MGED User Commands MGED Developer Commands

MGED User Commands

vrot

%

3ptarb

?

?devel

?lib

B

E

M

Z

adc

ae

analyze

animmate

apropos

aproposdevel

aproposlib

arb

arced

area

arot

attach

attr

autoview

bev

bo

bot_condense

bot_decimate

bot_face_fuse

bot_face_sort

bot_face_fuse

bot_vertex_fuse

build_region

c

cat

center

check

color

comb

comb_color

copyeval

copymat

cp

cpi

d

db

db_glob

dbconcat

debugbu

debugdir

debuglib

debugnmg

decompose

delay

dm

draw

dup

e

eac

echo

edcodes

edcolor

edcomb

edgedir

edmater

eqn

erase

ev

exit

expand

expand_comb

extrude

eye_pt

facedef

facetize

find

fracture

g

garbage_collect

gui

heal

help

helpdevel

helplib

hide

history

i

idents

ill

in

inside

item

joint

journal

keep

keypoint

kill

killall

killtree

knob

l

labelvert

listeval

loadtk

lookat

ls

make

mater

matpick

mirface

mirror

mrot

mv

mvall

nirt

nmg_collapse

nmg_simplify

oed

opendb

orientation

orot

oscale

overlay

p

pathlist

paths

permute

plot

prcolor

prefix

press

preview

prj_add

ps

pull

push

putmat

q

qorot

qray

query_ray

quit

qvrot

r

rcodes

rcc-blend

rcc-cap

rcc-tgc

rcc-tor

red

refresh

regdebug

regdef

regions

release

rfarb

rm

rmater

rmats

rot

rotobj

rpp-arch

rpp-cap

rrt

rt

rtcheck

saveview

sca

sed

setview

shader

shells

showmats

size

solids

sph-part

status

summary

sv

sync

t

ted

title

tol

tops

tor-rcc

tra

track

translate

tree

units

vars

vdraw

view

viewsize

vnirt

vquery_ray

wcodes

whatid

which_shader

whichair

whichid

who

wmater

x

xpush

zoom


%
Start a "/bin/sh" shell process for the user. The mged prompt will be replaced by a system prompt for the shell, and the user may perform any legal shell commands. The mged process waits for the shell process to finish, which occurs when the user exits the shell. This only works in a command window associated with a tty (i.e., the window used to start mged in classic mode).
Examples:
mged> %

-- Start a new shell process.


$ ls -al
-- Issue any shell commands.

$ exit
-- Exit the shell.

mged>
-- Continue editing in mged.


3ptarb [ arb_name x1 y1 z1 x2 y2 z2 x3 y3 z3 x|y|z coord1 coord2 thickness]
Build an ARB8 shape by extruding a quadrilateral through a given thickness. The arguments may be provided on the command line; if they are not, they will be prompted for. The x1, y1, and z1 are the coordinates of one corner of the quadrilateral. x2, y2, z2, and x3, y3, z3 are the coordinates of two other corners. Only two coordinates of the fourth point are specified, and the code calculates the third coordinate to ensure all four points are coplanar. The x|y|z parameter indicates which coordinate of the fourth point will be calculated by the code. The coord1 and coord2 parameters supply the other two coordinates. The direction of extrusion for the quadrilateral is determined from the order of the four resulting points by the right-hand rule; the quadrilateral is extruded toward a viewer for whom the points appear in counter-clockwise order.
Examples:
mged> 3ptarb

-- Start the 3ptarb command.

Enter name for this arb: thing
-- The new
ARB8 will be named thing.

Enter X, Y, Z for point 1: 0 0 0
-- Point one is at the origin.

Enter X, Y, Z for point 2: 1 0 0
-- Point two is at (1, 0, 0).

Enter X, Y, Z for point 3: 1 1 0
-- Point three is at (1, 1, 0).

Enter coordinate to solve for (x, y, or z): z
-- The code will calculate the z coordinate of the fourth point.

Enter the X, Y coordinate values: 0 1
-- The x and y coordinates of the fourth point are 0 and 1.

Enter thickness for this arb: 3
-- The new
ARB8 will be 3 units thick.

mged> 3ptarb thing 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 z 0 1 3
-- Same as above example, but with all arguments supplied on the command line.


?
Provide a list of available mged commands. The ?devel, ?lib, help, helpdevel, and helplib commands provide additional information on available commands.
Examples:
mged> ?

-- Get a list of available commands.


?devel
Provide a list of available mged developer commands. The ?, ?lib, help, helpdevel, and helplib commands provide additional information on available commands.
Examples:
mged> ?devel

-- Get a list of available developer commands.


 
?lib
Provide a list of available BRL-CAD library interface commands. The ?, ?devel, help, helpdevel, and helplib commands provide additional information on available commands.
Examples:
mged> ?lib

-- Get a list of available BRL-CAD library interface commands.


B [-R -A -o -s C#/#/#] <objects | attribute name/value pairs>
Clear the mged display of any currently displayed objects, then display the list of objects provided in the parameter list. Equivalent to the Z command followed by the command draw <objects>. The -C option provides the user a way to specify a color that overrides all other color specifications including combination colors and region id-based colors. The -A and -o options allow the user to select objects by attribute. The -s option specifies that subtracted and intersected objects should be drawn with solid lines rather than dot-dash lines. The -R option means do not automatically resize the view if no other objects are displayed. See the draw command for a detailed description of the options.
Examples:
mged> B some_object

-- Clear the display, then display the object named some_object.

mged> B -A -o Comment {First comment} Comment {Second comment}

-- Clear the display, then draw objects that have a "Comment" attribute with a value of either "First comment" or "Second comment."


E [-s] <objects>
Display objects in an evaluated form. All the Boolean operations indicated in each object in objects will be performed, and a resulting faceted approximation of the actual objects will be displayed. Note that this is usually much slower than using the usual draw command. The -s option provides a more accurate, but slower, approximation.
Examples:
mged> E some_object

-- Display a faceted approximation of some_object.


M 1|0 xpos ypos
Send an mged mouse (i.e., defaults to a middle mouse button) event. The first argument indicates whether the event should be a button press (1) or release (0). The xpos and ypos arguments specify the mouse position in mged screen coordinates between -2047 and +2047. With the default bindings, an mged mouse event while in the viewing mode moves the view so that the point currently at screen position (xpos, ypos) is repositioned to the center of the mged display (compare to the center command). The M command may also be used in other editing modes to simulate an mged mouse event.
Examples:
mged> M 1 100 100

-- Translate the point at screen coordinates (100, 100) to the center of the mged display.


Z
Zap (i.e., clear) the mged display.
Examples:
mged> Z

-- Clear the mged display.


adc [-i ] [subcommand]
This command controls the angle/distance cursor. The adc command with no arguments toggles the display of the angle/distance cursor (ADC). The -i option, if specified, causes the given value(s) to be treated as increments. Note that the -i option is ignored when getting values or when used with subcommands where this option makes no sense. You can also control the position, angles, and radius of the ADC using a knob or the knob command. This command accepts the following subcommands:
vars
Returns a list of all ADC variables and their values (i.e., var = val).
draw [0|1]
Set or get the draw parameter.
a1 [angle]
Set or get angle1 in degrees.
a2 [angle]
Set or get angle2 in degrees.
dst [distance]
Set or get radius (distance) of tick in local units.
odst [distance]
Set or get radius (distance) of tick (+-2047).
hv [position]
Set or get position (grid coordinates and local units).
xyz [position]
Set or get position (model coordinates and local units).
x [xpos]
Set or get horizontal position (+-2047).
y [ypos]
Set or get vertical position (+-2047).
dh distance
Add to horizontal position (grid coordinates and local units).
dv distance
Add to vertical position (grid coordinates and local units).
dx distance
Add to x position (model coordinates and local units).
dy distance
Add to y position (model coordinates and local units).
dz distance
Add to z position (model coordinates and local units).
anchor_pos [0|1]
Anchor ADC to current position in model coordinates.
anchor_a1 [0|1]
Anchor angle1 to go through anchorpoint_a1.
anchor_a2 [0|1]
Anchor angle2 to go through anchorpoint_a2.
anchor_dst [0|1]
Anchor tick distance to go through anchorpoint_dst.
anchorpoint_a1 [x y z]
Set or get anchor point for angle1 (model coordinates and local units).
anchorpoint_a2 [x y z]
Set or get anchor point for angle2 (model coordinates and local units).
anchorpoint_dst [x y z]
Set or get anchor point for tick distance (model coordinates and local units).
reset
Reset all values to their defaults.
help
Print the help message.
Examples:
mged> adc

-- Toggle display of the angle/distance cursor

mged> adc a1 37.5
-- Set angle1 to 37.5˚.

mged> adc a1
37.5
-- Get angle1.

mged> adc xyz 100 0 0
-- Move ADC position to (100, 0, 0), model coordinates and local units.


ae [-i] azimuth elevation [twist]
Set the view orientation for the mged display by rotating the eye position about the center of the viewing cube. The eye position is determined by the supplied azimuth and elevation angles (degrees). The azimuth angle is measured in the xy plane with the positive x direction corresponding to an azimuth of 0˚. Positive azimuth angles are measured counter-clockwise about the positive z axis. Elevation angles are measured from the xy plane with +90˚ corresponding to the positive z direction and -90 corresponding to the negative z direction. If an optional twist angle is included, the view will be rotated about the viewing direction by the specified twist angle. The -i option results in the angles supplied being interpreted as increments.
Examples:
mged> ae -90 90

-- View from top direction.


mged> ae 270 0
-- View from right hand side.


mged> ae 35 25 10
-- View from azimuth 35, elevation 25, with view rotated by 10˚.


mged> ae -i 0 0 5
-- Rotate the current view through 5˚ about the viewing direction.


analyze [arb_name]
The "analyze" command displays the rotation and fallback angles, surface area, and plane equation for each face of the ARB specified on the command line. The total surface area and volume and the length of each edge are also displayed. If executed while editing an ARB, the arb_name may be omitted, and the ARB being edited will be analyzed.
Examples:
mged> analyze arb_name

-- Analyze the ARB named arb_name.


animmate
The "animmate" command starts the Tcl/Tk-based animation tool. The capabilities and correct use of this command are too extensive to be described here, but there is a tutorial available.

apropos keyword
The "apropos" command searches through the one-line usage messages for each mged command and displays the name of each command where a match is found.
 
