MgedFAQ

From BRL-CAD
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Editing, viewing, and correcting objects

Q1:

I am trying to create case walls for ammo, gun tubes, etc. and the
way I'm doing it is by making inner and outer walls using rcc and trc
primitives, and I have figured out that I need to make a combination
of the two, then hide the primitives and draw the comb, and then do rt
to see the finished product. That's fine. But if I
translate or rotate the inner wall, for example, away from the point
of creation, I cannot seem to figure out a way to restore it to its
original point so that it perfectly lines up concentric with the outer
wall. Can this be done with the mouse, or must I use the keyboard and
editing commands?

A1:

There are reset and apply options on the Edit menu when you're
in an edit mode on a primitive. The intent is that you incrementally
apply/accept changes as you are happy with them or reject/reset them
if you are not. As for your create -> hide -> draw steps, you can
collapse those with a "B objectname" which will erase everything else
and draw 'objectname' in one step.

Matrix editing objects

Q2:

Once I create a combination, is the proper way to modify the
combination via matrix edits, or is there some other way? I understand
that matrix edits really mean applying the same change to all elements
of an entity (primitives within a comb, for example), and then pushing
the common change to all elements.

A2:

Presuming you mean 3D manipulations (translation, rotation,
scaling, etc) instead of structural (adding new CSG elements), then
yes--matrix edit (aka "object edit") is the means to modify. Matrix
edit doesn't have to be on everything in a given combination, but it
is a hierarchical tree so if you apply a matrix to object A that
references objects B and C, the matrix applies to that entier
hierarchy. Whether you push the matris is a modeling design decision,
which I personally do not like performing so that editing operations
retain a useful local coordinate systems. Others have different
preferences for different reasons.

Resetting object vertex (V)

Q3:

When I move an rcc or trc, I want to reset where V is, but there
seems to be no command that allows me to reset V to 0 0 0. Is there
one?

A3:

Select translate on the Edit menu and then type:
mged> p 0 0 0

Editing general cone radii

Q4:

Is there a way to modify the radius of rcc's and trc's? I can't
find a 'set R' command in the prim selection menu anywhere.

A4:

rcc's and trc's are all fundamentally a generalized cone
represented by two vectors at both ends of the cone. To change the
radius, select either the "Set A,B" or "Set C,D" menu option, and
type:
mged> p ###
for whatever ### size you want to set it to.

Editing solid parameters A and B

Q5:

When I try to set A and B at the same time, thinking if I make
them the same, the radius will be uniform, but it tends to squash
them to a single point. This leads me to believe that I am setting A
and B to the same coordinates in space, not the same length (radius).
Is this a true statement? (I tend to think of geometries in terms of
their respective dimensions but it seems like with MGED, you have to
know exactly where in space everything is, and that is not really
desirable for me most of the time.)

A5:

Sounds like the size value you're using is way too small. It
should be the absolute size using whatever units you're operating
with, just a single value (e.g., "p 1000"), not multiple values for A
and B. Doing "Set A,B" basically means "keep the base circular"
instead of ellipsoidal.

Picking combination and primary objects

Q6:

I see that you can pick which combs you want to modify under the
comb editor, but the same does not apply for the prim editor. The
prim editor seems to be only or generating new prims. Is that a true
statement?

A6:

No, it's not true that it only generates new primitives. It's
just lacking a drop-down box because there are generally way too
many primitives for that to be a useful selection mechanism with any
real model and its use is often discouraged for other reasons (it's
very susceptible to human error that in ways that are difficult to
recover from--use with caution). Type the name of the primitive
you wish to edit into the 'Name:' field and hit enter. The values
should update to show that primitive.

Translating objects

Q7:

When trying to translate a combination, where is the 'Z move'? I
see only 'X move', 'Y move', 'XY move'. Answer: You may have to select
the combination and use the translate or tra commands to reposition
the object.

