Optička Stimulus Generator is an object oriented framework/GUI for the Psychophysics toolbox, allowing randomised interleaved presentation of stimuli for electrophysiology. It is designed to work on OS X, Windows (currently no digital I/O) or Linux, and interfaces via strobed words and ethernet with a Plexon Omniplex for recording neurophysiological data. Please see http://
Screenshot: http://
Features
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❦ Values are always given in eye-relevant co-ordinates (degrees etc.) that are internally calculated based on screeen geometry/distance
❦ No limit on the number of independent variables, and variables can be linked to multiple stimuli.
❦ Number of heterogeneous stimuli displayed simultaneously only limited by the GPU / computer power.
❦ Display lists are used, so one can easily change drawing order (i.e. what stimulus draws over other stimuli), by changing its order on the list.
❦ Object Oriented, allowing stimulus classes to be easily added and code to autodocument using DOxygen.
❦ The set of stimuli and variables can be saved into protocol files, to easily run successive protocols quickly.
❦ Fairly comprehensive control of the PTB interface to the drawing hardware, like blending mode, bit depth, windowing, verbosity.
❦ Colour is defined in floating point format, takes advantage of higher bit depths in newer graphics cards when available. The buffer can be defined from 8-32bits, use full alpha blending within that space and enable a >8bit output using pseudogrey bitstealing techniques.
❦ Sub-pixel precision (1/256th pixel) for movement and positioning.
❦ TTL output to data acquisition and other devices. Currently uses LabJack to interface to the Plexon Omniplex using strobed words.
❦ Can talk to other machines on the network during display using TCP/UDP (used to control Plexon online display, so one can see PSTHs for each stimulus variable shown in real time).
❦ Each stimulus has its own relative X & Y position, and the screen centre can be arbitrarily moved via the GUI.
❦ Can record stimuli to video files.
❦ Manages monitor calibration using ColorCalII. Calibration sets can be saved and loaded easily via the GUI.
❦ Gratings:
• Per-frame update of properties for arbitrary numbers of grating patches.
• Rectangular or circular aperture.
• Cosine or hermite interpolation for filtering grating edges.
• Square wave gratings
• Gabors
❦ Coherent dot stimuli, coherence expressed from 0-1. Either square or round dots. Colours can be simple, random, random luminance or binary. Kill rates allow random replacement rates for dots. Circular aperture option.
❦ Bars, either solid colour or random noise texture. Bars can be animated, direction can be independent of their angle.
❦ Flashing/pulsing spots.
❦ Pictures/Images that can drift and rotate.
❦ Hand-mapping module - use mouse controlled dynamic bar / texture / colour to handmap receptive fields; includes logging of clicked position and later printout / storage of hand maps. These maps are in screen co-ordinates for quick subsequent stimulus placement.
View full history Series and milestones
trunk series is the current focus of development.