Examples:
mged> apropos region

-- List all commands that contain the word "region" in their one-line usage messages.


aproposdevel keyword
The "aproposdevel" command searches through the one-line usage messages for each mged developer command and displays the name of each command where a match is found.
Examples:
mged> aproposdevel region

-- List all developer commands that contain the word "region" in their one-line usage messages.


aproposlib keyword
The "aproposlib" command searches through the one-line usage messages for each BRL-CAD library interface command and displays the name of each command where a match is found.
Examples:
mged> aproposlib mat

-- List all commands that contain the word "mat" in their one-line usage messages.


arb arb_name rotation fallback
The "arb" command creates a new ARB shape with the specified arb_name. The new ARB will be 20 inches by 20 inches and 2 inches thick. The square faces will be perpendicular to the direction defined by the rotation and fallback angles. This direction can be determined by interpreting the rotation angle as an azimuth and the fallback angle as an elevation as in the ae command.
Examples:
mged> arb new_arb 35 25

-- Create new_arb with a rotation angle of 35˚ and a fallback angle of 25˚.


mged> ae 35 25
-- Rotate view to look straight on at square face of new_arb


arced comb/memb anim_command
The objects in a BRL-CAD model are stored as Boolean combinations of primitive shapes and/or other combinations. These combinations are stored as Boolean trees, with each leaf of the tree including a corresponding transformation matrix. The "arced" command provides a means for directly editing these matrices. The first argument to the "arced" command must identify the combination and which member�s matrix is to be edited. The comb/memb argument indicates that member memb of combination comb has the matrix to be edited. The remainder of the "arced" command line consists of an animation command to be applied to that matrix. The available animation commands are:
Examples:
mged> arced body/head matrix rot 0 0 45

-- Rotate member head (in combination body) about the z axis through a 45˚ angle. By default, the matrix commands expect a list of 16 matrix elements to define a matrix. The xlate option may be used along with three translation distances in the x, y, and z directions (in mm) as a shorthand notation for a matrix that is pure translation. Similarly, the rot option along with rotation angles (degrees) about the x, y, and z axes may be used as shorthand for a matrix that is pure rotation.


area [tolerance]
The "area" command calculates an approximate presented area of one region in the mged display. For this command to work properly, a single BRL-CAD region must be displayed using the E command. The tolerance is the distance required between two vertices in order for them to be recognized as distinct vertices. This calculation considers only the minimum bounding polygon of the region and ignores holes.
Examples:
mged> Z

-- Clear the mged display(s).


mged> E region_1
-- E a single region.


mged> area
-- Calculate the presented area of the enclosing polygon of the region.


arot x y z angle
The "arot" command performs a rotation about the specified axis (x y z) using screen units (-2048 to +2048). The amount of rotation is determined by angle, which is in degrees. Exactly what is rotated and how it is rotated are dependent on MGED�s state as well as the state of the display manager. For example, in normal viewing mode, this command simply rotates the view. However, in primitive edit mode, it rotates the shape being edited.
Examples:
mged> arot 0 0 1 10

-- Rotate 10 degrees about z axis.


attach [-d display_string] [-i init_script] [-n name] [-t is_toplevel] [-W width] [-N height] [-S square_size] win_type
The "attach" command is used to open a display window. The set of supported window types includes X and ogl. It should be noted that attach no longer releases previously attached display windows (i.e., multiple attaches are supported). To destroy a display window, use the release command.
Examples:
mged> attach ogl

-- Open an ogl display window named .dm_ogl0 (assuming this is the first ogl display window opened using the default naming scheme).

mged> attach ogl
-- Open a ogl display window named .dm_ogl1.

mged> attach -n myOgl -W 720 -N 486 ogl
-- Open a 720x486 OpenGL display window named myOgl.

mged> attach -n myX -d remote_host:0 -i myInit X
-- Open an X display window named myX on remote_host that is initialized by myInit.
-- myInit might contain user specified bindings like those found in the
default bindings.


mged> toplevel .t
-- Create a toplevel window named .t.


mged> attach -t 0 -S 800 -n .t.ogl ogl
-- Open a 800x800 OpenGL display window named .t.ogl that is not a top-level window.


mged> button .t.dismiss -text Dismiss -command "release .t.ogl; destroy .t"
-- Create a button to dismiss the display manager etc.


mged> pack .t.ogl -expand 1 -fill both
-- Pack the display manager inside .t.


mged> pack .t.dismiss
-- Pack the Dismiss button inside .t.


mged> attach
-- List the help message that includes the valid display types.


attr get|set|rm|append|show object_name [arguments]
The "attr" command is used to create, change, retrieve, or view attributes of database
objects. The arguments for "set" and "append" subcommands are attribute name/value pairs. The arguments for "get," "rm," and "show" subcommands are attribute names. The "set" subcommand sets the specified attributes for the object. The "append" subcommand appends the provided value to an existing attribute, or creates a new attribute if it does not already exist. The "get" subcommand retrieves and displays the specified attributes. The "rm" subcommand deletes the specified attributes. The "show" subcommand does a "get" and displays the results in a user readable format. Note that the attribute names may not contain embedded white space, and if attribute values contain embedded white space, they must be surrounded by "{}" or double quotes.
Examples:
mged> attr set region_1 comment {This is a comment for region_1}
-- Assign an attribute named "comment" to region_1, its value is "This is a
comment for region_1"
mged> attr show region_1 comment
-- List all the attributes for region_1

autoview
The "autoview" command resets the view size and the view center such that all displayed objects are within the view.
Examples:
mged> autoview
-- Adjust the view to see everything displayed.

bev [-t] [-P#] new_obj Boolean_formula
The "bev" command performs the operations indicated in the Boolean_formula and stores the result in new_obj. The new_obj will be stored as an NMG shape (it may be converted to a polysolid by using the nmg_simplify command). If the -t option is specified, then the resulting object will consist entirely of triangular facets. The default is to allow facets of any complexity, including holes. The -P option specifies the number of CPUs to use for the calculation (however, this is currently ignored). Only simple Boolean_formulas are allowed. No parentheses are allowed and the operations are performed from left to right with no precedence. More complex expressions must be expressed as BRL-CAD objects using the r, g, or c commands and evaluated using the facetize or ev commands.
Examples:
mged> bev -t triangulated_lens sphere1 + sphere2

-- Create a triangulated object by intersecting objects sphere1 and sphere2.


bo [-o|-i pattern type] dest source
The "bo" command is used to create or retrieve binary opaque objects. One of -i or -o must be specified.
The -o option "outputs" or extracts a binary object from the database object source to a file called dest.
The -i option "inputs" or imports a file called source into a binary object called dest in the database. There are two additional arguments that must be specified with the -i option: pattern and type. Currently, only uniform binary objects (arrays of values) are supported. As a result, the pattern is always u for "uniform" pattern. The type can be one of the following:
f -> float
d -> double
c -> char (8 bit)
s -> short (16 bit)
i -> int (32 bit)
l -> long (64 bit)
C -> unsigned char (8 bit)
S -> unsigned short (16 bit)
I -> unsigned int (32 bit)
L -> unsigned long (64 bit)
Examples:
mged> bo -i -u c cmds /usr/brlcad/html/manuals/mged/mged_cmd_index.html
-- Create an opaque uniform binary object of characters with the name cmds that contains the contents of the file /usr/brlcad/html/manuals/mged/mged_cmd_index.html.
mged> bo -o /home/jim/cmds.html cmds
-- Copy the contents of the binary object named cmds into the file named /home/jim/cmds.html.

bot_condense new_bot_primitive old_bot_primitive
The "bot_condense" command is used to eliminate unused vertices from a BOT primitive. It returns the number of vertices eliminated.
Examples:
mged> bot_condense bot1_condensed bot1_original
-- Eliminate any unused vertices from the primitive named bot1_original and store the result in the new BOT primitive named bot1_condensed.

bot_decimate �c maximum_chord_error �n maximum_normal_error �e minimum_edge_length new_bot_primitive old_bot_primitive
The "bot_decimate" command reduces the number of triangles in the old_bot_primitive and saves the results to the new_bot_primitive. The reduction is accomplished through an edge decimation algorithm. Only changes that do not violate the specified constraints are performed. The maximum_chord_error parameter specifies the maximum distance allowed between the original surface and the surface of the new BOT primitive in the current editing units. The maximum_normal_error specifies the maximum change in surface normal (degrees) between the old and new surfaces. The minimum_edge_length specifies the length of the longest edge that will be decimated. At least one constraint must be supplied. If more than one constraint is specified, then only operations that satisfy all the constraints are performed.
Examples:
mged> bot_decimate -c 0.5 -n 10.0 bot.new abot
-- Create a new BOT primitive named bot.new by reducing the number of triangles
in abot while keeping the resulting surface within 0.5 units of the surface of abot and
keeping the surface normals within 10 degrees.
Note that the constraints specified only relate the output BOT primitive to the input
BOT primitive for a single invocation of the command. Repeated application of this
command on its own BOT output will result in a final BOT primitive that has
unknown relationships to the original BOT primitive. For example:
mged> bot_decimate -c 10.0 bot_b bot_a
mged> bot_decimate -c 10.0 bot_c bot_b
-- This sequence of commands will produce primitive "bot_c" with up to 20.0 units
of chord error between "bot_a" and "bot_c".
mged> bot_decimate -c 10.0 bot_b bot_a
mged> bot_decimate -n 5.0 bot_c bot_b
-- This sequence of commands will produce primitive "bot_c" with no guaranteed
relationships to "bot_a".