A7:

Very good question! The naming convention used on the labels
should be clarified, but it's trivial "once you know". The X and Y
don't refer to the 3D coordinates but rather to the 2D view.. So if
you are looking at front, left, right, or rear views, then the z axis
runs up and down the graphics window vertically, so selecting the "X
Move" option will translate up and down the Z axis. Similarly, if
you're looking from a more complex/arbitrary view, doing an X Move or
Y move will perform more complex movements than just constrained to a
given coordinate axis. The labels should probably say something like
"Pan object horizontally" and "Pan object vertically" for X Move and Y
Move respectively with the XY Move meaning something like just "Pan
object".

Copying text from the command window ('journal')

Q8:

Is there a way to block-copy text from the command window, or save
it as a buffer/text file, in case you want to record the steps it
took you to do something?
I tried using the journal command and even tried to view the file
while a session was open but it was a zero-length file with none of
my session saved.

A8:

The journal command only begins recording from the moment you type
journal, and presently doesn't write out the journal entries until
you close your session. It's a limitation of the implementation.
You should also be able to copy/paste any text in the command window
using usual copy/paste methods (select region and click middle mouse
button in a text buffer in another xterm window, for example).

Fitting view to window

Q9:

Is there a 'fit to window' zoom feature?

A9:

The autoview command automatically resizes geometry when it is
loaded and it's intentionally 50% the bounding of your display size
so that it's guaranteed to be fully displayed at any orientation.
You can 'zoom 2' to make it fit more tightly, and can similarly wrap
those two commands into a proc of your own. autoview can be run on-
demand and is automatically run whenever you 'e' or 'draw' something
among a variety of other commands.

Cutting a solid to make a combination

Q10:

How do you use a plane to slice part of a solid to make a
combination (e.g., a plane cutting a box at an angle and just using
the resulting portion of the box)?

A10:

The recommended approach is to create an arb8 or similar box
shape that is positioned exactly how you want it and subtract or
intersect as desired. You can also use a "half" primitive, which
stands for halfspace (which is an infinite plane where half the space
is solid the other half is empty) though the performance is
non-optimal for real models.

Panning the view

Q11:

Can you pan the view before you raytrace so that you can see more
of the geometry in the rt window (fb) but without having to physically
move the geometry around?

A11:

Not sure I understand this question fully, but it sounds like the
answer is "yes". You can raytrace from any azimuth/elevation as well
as from any arbitrary view whether panned or not. By default in
mged, when you run rt', it will invoke the raytracer with a view that
matches the geometry window's view so if you're not in an edit mode,
you can change the view to whatever you want without editing or
modifying geometry.

Translating objects away from visible axes

Q12:

When you change (translate) the body away from the blue xyz axes,
does that actually change the coordinates as well, or is that only a
visual change (i.e. now your coordinates referenced to the origin are
totally different than from when you started)?

A12:

Depends whether you're in an edit mode. The blue axes you're
referring to, I presume, are the "View" axes which only refer to the
orientation of the view and which is always at the center. The green
axes are the model axes, which indicate where an object is at, and
when coupled with the white edit axes, show you how edits are being
performed.

Interrogate mged for axis changes

Q13:

Is there any way to interrogate MGED and find out where your new
(translated) xyz axes are relative to the original origin if you
moved the object geometry around (i.e. new 0,0,0 =3D old x,y,z +
translation matrix)?

A13:

Yes, turn on the Faceplate option on the Misc menu.. that option
really should be set by default. Be sure to run File->Create/
Update .mgedrc so that it keeps your settings between runs of mged.

Creating a plane (2D) object

Q14:

How can you create just a plane, triangle, etc. if you need one?
Do you just make a 3D primitive with zero thickness?

A14:

This one is somewhat philosophical. BRL-CAD is predominantly a
3D solid modeler so creating 2D or 1D objects is not only highly
discouraged but generally rather complicated. That said, halfspaces
work well instead of planes, arb5's instead of triangles, and spheres
instead of points. Alternatively, in the 2D realm, you can use the
sketch primitive and the sketcher to make purely 2D objects, though
the use of those are generally limited to extrusions. There is a way
to manually create triangles and meshes, but it's non-trivial and
similarly limited in use until you form a closed 3D shape.

