom Disable the zoom out
--changespeed Set the rotation speed
--zoomspeed Set the zoom speed
--gotoright Goto the desktop to the right
--gotoleft Goto the desktop to the left
--gotoup Goto the desktop to the up
--gotodown Goto the desktop to the down
--goto=# Goto specified column (deprecated)
--gotocolumn=# Goto specified column
--gotorow=# Goto specified row
--dontexit Don't exit after a goto
--stop Stop 3ddesktop (kill 3ddeskd daemon)
--reload Force a reload of 3ddesktop.conf
--noautofun Don't Automatically turn on Fun Mode
--revmousewheel Reverse the mousewheel
--swapmousebuttons Swap the mousebuttons
--altmousebuttons Use alternate mousebuttons scheme
--justswitch Just switch desktops and acquire without graphics


This is great for people who have not got xgl working yet! Enjoy!

[astronerd]

Couldnt get it to work following your directions... Nothing happens when I click on the icon that is made. Is there something else you forgot to add?

[BoneyOne]

Works pretty neatly....only problem I had is that some of the screens came up green until I went to the manually first....*shrugs* oh well.

[dabear]

It would be cool if you could figure out how to link the 3ddesk command to a short key, e.g. ctrl + shift + 2 or similar.

[jr.gotti]

Works pretty neatly....only problem I had is that some of the screens came up green until I went to the manually first....*shrugs* oh well.

Use '3ddesk -acquire' first (maybe add it to your startup?) and it will take a snapshot of all your desktops. This will eliminate that small, yet rather unattractive problem.

It would be cool if you could figure out how to link the 3ddesk command to a short key, e.g. ctrl + shift + 2 or similar.

This is quite possible, to do it just...

Go to System Tools > Configuration Editor.

Open apps > metacity > keybinding commands.

Double click on command_1, and in the value field, enter '3ddesk' (no quotes).

Now, go to apps > metacity > global keybindings and double click on "run command_1."

In the value enter your keyboard shortcut. I used <Control><Alt>P, but use whatever suits you...

Now, delete the custom launcher he told you to make in the original post...it's useless.

Hope I helped,
-Jason

By the way, I think he forgot to mention, you have to have your graphics card drivers installed and OpenGL working for this to function correctly.

EDIT 2: What is with the Windows XP Bliss wallpaper?! I'm not hating or anything...but people that use linux tend to customize a LITTLE more than that. Lol. Run over to http://www.deviantart.com and grab a nice desktop. (Sorry, I had to say something about it...)

[Zeroedout]

Originally Posted by astronerd Couldnt get it to work following your directions... Nothing happens when I click on the icon that is made. Is there something else you forgot to add?

You need to install the drivers for your video card so opengl will work.

[gabhla]

You need to install the drivers for your video card so opengl will work.

This installed fine...I just have same problem mentiond above by someone else, I click on the icon - nothng happens. At the risk of sounding dumb..how do I determine which drivers I need, then how do go about installing them?

[anil_robo]

I posted this on HOW-TO and it takes a long delay before they approve my post. So I've posted it in general too, so that I can update this frequently. See the updated post here: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=100169

[benplaut]

look at the manpage for some info... it's possible to "3ddesk --move-left" or something... you can set custom commands for pretty much anything

[anil_robo]

Originally Posted by pixelPOET Use '3ddesk -acquire' first ...

Thanks! I didn't know that!

EDIT 2: What is with the Windows XP Bliss wallpaper?! I'm not hating or anything...but people that use linux tend to customize a LITTLE more than that. Lol. Run over to http://www.deviantart.com and grab a nice desktop. (Sorry, I had to say something about it...)

Actually I was trying to make Ubuntu look and feel like Windows XP... someone in the forums asked for it - but I couldn't really do that with the bootup screen! That's about it! And thanks for deviantart link. I stopped using that quite some time back, glad you reminded me again!