bot_face_fuse new_bot_primitive old_bot_primitive
The "bot_face_fuse" command is used to eliminate duplicate faces from a BOT solid. It returns the number of faces eliminated.
Examples:
mged> bot_face_fuse bot1_fused bot1_original
-- Eliminate any duplicate faces from the primitive named bot1_original and store the result in the new BOT primitive named bot1_fused.

bot_face_sort triangles_per_piece bot_primitive1 [bot_primitive2 bot_primitive3 ...]
The "bot_face_sort" command is used to sort the list of triangles that constitutes the BOT primitive to optimize it for raytracing with the specified number of triangles per piece. Most BRL-CAD primitives are treated as a single object when a model is being prepared for raytracing, but BOT primitives are normally broken into "pieces" to improve performance. The raytracer normally uses four triangles per piece.
Examples:
mged> bot_face_sort 4 bot1 bot2
-- Sort the faces of bot1 and bot2 to optimize them for raytracing with four triangles per piece.

bot_vertex_fuse new_bot_solid old_bot_primitive
The "bot_vertex_fuse" command is used to eliminate duplicate vertices from a BOT solid. It returns the number of vertices eliminated. No tolerance is used, so the vertices must match exactly to be considered duplicates.
Examples:
mged> bot_vertex_fuse bot1_fused bot1_original
-- Eliminate any duplicate vertices from the primitive named bot1_original and store the result in the new BOT primitive named bot1_fused.

build_region [-a region_num] tag start_num end_num
The "build_region" command builds a region from existing solids that have specifically formatted names based on the provided tags and numbers. The created region will be named "tag.rx", where "x" is the first number (starting from 1) that produces an unused region name. If the -a option is used, then the specified "region_num" will be used for "x." If that region already exists, this operation will append to it. If that region does not exist, a new one will be created. The solids that will be involved in this operation are those with names of the form "tag.s#" or "tag.s#o@", where "#" is a number between start_num and end_num inclusive, "o" is either "u", "-", or "+", and "@" is any number. The operators and numbers coded into the solid names are used to build the region.
Examples:
mged> build_region abc 1 2
-- Creates a region named "abc.r1" consisting of:
u abc.s1
u abc.s2
+ abc.s2+1
- abc.s2-1
provided that the above shapes already exist in the database.

c [-c|r] combination_name [Boolean_expression]
The "c" command creates a BRL-CAD combination with the name combination_name. The -r option indicates that the combination is a BRL-CAD region. The -c option is the default and indicates that the combination is not a region. The Boolean_expression allows parentheses. Where no order is specified, intersections are performed before subtractions or unions; then subtractions and unions are performed, left to right. Where there is no Boolean_expression and combination_name, a new empty combination will be created. If no Boolean_expression is provided, and combination_name does already exist and one of -c or -r is specified, then combination_name is flagged to agree with the indicated option. If a new region is created or an existing combination is flagged as a region with this command, its region-specific attributes will be set according to the current defaults (see regdef). The comb and r commands may also be used to create combinations.
Examples:
mged> c -c abc (a u b) - (a + d)

-- Create a combination named abc according to the formula (a u b) - (a + d).


cat <objects>
The "cat" command displays a brief description of each item in the list of objects. If the item is a primitive shape, the type of shape and its vertex are displayed. If the item is a combination, the Boolean formula for that combination�including operands, operators, and parentheses�is displayed. If the combination is flagged as a region, then that fact is also displayed along with the region�s ident code, air code, los, and GIFT material code.
Examples:
mged> cat region_1 region_2

-- Display the Boolean formulas for some regions.


center [x y z]
The "center" command positions the center of the mged viewing cube at the specified model coordinates. This is accomplished by moving the eye position while not changing the viewing direction. (The lookat command performs a related function by changing the viewing direction, but not moving the eye location.) The coordinates are expected in the current editing units. In case the coordinates are the result of evaluating a formula, they are echoed back. If no coordinates are provided, the current center coordinates (in current editing units, not mm) are printed and can be used in subsequent calculations.

It is often convenient to use the center of the view when visually selecting key locations in the model for construction or animation because of (1) the visible centering dot on the screen, (2) the fact that zoom and rotation are performed with respect to the view center, (3) the default center-mouse behavior is to move the indicated point to the view center, and (4) the angle/distance cursors are centered by default. This command provides the means to set and retrieve those values numerically.

Examples:
mged> center

-- Print out the coordinates of the center of the mged display.

 

mged> center 12.5 5.6 8.7

-- Move the center of the mged display to the point (12.5, 5.6, 8.7).

 

mged> set oldcent [center]
-- Set the Tcl variable $oldcent to the display center coordinates.
mged> set glob_compat_mode 0
mged> units mm
mged> eval center [vadd2 [center] {2 0 0}]
-- Move the center point two mm in the model + x direction.
mged> units mm


mged> db adjust sphere.s V [center]


check {subcommand}[options][objects...]
The "check" command computes and reports a variety of characteristics of the objects specified from the opened database. The characteristics which can be computed include mass, centroid, moments of inertia, volume, overlaps, surface area, exposed air, gaps/voids, adjacent air and unconfined air. Only the objects from the database specified on the command line are analyzed. The following are the sub-commands offered:
adj_air
Detects air volumes which are next to each other but have different air_code values applied to the region.
centroid
Computes the centroid of the objects specified.
exp_air
Check if the ray encounters air regions before (or after all) solid objects.
gap
This reports when there is more than overlap tolerance distance between objects on the ray path.
mass
Computes the mass of the objects specified.
moments
Computes the moments and products of inertia of the objects specified.
overlaps
This reports overlaps, when two regions occupy the same space.
surf_area
Computes the surface area of the objects specified.
unconf_air
This reports when there are unconfined air regions.
volume
Computes the volume of the objects specified.
The following are the options offered by the check command:
Examples:
mged> check overlaps -g10,10 box

-- Run the check command with rays fired from a uniform grid with the rays spaced every 10 mm, and reports any overlaps seen while raytracing.


color low high r g b str
The "color" command creates an entry in the database that functions as part of a color lookup table for displayed regions. The ident number for the region is used to find the appropriate color from the lookup table. The low and high values are the limits of region ident numbers to have the indicated rgb color (0-255) applied. The str parameter is intended to be an identifying character string, but is currently ignored. The current list of color table entries may be displayed with the prcolor command, and the entire color table may be edited using the edcolor command. If a color lookup table exists, its entries will override any color assigned using the mater command.
Examples:
mged> color 1100 1200 255 0 0 fake_string

-- Make an entry in the color lookup table for regions with idents from 1100 to 1200 using the color red.


comb combination_name <operation object>
The "comb" command creates a new combination or extends an existing one. If combination_name does not already exist, then it will be created using the indicated list of operations and objects. If it does exist, the list of operations and objects will be appended to the end of the existing combination. The <operation object> list is expected to be in the same form as used in the r command. The c command may also be used to create a combination.
Examples:
mged> comb abc u a - b + c

-- Create combination abc as ((a - b) + c).


comb_color combination_name r g b
The "comb_color" command assigns the color rgb (0-255) to the existing combination named combination_name.
Examples:
mged> comb_color region1 0 255 0

-- Assign the color green to region1.


copyeval new_primitive path_to_old_ primitive
Objects in a BRL-CAD model are stored as Boolean trees (combinations), with the members being primitive shapes or other Boolean trees. Each member has a transformation matrix associated with it. This arrangement allows a primitive to be a member of a combination, and that combination may be a member of another combination, and so on. When a combination is displayed, the transformation matrices are applied to its members and passed down through the combinations to the leaf (primitive shape) level. The accumulated transformation matrix is then applied to the primitive before it is drawn on the screen. The "copyeval" command creates a new primitive object called new_ primitive by applying the transformation matrices accumulated along the path_to_old_primitive to the leaf primitive shape object at the end of the path and saving the result under the name new_ primitive. The path_to_old_ primitive must be a legitimate path ending with a primitive shape.
Examples:
mged> copyeval shapeb comb1/comb2/comb3/shapea

-- Create shapeb from shapea by applying the accumulated transformation matrices from the path comb1/comb2/comb3.


copymat comb1/memb1 comb2/memb2
The "copymat" command copies the transformation matrix from a member of one combination to the member of another.
Examples:
mged> copymat comb1/memb1 comb2/memb2

-- Set the matrix for member memb2 in combination comb2 equal to the matrix for member memb1 in combination comb1.


cp from_object to_object
The "cp" command makes a duplicate of an object (shape or combination). If from_object is a shape, then it is simply copied to a new shape named to_object. If from_object is a combination, then a new combination is created that contains exactly the same members, transformation matrices, etc., and it is named to_object.
Examples:
mged> cp comb1 comb2

-- Make a duplicate of combination comb1 and call it comb2.


cpi old_tgc new_tgc
The "cpi" command copies old_tgc (an existing TGC shape) to a new TGC shape (new_tgc), positions the new TGC such that its base vertex is coincident with the center of the top of old_tgc, and puts mged into the primitive edit state with new_tgc selected for editing. This command was typically used in creating models of wiring or piping runs; however, a pipe primitive has since been added to BRL-CAD to handle such requirements.
Examples:
mged> cpi tgc_a tgc_b

-- Copy tgc_a to tgc_b and translate tgc_b to the end of tgc_a.


d <objects>
The "d" command deletes the specified list of objects from the mged display. This is a synonym for the erase command. Only objects that have been explicitly displayed may be deleted with the "d" command (use the who command to see a list of explicitly displayed objects). Objects that are displayed as members of explicitly displayed combinations cannot be deleted from the display with this command (see erase -r). Note that this has no effect on the BRL-CAD database itself. To actually remove objects from the database, use the kill command.
Examples:
mged> d region1 shapea

-- Delete region1 and shapea from the mged display.


db command [args...]
The "db" command provides an interface to a number of database manipulation routines. Note that this command always operates in units of millimeters. The command must be one of the following with appropriate arguments:
Examples:
mged> db match *.s

-- Get a list of all objects in the database that end with ".s".


mged> db get cone.s
-- Get a list of all the attributes and their values for shape cone.s.


mged> db get cone.s V
-- Get the value of the V (vertex) attribute of shape cone.s.