Creating a non-smooth surface

Q15:

How do you make a non-smooth surface such as a corrugated circular
surface surrounding a cylinder?

A15:

There are two methods to achieve that, both with their tradeoffs.
The CSG approach would have you create a cylindrical pattern that
matches your corrugation pattern. For example, you can make something
like corrugated duct tubes by subtracting a linearly translated
pattern of torii from a cylinder--create a similar smaller version
to hollow out the middle. Alternatively, you could use a 2D extrusion
approach for something as simple as a cylinder where you model the
shape in 2D using a sketch primitive and combine that with an
extrude operation, and you'd have it. You can see an example of the
CSG approach using the pattern tool at http://ftp.brlcad.org/tmp/gear/
where I create a simple 6-tooth gear using a relatively simple tooth
shape.

Constraining angles of rotated components

Q16:

How do you set the angle that an articulated rotating component
may sit at (e.g., a hinged part or arm)? Is such a thing possible?

A16:

It is possible, but frankly not a strong point of the package.
You'd use a joint/constraint system and have it solve for various
angles. It's quite difficult to use frankly, and generally easier to
perform the rotation using one of several rotation commands (see the
MGED Quick Reference cheat sheet)--at least one of those is dedicated
to rotation via angles. You cannot set the angle as an automatically
resolved constraint at the moment.

Repeating construction of an object (pattern editing)

Q17:

If you wanted to distribute a common structure on the inside of a
cylinder at a fixed spacing, how would you go about doing something
like that (e.g., a structural stiffener)?

A17:

If I understand the question correctly, the pattern tool should
do the trick (on the Tools menu). Probably a cylindrical pattern
with some periodic/fixed spacing. Basically the same as the gear I
mentioned above, but with a different base object being duplicated.

Batching or scripting mged commands

Q18:

Can you take a series of MGED commands to build a geometry and
batch-file it and just have MGED run the batch file in order to
autocreate geometries?

A18:

Yes! Create your text file and run mged using the -c option for
command/classic mode. You can do something like
$ mged -c file.g < my_transcript.txt
or here now documents like:
$ mged -c file.g <<EOF > my_log.txt 2>&1
`cat my_transcript.txt`
EOF
and more. You can also use the -c option to run any individual mged
command without it bringing up the entire mged environment, e.g.,
$ mged -c myfile.g tops

Lighting and the mater command

Q19:

I have used the mater command to make a combination white but it
shows up gray in rt. How do I fix that? Is that a lighting property?
What about the fact that the wireframe in the regular MGED graphics
window is always red?

A19:

That is a lighting property and is dependent upon the lights in
the scene. If you define no lighting sources, rt creates default
lights for you. First, make sure you really are looking at what you
think you're seeing by setting the object's color to green or blue
instead of white. If you don't, then you're doing something else
wrong. The mater command is supposed to be used on regions, which
gets into a whole hierarchy discussion that is far beyond this forum
and better explained over the span of the tutorial series. The fact
that you set a color on a non-region is probably why the wireframe is
still red.

Translating and rotating objects

Q20:

When I shift and rotate geometry around so that it fits into the
viewing area (a) does that actually reposition the geometry to a new
place, or is that just visual; (b) is there a 'reset' or 'undo'
command to reset the geometry to its original position; and (c) is there a way
to precisely re-zero the geometry?

A20: This sounds a lot like question 13 and the answer depends on whether you're in an edit mode or not. If the edit menu lists a bunch of editing options, along with options to Accept/Apply/Reset/Reject, then you are in an edit mode and changes to the geometry window may be actual edits (it depends what buttons you press--see the cheat sheet on the main website documents section). If you don't see Accept/Apply/Reset/Reject options then nothing you do in the graphics window will edit geometry, you're only affecting the view orientation. If you do see then, then those aforementioned Edit menu options of Reset and Reject are there to help. To precisely select a view, either use the View menu or type one of the key-bindings in the graphics window (e.g., 'f' for front, 't' for top, '3' for 35/25, '0' to stop it from spinning if you hit xyzXYZ).