Dear OOF Users --

 Here is an update on a few important topics:

1) New versions available.

2) Confusion over Euler angles.

3) OOF Workshop tentatively scheduled for Aug 30 - Sept 1, 1999.

4) We are still accepting applications for a post-doc.

 As always, feedback is very welcome.

   The OOF Team,
             Steve Langer
             Craig Carter
             Ed Fuller

             oof_manager@ctcms.nist.gov

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1) NEW VERSIONS

 OOF 1.0.5 and PPM2OOF 1.0.6 are available on the CTCMS web site.
(http://www.ctcms.nist.gov/~langer/oof/) The on-line OOF manual and
downloadable postscript file have been updated to version 1.0.5.
Changes since version 1.0.3 include:

* OOF and PPM2OOF now run on the Alpha processor.  The versions on the
  web site were compiled with the GNU egcs-1.1.1 compiler on Linux
  2.1.125.

* Image modification tools were added to PPM2OOF.  Each graphics
  window has a "Modify Image" dashboard containing image modification
  tools, including an "Undo" button.  Modified images can be saved for
  future reference with the "Image Gallery" dashboard.  The set of
  currently selected pixels is the same in all images, but the
  currently displayed image and selection method can differ from
  window to window.

* In PPM2OOF, when selecting pixels with the "Pixel" method, the mouse
  can be dragged to select a rectangle, circle, or ellipse.

* In PPM2OOF, the currently selected region can be expanded or shrunk
  with commands in the "select modify" menu.

* In both programs, the message window contains colored text. Output
  from commands is black, information is brown, echoed commands are
  blue, and errors are red. In OOF, a new menu, "output tee", can be
  used to save the different kinds of output in a file. ("tee" gets
  its name from the Unix "tee" command, which is used to put a branch
  in a pipe.)

* In OOF, a new "Element Index" button in the "Element Info" dashboard
  allows you to more easily correlate information from the output
  commands.

* Due to a bug in OOF, applied forces weren't being applied. This bug
  was introduced in version 1.0.3.  (It should have been entirely
  obvious that forces weren't being applied, so either nobody uses
  this feature or nobody bothered to report the error...) Earlier
  versions worked properly.

* In both programs, clicking on the wrong part of a function window
  could bring up the Home window, due to a misplaced hidden feature of
  the function window. This has been fixed.

---------------------------------

2) CONFUSION OVER EULER ANGLES

 The description of our Euler angle convention in the OOF manual
(Chapter "Element Types", Section "Rotations") was confusing and
misleading.  The program itself was correct, but if you used the
manual to generate angles you may not have been getting the crystal
orientations you thought you were.  The manual has been clarified.
Thanks to Chun-Hway Hsueh for pointing out the confusion.

---------------------------------

3) OOF WORKSHOP

 We are now thinking of holding an OOF workshop at NIST, Gaithersburg,
on August 30- September 1, 1999.  It will be held in conjunction with
a workshop on microstructure-based computational methods for modeling
of ceramics.  Please let us know if you might be interested in
attending. (Expressions of interest or disinterest are not binding.)

---------------------------------

4) POST-DOC POSITION

 We are still accepting applications for a post-doc to work with us on
developing the next generation of OOF software.  Applicants should
have a background in materials science or physics, and extensive
experience in object-oriented programming, especially using C++.
Interested candidates should send a resume, a detailed description of
their computing experience, and letters of recommendation to

  Stephen Langer
  NIST
  100 Bureau Drive -- Stop 8910
  Gaithersburg, MD 20899-8910

e-mail applications may be sent to

  stephen.langer@nist.gov