mged> db put new_cone.s tgc V {0 0 0} H {0 0 1} A {1 0 0} B {0 1 0} C {5 0 0} D {0 5 0}
-- Create a new
TGC shape named new_cone.s with the specified attributes.


mged> db adjust new_cone.s V {0 0 10}
-- Adjust the V (vertex) attribute of new_cone.s to the value {0 0 10}.


mged db form tgc
-- Display the format used by the get and put commands for the
TGC shape type.


db_glob cmd_string
Globs cmd_string against the MGED database resulting in an expanded command string.
Examples:
mged> db_glob "l r23\[0-9\]"


l r230 r231 r232 r233 r234 r235 r236 r237 r238 r239
-- Returns a command string to list objects r230 through r239.


dbconcat [-s/-p] [-t] [-u] [-c] database_file [affix]

The "dbconcat" command concatenates an existing BRL-CAD database to the database currently being edited. If an affix is supplied, then all objects from the database_file will have that affix added to their names. The -s option indicates that the affix is a suffix, while the -p option (default) indicates that the affix is a prefix. Note that each BRL-CAD object must have a unique name, so care must be taken not to "dbconcat" a database that has objects with names the same as objects in the current database. The dup command may be used to check for duplicate names. If the dup command finds duplicate names, use the prefix option to both the dup and dbconcat commands to find a prefix that produces no duplicates. If duplicate names are encountered during the "dbconcat" process, and no affix is supplied, computer-generated prefixes will be added to the object names coming from the database_file (but member names appearing in combinations will not be modified, so this is a dangerous practice and should be avoided). If the -t option is specified, then the title of the database_file will become the new title of the current BRL-CAD database. If the -u option is specified, the units of the current database will be set to that of the database_file being concatted. The -c option specifies that the region color table in the concatted database_file should replace any region color table in the current BRL-CAD database.

Examples:
mged> dbconcat model_two.g two_

-- Copy all the objects in model_two.g to the current database, but prefix the name of every object copied with the string two_.

mged> dbconcat -s model_two.g

-- Copy all the objects in model_two.g to the current database, adding computer-generated suffixes as required.

mged> dbconcat -c -p model_two.g two_

-- Copy all the objects in model_two.g to the current database, adding the prefix two_ to every object copied from model_two.g. The region color table from model_two.g is copied to the current database, and any region color table that had existed in the current database is deleted.


debugbu [hex_code]
The "debugbu" command allows the user to set or check the debug flags used by libbu. With no arguments, the debugbu command displays all the possible settings for the bu_debug flag and the current value. When a hex_code is supplied, that value is used as the new value for bu_debug. Similar debug commands for other BRL-CAD libraries are debuglib for librt and debugnmg for the NMG portion of librt.
Examples:
mged> debugbu

-- Get a list of available bu_debug values and the current value.


mged> debugbu 2

-- Set bu_debug to <MEM_CHECK>.

 


debugdir
The "debugdir" command displays a dump of the in-memory directory for the current database file. The information listed for each directory entry includes:
Examples:
mged> debugdir

-- Get a dump of the in-memory directory.


debuglib [hex_code]
The "debuglib" command allows the user to set or check the debug flags used by librt. With no arguments, the debuglib command displays all the possible settings for the librt debug flag and the current value. When a hex_code is supplied, that value is used as the new value for the flag. Similar debug commands for other BRL-CAD libraries are debugbu for libbu and debugnmg for the NMG portion of librt.
Examples:
mged> debuglib

-- Get a list of available debug values for librt and the current value.


mged> debuglib 1
-- Set the librt debug flag to <DEBUG_ALLRAYS> (print info about rays).


debugnmg [hex_code]
The "debugnmg" command with no options displays a list of all possible debug flags available for NMG processing. If the command is invoked with a hex number argument, that value is used as the new value for the NMG debug flag. Similar debug commands for other BRL-CAD libraries are debuglib for librt and debugbu for libbu.
Examples:
mged> debugnmg 100

-- Set the NMG debug flag to get details on the classification process.


decompose NMG_shape [prefix]
The "decompose" command processes an NMG shape and produces a series of new NMG shapes consisting of each maximally connected shell in the original NMG shape. If an optional prefix is supplied, the resulting NMG shapes will be named by using the prefix and adding an underscore character and a number to make the name unique. If no prefix is supplied, the default prefix "sh" will be used.
Examples:
mged> decompose shape.nmg part

-- Decompose the NMG shape named shape.nmg into maximally connected shells and put each resulting shell into a separate NMG shape named part_1, part_2, ....


delay seconds microseconds
The "delay" command provides a delay of the specified time before the next command will be processed.
Examples:
mged> delay 5 0

-- Delay for 5 seconds.


dm subcommand [args]
The "dm" command provides a means to interact with the display manager at a lower level. The dm command accepts the following subcommands:
set [var [val]]
The "set" subcommand provides a means to set or query display manager-specific variables. Invoked without any arguments, the set subcommand will return a list of all available internal display manager variables. If only the var argument is specified, the value of that variable is returned. If both var and val are given, then var will be set to val.
size [width height]
The "size" subcommand provides a means to set or query the window size. If no arguments are given, the display manager�s window size is returned. If width and height are specified, the display manager makes a request to have its window resized. Note that a size request is just that, a request, so it may be ignored, especially if the user has resized the window using the mouse.
m button x y
The "m" subcommand is used to simulate an M command. The button argument determines which mouse button is being used to trigger a call to this command. This value is used in the event handler to effect dragging the faceplate scrollbars. The x and y arguments are in X screen coordinates, which are converted to MGED screen coordinates before being passed to the M command.
am <r | t | s> x y
The "am" subcommand effects mged�s alternate mouse mode. The alternate mouse mode gives the user a different way of manipulating the view or an object. For example, the user can drag an object or perhaps rotate the view while using the mouse. The first argument indicates the type of operation to perform (i.e., r for rotation, t for translation, and s for scale). The x and y arguments are in X screen coordinates and are transformed appropriately before being passed to the knob command.
adc <1 | 2 | t | d> x y
The "adc" subcommand provides a way of manipulating the angle distance cursor while using the mouse. The first argument indicates the type of operation to perform (i.e., 1 for angle 1, 2 for angle 2, t for translate, and d for tick distance). The x and y arguments are in X screen coordinates and are transformed appropriately before being passed to the adc command (i.e., not "dm adc").
con <r | t | s <x | y | z> xpos ypos
This form of the "con" subcommand provides a way to effect constrained manipulation of the view or an object while using the mouse. This simulates the behavior of sliders without taking up screen real estate. The first argument indicates the type of operation to perform (i.e., r for rotation, t for translation, and s for scale). The <x | y | z> argument is the axis of rotation, translation, or scale. The xpos and ypos arguments are in X screen coordinates and are transformed appropriately before being passed to the knob command.
con a <x | y | 1 | 2 | d> xpos ypos
This form of the "con" subcommand provides a way to effect constrained manipulation of the angle distance cursor while using the mouse. This simulates the behavior of sliders without taking up screen real estate. The first argument indicates that this is to be applied to the angle distance cursor. The next argument indicates the type of operation to perform (i.e., x for translate in the x direction, y for translate in the y direction, 1 for angle 1, 2 for angle 2, and d for tick distance). The xpos and ypos arguments are in x screen coordinates and are transformed appropriately before being passed to the knob command.
Examples:
mged> dm set

-- Get a list of the available display manager internal variables.


mged> dm set perspective 1
-- Turn on perspective projection in the display.


mged> dm size
-- Return the size to the display manager.

mged> dm size 900 900
-- Request that the display manager window be resized to 900x900.


mged> dm m 2 100 200
-- Simulate a button2 press at (100, 200) in X screen coordinates.


mged> dm am r 400 100
-- Start an alternate mouse mode rotation.


mged> dm adc d 300 200
-- Start a tick distance manipulation.


mged> dm con t z 200 200
-- Start a constrained translation down the Z axis.


mged> dm con a d 200 100
-- Start a constrained tick distance manipulation.


mged> dm idle
-- End drag.


draw [-R -A -s -o -C#/#/#] <objects | attribute name/value pairs>
Add <objects> to the display list so that they will appear on the MGED display. The e command is a synonym for draw.
Examples:
mged> draw object1 object2

-- Draw object1 and object2 in the MGED display.

mged> draw -C 255/255/255 object2

-- Draw object2 in white.

mged> draw -A -o Comment {First comment} Comment {Second comment}

-- Draw objects that have a "Comment" attribute with a value of either "First comment" or "Second comment."


dup file [prefix]
The "dup" command checks the specified file (which is expected to contain a BRL-CAD model) for names that are the same as those in the current model. If a prefix is included on the command line, all names in the specified file will have that prefix added to their names before comparison with the current model. This command is often used prior to invoking the dbconcat command to ensure that there are no name clashes.
Examples:
mged> dup other_model.g

-- Check other_model.g for names duplicating those in the current model.

mged> dup other_model.g abc
-- Do the same check as above, but prefix all the names in other_model.g with abc before comparing with the names in the current model.


e [-R -A -o -s -C#/#/#] <objects| attribute name/value pairs>
The "e" command adds the objects in the argument list to the display list so that they will appear on the MGED display. This is a synonym for the draw command; see that entry for a full list of options. The -C option provides the user a way to specify a color that overrides all other color specifications including combination colors and region-id-based colors. The -A and -o options allow the user to select objects by attribute. The -s specifies that subtracted and intersected objects should be drawn with solid lines rather than dot-dash lines. The -R option means do not automatically resize the view if no other objects are displayed.
Examples:
mged> e object1 object2

-- Draw object1 and object2 in the MGED display.

mged> e-A -o Comment {First comment} Comment {Second comment}

-- Draw objects that have a "Comment" attribute with a value of either "First comment" or "Second comment".


eac <aircodes>
The "eac" command adds all the regions in the current model that have one of the aircodes in the argument list to the display list so that they will appear on the MGED display. Regions that have nonzero ident numbers will not be listed by this command. The whichair command will perform the same search, but just lists the results.
Examples:
mged> eac 1 2 3

-- Draw all regions with aircodes 1, 2, or 3 in the MGED display.


echo text
The "echo" command merely echos whatever text is provided as an argument on the command line. This is intended for use in MGED scripts.
Examples:
mged> echo some text goes here

-- Display the text, "some text goes here."


edcodes <objects>
The "edcodes" command puts the user into an editor to edit a file that has been filled with the ident, air code, material code, LOS, and name of all the regions in the specified objects. The user may then modify the entries (except for the names). The editor used is whatever the user has set in the environment variable EDITOR. If EDITOR is not set, then /bin/ed is used.
Examples:
mged> edcodes object1 object2

-- Edit the region codes for all regions below object1 and object2.


edcolor
The "edcolor" command puts the user into an editor to edit a file that has been filled with the ident based color lookup table. The entire table may be seen with the prcolor command, and entries may be added using the color command. The editor used is whatever the user has set in the environment variable EDITOR. If EDITOR is not set, then /bin/ed is used.
Examples:
mged> edcolor

-- Edit the color table.


edcomb combname R|G regionid air_code los [material_code]
The "edcomb" command allows the user to modify the attributes of a combination. The combname is the name of the combination to be modified. An R flag indicates that the region flag should be set; otherwise, the region flag is unset. If the region flag is not being set, then the remainder of the attributes are ignored. If the region flag is being set, then the region_id, aircode, los, and material_code are set according to the arguments supplied.
Examples:
mged> edcomb comb1 R 1001 0 50 8

-- Make comb1 a region and set its ident to 1001, its air code to 0, its LOS to 50, and its material code to 8.


mged> edcomb comb1 0 0 0 0
-- Unset the region flag for combination comb1.


edgedir [x y z]|[rot fb]
The "edgedir" command allows the user to set the direction of an edge by specifying a direction vector in the form of x, y, and z components or via rotation and fallback angles. This can only be done while moving an edge of an ARB.
Examples:
mged> edgedir 0 1 0

-- Rotate the edge being edited to be parallel to the y axis.


edmater <combinations>
The "edmater" command places the user in an editor ready to edit a file filled with shader arguments for the combinations listed on the command line. The arguments placed in the file for editing are the shader name and its own arguments, RGB color, RGB_valid flag, and the inheritance flag. The editor used is whatever the user has set in the environment variable EDITOR. If EDITOR is not set, then /bin/ed is used.
Examples:
mged> edmater comb1 comb2

-- Edit the shader parameters for combinations named comb1 and comb2.


eqn A B C
The "eqn" command allows the user to rotate the face of an ARB shape by providing the coefficients of an equation of the desired plane for the face. The coefficients A, B, and C are from the plane equation:
        Ax + By + Cz = D

The user must be editing an ARB shape and be rotating a face of the ARB for this command to have any effect. When entering such a state, the user will be asked which of the face vertices should be held constant, and from this information the D coefficient of the equation is determined.

Examples:
mged> eqn 0 0 1

-- Rotate the face of the ARB being edited to be parallel to the xy plane.


erase <objects>
The "erase" command deletes the specified list of objects from the MGED display. This is a synonym for the d command. Only objects that have been explicitly displayed may be deleted with the "erase" command (use the who command to see a list of explicitly displayed objects). Objects that are displayed as members of explicitly displayed combinations cannot be deleted from the display with this command (see erase -r). Note that this has no effect on the BRL-CAD database itself. To actually remove objects from the database, use the kill command.
Examples:
mged> erase region1 shapea

-- Delete region1 and shapea from the MGED display.


ev [-dfnrstuvwST] [-P#] [-C#/#/#] <objects>
The "ev" command evaluates the objects specified by tessellating all primitive shapes in the objects and then performing any Boolean operations specified in the objects. The result is then displayed in the MGED display according to the specified options:
Examples:
mged> ev region1 shapea

-- Display evaluated region1 and shapea as shaded polygons.


mged> ev -wT region1
-- Display evaluated region1 as wireframe without triangulating.


exit
The "exit" command ends the MGED process. This is a synonym for the quit command.
Examples:
mged> exit

-- Stop MGED.

 


expand regular_expression
The "expand" command performs matching of the regular_expression with the names of all the objects in the database. It returns all those that successfully match.
Examples:
mged> expand *.r

-- Display a list of all database object names that end in ".r".


expand_comb prefix comb ...
The expand_comb will create a new combination object prefix. For each Boolean node in the original tree of the combination a new combination will be created. Each combination constructed will contain a single Boolean operation of two leaf nodes. The leaf nodes will be named prefixl and prefixr for the left and right nodes of the tree respectively. Sub-nodes will have "l" and "r" suffixes added based upon whether they are left or right children of the node.

Note that regions, combinations and objects created with the "g" command (sometimes colloquially referred to as groups) are all combinations, and can be expanded with this command.

Example:


mged> r foo.r u a - b + c u d + e
Defaulting item number to 1003
Creating region id=1003, air=0, GIFTmaterial=1, los=100
mged> l foo.r
foo.r:  REGION id=1003  (air=0, los=100, GIFTmater=1) --
   u a
   - b
   + c
   u d
   + e
mged> tree foo.r
foo.r/R
        u a
        - b
        + c
        u d
        + e

mged> expand_comb_tree -c foo.r
mged> l foo.r_xpand
foo.r_xpand:  REGION id=1003  (air=0, los=100, GIFTmater=1) --
   u foo.r_xpand_l
   u foo.r_xpand_r
mged> tree foo.r_xpand
foo.r_xpand/R
        u foo.r_xpand_l/R
                u foo.r_xpand_ll/R
                        u a
                        - b
                + c
        u foo.r_xpand_r/R
                u d
                + e

extrude #### distance
The "extrude" command modifies an ARB shape by extruding the specified face through the specified distance to determine the position of the opposing face. The face to be extruded is identified by listing its vertex numbers as they are labeled in the MGED display when the ARB is edited. Note that the face identified is not moved, but the opposite face is adjusted so that it is the specified distance from the specified face. The order that the vertex numbers are listed determines the direction of the extrusion using the right-hand rule.
Examples:
mged> extrude 1234 5

-- Move face 5678 so that it is 5 units from face 1234.


eye_pt x y z
The "eye_pt" command positions the eye point to the given x, y, and z coordinates (specified in mm).
Examples:
mged> eye_pt 100 0 0

-- Position the eye at 100 mm along the x axis.


facedef #### [a|b|c|d parameters]
The "facedef" command allows the user to redefine any face of an ARB8 shape. The user must be in Primitive Edit Mode with an ARB selected for editing. The optional parameters may be omitted, and MGED will prompt for the missing values. The options are:
        Ax + By + Cz = D.
Examples:
mged> facedef 1234 a 1 0 0 20

-- Move face 1234 such that it is in the yz plane at x=20.


mged> facedef 5678 b 0 0 10 10 0 10 10 10 10
-- Move face 5678 such that it is in the plane formed by the three points (0 0 10), (10 0 10), and (10 10 10).


facetize [-ntT] [-P#] new_object old_object
The "facetize" command creates new_object as a BOT shape by tessellating all the primitive shapes in old_object and then performing any Boolean operations specified in old_object. The -T option indicates that all faces in the new_object should be triangulated. The -n option specifies that the resulting shape should be saved as an NMG shape. The -t option is to create TNURB faces rather than planar approximations (this option is still under development). The -P option is intended to allow the user to specify the number of CPUs to use for this command, but it is currently ignored.
Examples:
mged> facetize region1.nmg region1.r

-- Create a facetized BOT version of existing object region1.r.


find <objects>
The "find" command displays all combinations that have any of the objects specified as a member.
Examples:
mged> find shapea

-- List all combinations that refer to shapea.


fracture NMG_shape [prefix]
The "fracture" command creates a new NMG shape for every "face" in the specified NMG_shape. The new shapes will be named by adding an underscore and a number to the prefix. If no prefix is specified, then the NMG_shape name provided is used in place of the prefix.
Examples:
mged> fracture shape1.nmg f

-- Create a series of NMG shapes named "f_#", one for each face in shape1.nmg.


g groupname <objects>
The "g" command creates a special type of combination often referred to as a group. This builds a combination by unioning together all the listed objects. If groupname already exists, then the list of objects will be unioned to the end of it. (Note that an existing groupname is not restricted to being a group; any combination is legal.) Other commands to build combinations are c, r, or comb.
Examples:
mged> g shape1.nmg f

-- Create or extend shape1.nmg by unioning in f.


garbage_collect
The "garbage_collect" command eliminates unused space in a BRL-CAD database file.
Examples:
mged> garbage_collect

-- Clean out unused space in the database.


gui [-config b|c|g] [-d display_string] [-gd graphics_display_string] [-dt graphics_type] [-id name] [-c -h -j -s]
This command is used to create an instance of MGED�s default Tcl/Tk graphical user interface (GUI). The following options are allowed:

-config b|c|g

Configure the GUI to display the command window, the graphics window, or both. This option is useful only when the GUI is combining the text and graphics windows. See the -c option.

-d display_string

Display/draw the GUI on the screen indicated by the display_string. Note that this string format is the same as the X DISPLAY environment variable.

-gd display_string

Display/draw the graphics window on the screen indicated by the display_string. Note that this string format is the same as the X DISPLAY environment variable.

-dt graphics_type

Indicates the type of graphics windows to use. The possible choices are X and ogl (for machines that support OpenGL). Defaults to ogl, if supported; otherwise X.

-id name

Specify the id to use when referring to this instance of the GUI.

-c

Combine text window and display manager windows.

-s

Use separate text window and display manager windows. This is the default behavior.

-j

Join the collaborative session.

-h

Print the help message.


heal [command]

The "heal" command takes in the bot as input along with the tolerances. As of now, it takes the tolerance only for zippering.

The healing essentially comprises only of zippering now, but more features will be added later on. The algorithm cannot support non-manifold meshes (those containing singular vertices or edges). The bots need not be oriented, the algorithm takes care of that.

Examples:
mged> heal samplebot.s 47.3

help [command]
The "help" command returns a list of available MGED commands along with a one-line usage message for each. If a command is supplied as an argument, the one-line usage message for that command is returned. The helpdevel, helplib, ?, ?devel, and ?lib commands provide additional information on available commands.
Examples:
mged> help ae

-- Display a one-line usage message for the ae command.


helpdevel [command]
The "helpdevel" command returns a list of available developer commands along with a one-line usage message for each. If a command is supplied as an argument, the one-line usage message for that command is returned. The help, helplib, ?, ?devel,and ?lib commands provide additional information on available commands.
Examples:
mged> helpdevel winset

-- Display a one-line usage message for the winset command.


helplib [command]
The "helplib" command returns a list of available library commands along with a one-line usage message for each. If a command is supplied as an argument, the one-line usage message for that command is returned. The help, helpdevel, ?, ?devel, and ?lib commands provide additional information on available commands.
Examples:
mged> helplib mat_trn

-- Display a one-line usage message for the mat_trn command.

 


hide <objects>
The "hide" command sets the "hidden" flag for the specified objects. When this flag is set, the objects do not appear in t or ls command outputs. The -a option on the ls or t command will force hidden objects to appear in its output.
Examples:
mged> hide sol_a
-- Mark sol_a as hidden.

history [-delays]
The "history" command displays the list of commands executed during the current MGED session. The one exception is the hist_add command, which can add a command to the history list without executing it. If the -delays option is used, then the delays between commands will also be displayed.
Examples:
mged> history

-- Display the command history list.


i obj_name comb_name [operation]
The "i" command adds obj_name to the end of the combination named comb_name. The operation may be "+," "-," or "u." If no operation is specified, "u" is assumed. If comb_name does not exist, it is created.
Examples:
mged> i region3 group5

-- Add region3 to the combination group5.


idents file_name <objects>
The "idents" command places a summary of the regions in the list of objects specified in the file specified. If any regions include other regions, then only the first encountered region in that tree will be listed. The resulting file will contain two lists of regions, one in the order encountered in the list of objects, and the other ordered by ident number. The data written for each region includes (in this order) a sequential region count, the ident number, the air code, the material code, the LOS, and the path to the region.
Examples:
mged> idents regions_file group1 group2 region3

-- Create a file named regions_file and list all the regions in group1, group2, and region3 in the file.


ill obj_name
The "ill" command performs the function of selecting an object after entering solid (i.e., primitive) illuminate or object illuminate mode. In solid illuminate mode, this command selects the specific shape for editing. In object illuminate mode, this command selects the leaf object for the object path, then the user may use the mouse to select where along the object path the editing should be applied. In both modes, the ill command will only succeed if the specified obj_name is only referenced once in the displayed objects; otherwise a multiply referenced message will be displayed. If the ill command fails, the user must resort to either using the mouse to make the selection, or using aip and M 1 0 0.
Examples:
mged> ill shapea

-- Select shapea for editing.


in [-f] [-s] new_shape_name shape_type <parameters>
The "in" command allows the user to type in the arguments needed to create a shape with the name new_shape_name of the type shape_type. The command may be invoked with no arguments, and it will prompt the user for all needed information. The -s option will invoke the primitive edit mode on the new shape immediately after creation. The -f option does not draw the new shape, and therefore the -s option may not be used in conjunction with -f. The possible values for shape_type are:
Examples:
mged> in new1 raw 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 0

-- Create an ARB named new1 in the form of a right angle wedge.


inside [outside_shape_name new_inside_shape_name <parameters>]
The "inside" command creates a new shape that is inside an existing shape. This command is typically used to create an inside shape that can be subtracted from the original shape to produce a hollow shell. The command is typically used with no arguments, and it prompts the user for all needed information; however, all the parameters may be supplied on the command line. If MGED is in primitive edit mode when the "inside" command is issued, then the shape currently being edited will be used as the "outside_shape." Similarly, if MGED is in matrix edit mode when the "inside" command is executed, then the current key shape will be used as the outside shape.
Examples:
mged> inside out_arb in_arb 1 1 1 1 1 1

-- Create a shape named in_arb such that each face is 1 unit from the corresponding face in out_arb.


mged> inside in_arb 1 1 1 1 1 1
-- Create a shape named in_arb such that each face is 1
unit from the corresponding face in the current key shape or the shape currently being edited.


item region_name ident_number [air_code [material_code [LOS]]]
The "item" command sets the values of ident_number, aircode, material_code, and LOS for the specified region.
Examples:
mged> item region_1 1137 0 8 100

-- Set ident number to 1137, air code to 0, material code to 8, and los to 100 for region_1.


joint command [options]
articulation/animation commands (experimental)
?
This command returns a list of available joint commands.
accept [-m] [joint_names]
debug [hex code]
help [commands]
This command returns a usage message for each joint command.
holds [names]
list [names]
load file_name
mesh
move joint_name p1 [p2...p6]
reject [joint_names]
save file_name
solve constraint
test file_name
unload

journal [-d] [journal_file_name]
The "journal" command starts or stops the journaling of MGED commands to a file. If executed with no arguments, the command stops journaling. If journal_file_name is provided, that file will become the recipient of the journaling. If a -d option is also provided, the journaling will include the delays between commands. Journaling is off by default.
Examples:
mged> journal journal_file

-- Start journaling to journal_file.


keep keep_file <objects>
The "keep" command copies the objects specified to the keep_file. If keep_file does not exist, it is created. If keep_file does exist, the objects are appended to it. The keep_file is a BRL-CAD database file. The objects in the list must exist in the current database.
Examples:
mged> keep sample.g sample1 sample2

-- Create sample.g file with objects sample1 and sample2 in it.


keypoint [x y z | reset]
The "keypoint" command without any options displays the current keypoint setting. If a point is specified, then that point becomes the keypoint. If reset is specified, then the default keypoint is restored. The keypoint is used as the center of rotation and scaling in primitive edit or matrix edit (formerly known as object edit) modes. This command has no effect when used in nonediting modes.
Examples:
mged> keypoint 10 20 30

-- Set the keypoint to the point (10 20 30) in model units.


kill [-f] <objects>
The "kill" command deletes the specified objects from the current database. This command affects only the objects actually listed on the command line. If a combination is killed, its members are not affected. If the -f option is specified, then kill will not complain if some, or all, of the objects specified do not actually exist in the database. Note that the objects are killed immediately. There is no need for a "write file" command in MGED, and there is no "undo" command. Use this command with caution. Other commands that remove objects from the database are killall and killtree.
Examples:
mged> kill group1 region2 shapeb

-- Destroy group1, region2, and shapeb.


killall <objects>
The "killall" command deletes the specified objects from the current database and removes all references to them from all combinations in the database. Note that the objects are killed immediately. There is no need for a "write file" command in MGED, and there is no "undo" command. Use this command with caution. Other commands that remove objects from the database are kill and killtree.
Examples:
mged> killall group1 region2 shapeb

-- Destroy group1, region2, and shapeb and remove all references to these objects from the database.


killtree <objects>
The "killtree" command deletes the specified objects from the current database and recursively deletes all objects referenced by any of those objects. If one of the objects listed is a combination, then that combination as well as any objects that are members of that combination will be deleted. If a member of that combination is itself a combination, then all of its members will also be destroyed. This continues recursively until the primitive shapes are reached and destroyed. Note that the objects are killed immediately. There is no need for a "write file" command in MGED, and there is no "undo" command. Use this command with extreme caution. Other commands that remove objects from the database are kill and killall.
Examples:
mged> killtree group1 region2 shapeb

-- Destroy group1, region2, and shapeb and remove all references to these objects from the database.


knob [-e -i -m -v] [-o v|m|e|k] [zap|zero|(id [val])]
The "knob" command is used internally by MGED in the processing of knob input devices and is not recommended for users. The knob command provides a method for simulating knob input. With no options, it will display the current values for the knobs. With the zap or zero command provided, all the knob values will be reset to zero. If an id and value are provided, the specified knob setting will be simulated. If the -i option is specified, then the value provided will be used as an increment to be applied to the indicated knob. The knobs have different functions depending on the current mode. For example, if in primitive or matrix edit mode and a rotation or translation function is selected, the knob effects are applied to the edited object by default. However, the -v (view coordinates) and -m (model coordinates) options may be used to adjust the view without modifying primitives or matrices. The -e option allows the knob effects to be applied to the edited object when they would normally be applied to the view. The -o option allows the origin of rotation to be specified with v, m, e, and k, indicating view, model, and eye and keypoint, respectively. The units for value are degrees for rotation and local units for translation. The available knob ids are:

 

Examples:
mged> knob y 1

-- Start the view rotating about the vertical axis.


l [-r] <objects>
The "l" command displays a verbose description about the specified list of objects. If a specified object is a path, then any transformation matrices along that path are applied. If the final path component is a combination, the command will list the Boolean formula for the combination and will indicate any accumulated transformations (including any in that combination). If a shader and/or color has been assigned to the combination, the details will be listed. For a region, its ident, air code, material code, and LOS will also be listed. For primitive shapes, detailed shape parameters will be displayed with the accumulated transformation applied. If the -r (recursive) option is used, then each object on the command line will be treated as a path. If the path does not end at a primitive shape, then all possible paths from that point down to individual shapes will be considered. The shape at the end of each possible path will be listed with its parameters adjusted by the accumulated transformation.
Examples:
mged> l region1

-- Display details about region1.


mged> l group1/group2/region1/shape3
-- Display shape parameters for shape3 with matrices applied from the path.


mged> l -r a/b
-- Display all possible paths that start with a/b and end in a primitive shape
-- The shape parameters with the accumulated transformation applied will be displayed.


labelvert <objects>
The "labelvert" command labels the vertices of the indicated objects with their coordinate values in the MGED display window. The objects must have already been displayed using e, E, ev, B, or any other command that results in the display of an object.
Examples:
mged> labelvert shapeb

-- Place coordinate values in display near the vertices of shapeb.


listeval [path]
Combinations may include transformation matrices to be applied to their members. A path through a series of combinations and ending with a primitive shape represents that primitive shape with the transformations accumulated through the path applied to it. The "listeval" command displays primitive shape parameters after applying the accumulated transformations from the indicated path. If the specified path does not end at a primitive shape, then all possible paths from the indicated path to any primitive shape will be evaluated and displayed.
Examples:
mged> listeval group1/region1/shapeb

-- Display the parameters for shapeb after applying the transformation matrix from group1 for region1 and the transformation matrix from region1 for shapeb.


lm [-l] [values]
The "lm" command with no values argument lists the name of every region in the database (in alphabetical order), except for those marked as hidden with the hide command. If the values argument is supplied, only those regions with a "MUVES_Component" attribute having one of the values are listed. The �l option specifies to use a long format showing object name, object type, major type, minor type, and length.
Examples:
mged> lm engine
--List all regions with "MUVES_Component" attribute having a value of "engine".
mged> lm �1 engine pilot
--List all regions with "MUVES_Component" attribute having a value of "engine" or "pilot," and use the long format.

loadtk
The "loadtk" command loads the initialization for the Tk window library. This is normally done automatically when the user attaches any display manager for MGED. If no display manager is attached, then the user must execute loadtk prior to using any Tk facilities.
Examples:
mged> loadtk

-- Initialize the Tk window library.


lookat x y z
The "lookat" command adjusts the current view in MGED such that the eye is looking in the direction of the given coordinates, but does not move the eye point nor change the view size. This is similar to just rotating the viewers head to look at the specified point, putting that point in the center of the MGED display. The center command performs a similar function, but moves the eye_pt without changing the viewing direction.
Examples:
mged> lookat 10 20 30

-- Rotate the view to place the point (10 20 30) (model coordinates) in the center of the display.


ls [-A -o -a -c -r -s -p -l] [objects]
The "ls" command with no object argument lists the name of every object in the database (in alphabetical order) except for those marked as hidden with the hide command. If the object argument is supplied, only those objects are listed. The object argument may include regular expressions. If the -A option is used, then the arguments are expected to be a list of attribute name/value pairs, and objects having attributes that match the provided list are listed. By default, an object must match all the specified attributes in order to be listed; however, the -o flag indicates that an object matching at least one attribute name/value pair should be listed. See the attr command for information on how to set or get attributes. Regular expressions are not supported for attributes. The following options are also allowed:

The ls command is a synonym for the t command. Note that when any of the above options are used, the output is not formatted.

Examples:
mged> ls shape*

-- List all objects with names beginning with "shape" (output is formatted).


mged> ls -a shape*
-- List all objects with names beginning with "shape."


mged> ls -p wheel*
-- List all primitives with names beginning with "wheel."


mged> ls -r wheel*
-- List all regions with names beginning with "wheel."


mged> ls -c suspension*
-- List all combinations with names beginning with "suspension."

mged> ls -A -o -r Comment {First comment} Comment {Second comment}

-- List all regions that have a "Comment" attribute that is set to either "First comment" or "Second comment."


make -t | new_shape type
The "make" command creates a new_shape of the indicated type. The new_shape is sized according to the current view size and is dependent on the type. The possible values for type are:

 

Examples:
mged> make shapea sph

-- Create a sphere named shapea.


mged> make -t
-- Return a list of shape types handled by make.


mater combination [shader_parameters[RGB [inheritance]]]
The "mater" command assigns shader parameters, RGB color, and inheritance to an existing combination. The information may be included on the command line; otherwise the user will be prompted for it. Some available shaders are:
Examples:
mged> mater region1 "plastic {tr 0.5 re 0.2}" 210 100 100 0

-- Set region1 to use the plastic shader with 50% transparency, 20% reflectivity, a base color of (210 100 100), and inheritance set to 0.


matpick #|combination/member
The "matpick" command selects which matrix in the illuminated path should be edited. A number may be specified with 0 being the topmost selection. A combination/member may be specified to indicate that the matrix in combination that corresponds to member is to be edited. This command is only useful in matrix edit mode at the point where the user is selecting which matrix in the illuminated path should be edited. It is used internally by MGED; the user should generally use the mouse to make this selection.
Examples:
mged> matpick group1/region3

-- Select the matrix for region3 in group1 for editing.


mirface #### x|y|z
The "mirface" command modifies an ARB shape by mirroring the indicated face along the selected x, y, or z axis. An ARB shape must be selected for editing. Not all faces of all ARB types may be edited using this command.
Examples:
mged> mirface 1234 x

-- Modify currently edited ARB by moving the face opposite face 1234 such that it is the mirror image of face 1234 across the yz plane.


mirror old_object new_object x|y|z
The "mirror" command creates new_object by duplicating old_object and reflecting it along the indicated axis. If old_object is a primitive shape, then a new shape is created, with parameters adjusted to accomplish the mirror operation. If old_object is a combination, then new_object will simply be a copy of old_object with all of its members� matrices set to perform the appropriate reflection.
Examples:
mged> mirror shape1 shape1_mirror x

-- Make a copy of shape1, name it shape1_mirror, and adjust its parameters so that it is a mirror image of shape1 across the yz plane.


mrot x y z
Rotate the view using model x y z.
Examples:
mged> mrot 0 0 10

-- Rotate the view about the model z axis by 10˚.


mv old_name new_name
The "mv" command changes the name of old_name to new_name. Note that this does not change any references to old_name that may appear in other combinations in the database. The mvall command will change an object�s name everywhere.
Examples:
mged> mv shapea shapeb

-- Change the name of shapea to shapeb.


mvall old_name new_name
The "mvall" command changes the name of old_name to new_name. This will also change any references to old_name that may appear in other combinations in the database. The mv command will change an object�s name without changing references to it. The prefix command will also change the names and references of objects.
Examples:
mged> mvall shapea shapeb

-- Change the name of shapea to shapeb everywhere it occurs in the database.


nirt [nirt_args]
The "nirt" command runs the nirt program that is distributed with BRL-CAD to intersect a single ray with the displayed objects. By default, nirt is run using the current database and the currently displayed objects, and it uses the current eye point as the ray start point and the current viewing direction as the ray direction. This effectively fires a ray at the center of the MGED display. The resulting collection of intersections between the ray and the objects is listed. Additional arguments may be supplied on the nirt command line. See the man page of nirt for more details.
Examples:
mged> nirt

-- Fire a single ray through the center of the MGED display.


nmg_collapse old_nmg_shape new_nmg_shape maximum_error_dist [minimum_angle]
The "nmg_collapse" command simplifies an existing nmg_shape by a process of edge decimation. Each edge in the old_nmg_shape is considered; if it can be deleted without creating an error greater than the specified maximum_error_dist, then that edge is deleted. If a minimum_angle is specified (degrees), then the edge will not be deleted if it would create a triangle with an angle less than minimum_angle. The resulting shape is saved in new_nmg_shape. The old_nmg_shape must have been triangulated previous to using the nmg_collapse command. The resulting shape consists of all triangular faces.
Examples:
mged> nmg_collapse nmg_old nmg_new 1.0 10.0

-- Decimate edges in nmg_old to produce an NMG with an error no greater than 1.0 units. The process will not create any triangles with an angle less than 10˚. The new NMG shape will be named nmg_new.


nmg_simplify [arb|tgc|poly] new_shape nmg_shape
The "nmg_simplify" command attempts to convert an existing nmg_shape to a simpler primitive shape type. The user may specify which type to attempt by including arb, tgc, or poly on the command line. If no shape type is specified, all will be attempted in the above order. If tgc is specified, the code will attempt to determine if the nmg_shape is an approximation of a TGC shape.
Examples:
mged> nmg_simplify poly shapea.poly shapea.nmg

-- Convert the NMG shape named shapea.nmg to a polysolid named shapea.poly.


oed path_lhs path_rhs
The "oed" command places MGED directly into the matrix edit mode. The path_rhs must be a path to a primitive shape, and path_lhs must be a path to a combination that includes the first component of path_rhs as one of its members. Also, path_rhs/path_lhs must be a path that is currently displayed in mged. The edited matrix will be the matrix in the final component of path_lhs that corresponds to the first component of path_rhs. The last component in path_rhs is used as the reference shape during object editing.
Examples:
mged> oed group1/group2 region1/shapea

-- Place MGED into matrix edit mode, editing the matrix in group2 that corresponds to region1, using shapea as the reference shape.


opendb [database.g]
The "opendb" command closes the current database file and opens database.g. If database.g is not found, the current database is left open. If database.g is not specified on the command line, the name of the current database file is returned.
Examples:
mged> opendb model.g

-- Close the current database file and open model.g.


mged> opendb
-- Return the name of the current database file.


orientation x y z w
The "orientation" command sets the view direction for MGED from the quaternion specified on the command line.
Examples:
mged> orientation 1 0 0 0

-- Set viewing direction to bottom.


orot [-i] xdeg ydeg zdeg
The "orot" command performs a rotation of an object during matrix edit. The rotation is performed, in order: xdeg about the x axis, then ydeg about the y axis, and finally zdeg about the z axis. If the -i flag is given, then the angles are interpreted as increments to the last object rotation. The rotobj command is a synonym for orot.
Examples:
mged> orot 0 0 35

-- Rotate currently edited object by 35˚ about the Z-axis from the original orientation.


oscale scale_factor
The "oscale" command of matrix edit mode modifies the matrix to perform a uniform scale operation. A scale_factor of 2 doubles the size of the associated object, and a scale_factor of 0.5 reduces it by half.
Examples:
mged> oscale 3

-- Increase the size of the currently edited object by a factor of 3.


overlay plot_file [name]
The "overlay" command plots the specified UNIX plot_file in the MGED display. Phony object names are created for each part of the plot file that is in a unique color. The names are created by adding a color to the specified name, or to "_PLOT_OVER" if no name is provided. The color suffix is built by converting the RGB color to a six digit hex number. Each color corresponds to 2 hex digits, so that white becomes "ffffff," red becomes "ff0000," green is "00ff00," etc.
Examples:
mged> overlay plot.upl tmp

-- Plot the Unix plot file plot.upl in the MGED display, using tmp as the base for the phony object names.


p value1 [value2 value3]
The "p" command provides precise control over primitive editing operations that would normally be done using the mouse or knobs. For example, a shape rotate may be performed by selecting rotate from the primitive edit menu, then providing the rotation angles with the p command. A command of "p 0 30 0" would rotate the edited shape through 30˚ about the y axis. Similarly, many of the individual parameters of the edited shape may be set exactly using the p command. If the scale H menu item is selected while editing a TGC, then the value1 supplied with a p command specifies the actual length of the height vector for that TGC. This method is the recommended technique to set precise values for shape parameters. The translate and rotobj commands provide a similar capability for object editing.
Examples:
mged> p 30

-- Set the currently selected shape parameter of the currently edited shape to 30 units.


pathlist <combinations>

The "pathlist" command lists all existing paths that start from the specified combinations and end at a primitive shape.
Examples:
mged> pathlist group1 region2

-- List all existing paths that start from the combinations group1 and region2 and end at primitive shapes.


paths path_start
The "paths" command lists all existing paths that start from the specified path_start and end at a primitive shape. The path_start may be specified by "/" separated components, or they may be separated by spaces (but not both).
Examples:
mged> paths group1 region2

-- List all existing paths that start from group1/region2 and end at a primitive shape.


permute tuple
The "permute" command permutes the vertex labels for the face of an ARB shape that is currently being edited. The tuple indicates which face is affected and also indicates the desired result. The tuple is formed by concatting the list of vertex numbers for the face in the order desired such that the first vertex listed will become vertex number one (and therefore the default keypoint). Only a sufficient number of vertices to disambiguate need be included in the tuple. Note that this has no effect on the geometry of the ARB, but may affect any texture mapping involving this shape.
Examples:
mged> permute 321

-- Rearrange the vertices of the currently edited ARB such that vertex #3 becomes vertex #1, vertex #2 remains #2, and vertex #1 becomes #3.


plot [-float] [-zclip] [-2d] [-grid] out_file | "|" filter
The "plot" command creates a UNIX plot of the current MGED display. If an output_file is specified, the plot is stored in that file. If a filter is specified, the output is sent to that filter. The -float option requests a plot file with real numbers rather than integers. The -zclip option requests that the plot be clipped to the viewing cube in the Z-direction. The -2d option requests a two-dimensional plot (the default is 3D). The -grid option is intended to include a grid in the plot, but is currently not implemented. This command does not use the dm-plot display manager. The pl command performs the same function, but does use the dm-plot display manager.
Examples:
mged> plot -float | pldebug

-- Create a UNIX plot of the current MGED display and pipe the results to the pldebug command.


prcolor
The "prcolor" command lists the entries in the ident-based color table. The ident number for a displayed region is used to find the appropriate color from the lookup table. The low and high values are the limits of region ident numbers to have the indicated r g b color (0-255) applied. The color table entries may be modified using the color command, and the entire color table may be edited using the edcolor command. If a color lookup table exists, its entries will override any color assigned using the mater command.

prefix new_prefix <objects>
The "prefix" command changes the name of all the objects listed by adding the specified new_ prefix. All references to the objects will also be changed. The mvall command performs a similar function.
Examples:
mged> prefix test_ group1 regiona shapeb

-- Change the names of objects group1, regiona, and shapeb to "test_group1," "test_regiona," and "test_shapeb." All references to these objects will reflect the new names.


prj_add [-t] [-b] [-n] shaderfile [image_file] [image_width] [image_height]
The "prj_add" command appends information to the specified shaderfile. The information appended is in the form required by the "projection" shader (prj) and includes the image_file (typically a "pix" file), the image_width and image_height, and current view parameters from the MGED display. The resulting shaderfile may then be used as the parameter to the prj shader. Before executing this command, the region wireframe display in MGED should be aligned with the image_file (underlaid in MGED�s framebuffer) and the image_file should have the same height and width as the mged display. The -t option indicates that the image should be projected through the object. The -n option requests that antialiasing not be done.

press button_label
The "press" command simulates the pressing of a button. All of these button actions can be run directly as a command. The button_label indicates which button to simulate. The available buttons are:
Examples:
mged> press top

-- Switch to view from the top direction.


preview [-v] [-d delay] [-D start_frame_number] [-K end_frame_number] rt_script_file
The "preview" command allows the user to preview animation scripts in MGED. The -d option provides a delay in seconds to be applied between each frame (the default is no delay). The -D option allows the user to specify a starting frame number, and the -K option allows the specification of an ending frame number. The -v flag indicates that the objects displayed in the MGED graphics window should be displayed in "evaluated" mode, as would be the result of the ev command. Note that this may significantly slow the preview.
Examples:
mged> preview -D 101 -K 237 script.rt
-- Preview the animation script stored in the file named script.rt from frame number 101 through frame number 237.

prj_add shaderfile [image_file] [image_width] [image_height]
The "prj_add" command appends information to the specified shaderfile. The information appended is in the form required by the "projection" shader (prj) and includes the image_file (typically a "pix" file), the image_width and image_height, and current view parameters from the MGED display. The resulting shaderfile may then be used as the parameter to the prj shader. Before executing this command, the region wireframe display in MGED should be aligned with the image_file (underlaid in MGED�s framebuffer), and the image_file should have the same height and width as the MGED display.

ps [-f font] [-t title] [-c creator] [-s size_in_inches] [-l line_width] output_file
The "ps" command temporarily attaches the Postscript display manager and outputs the current MGED display to the specified output_file in PostScript format. The -f option allows the font to be user-specified. The -t option allows the user to provide a title (the default is "No Title"). The -c option allows the user to specify the creator of the file (the default is "LIBDM dm-ps"). The �s specifies the size of the drawing in inches. The �l specifies the width of the lines drawn.
Examples:
mged> ps -t "Test Title" test.ps

-- Place a PostScript version of the current MGED display in a file named test.ps and give it the title "Test Title."


mged> ps -l 10 -t "Test Fat Lines" fat_lines.ps
-- This time use fat lines.


pull <objects>
The "pull" command pulls the effects of all transformation matrices that appear in any primitive shapes or combinations in the trees up to the specified objects heading the tree. This will restore the original the parameters of the primitive shapes if any of the transformation matrices are not identity matrices. All the transformation matrices visited up the tree will be set to the current transformation matrix. This command will fail, and no changes will be made, if the head is referenced by a primitive shape.
Examples:
mged> pull group1 regiona

-- Pull the effects of any transformation matrices from the primitive shapes. in the trees up to the heads indicated by group1 and regiona


push <objects>
The "push" command forces the effects of all transformation matrices that appear in any combinations in the trees from the specified objects down to the primitive shapes. This will change the parameters of the primitive shapes if any of the transformation matrices are not identity matrices. All the transformation matrices visited will be set to identity matrices. This command will fail, and no changes will be made, if any primitive shape referenced by the list of objects is positioned differently in two or more combinations. The xpush command will perform a similar function, even if some shapes are multiply referenced.
Examples:
mged> push group1 regiona

-- Push the effects of any transformation matrices in the trees headed by group1 and regiona down to the primitive shapes.


putmat comb_name/member_name {I | m0 m1 m2 m3 ... m16}
The "putmat" command replaces the existing transformation matrix in the combination specified that corresponds to the member specified. The transformation matrix may be specified with an "I" to indicate the identity matrix, or it may be specified as 16 elements listed row-by-row. The copymat command allows the user to copy an existing transformation matrix.
Examples:
mged> putmat group1/regiona I

-- Set the transformation matrix for regiona in group1 to the identity matrix.


q
The "q" command ends the MGED process. Note that there is no write database command in MGED. All changes are made to the database as the user performs them. Therefore, a q command will not restore the database to its pre-edited state. This is a synonym for the quit command.
Examples:
mged> q

-- Quit the current MGED session.


qorot x y z dx dy dz angle
The "qorot" command rotates an object through the specified angle (in degrees). This command requires that MGED already be in matrix edit mode. The edited object is rotated about the axis defined by the start point (x y z) and the direction vector (dx dy dz).
Examples:
mged> qorot 1 2 3 0 0 1 25

-- Rotate the currently edited object through 25 degrees about the axis through the point (1, 2, 3) and in the Z-direction.


qray [subcommand]
Get/set query ray characteristics. Without a subcommand, the usage message is printed. The qray command accepts the following subcommands:
vars
Print a list of all query ray variables.
basename [str]
If str is specified, then set basename to str. Otherwise, return the basename. Note that the basename is the name used to create the fake shape names corresponding to the query ray. There will be one fake shape for every color used along the ray.
effects [t|g|b]
Set or get the type of effects that will occur when firing a query ray. The effects of firing a ray can be either t for textual output, g for graphical output or b for both textual and graphical.
echo [0|1]
Set or get the value of echo. If set to 1, the actual nirt command used will be echoed to the screen.
oddcolor [r g b]
Set or get the color of odd partitions.
evencolor [r g b]
Set or get the color of even partitions.
voidcolor [r g b]
Set or get the color of areas where the ray passes through nothing.
overlapcolor [r g b]
Set or get the color of areas that overlap.
fmt [r|h|p|f|m|o [str]]
Set or get the format string(s). See the man page of nirt for more details.
script [str]
Set or get the nirt script string.
help
Print the usage message.
Examples:
mged> qray

-- Print usage message.


mged> qray fmt o
-- Returns the overlap format string.


mged> qray oddcolor
-- Returns the rgb color used to color odd partitions.


mged> qray oddcolor 255 0 0
-- Sets the odd partition color to red.


query_ray [nirt_args]
The "query_ray" command runs the nirt program that is distributed with BRL-CAD to intersect a single ray with the displayed objects. By default, nirt is run using the current database and the currently displayed objects and uses the current eye point as the ray start point and the current viewing direction as the ray direction. This effectively fires a ray at the center of the MGED display. The resulting list of intersections between the ray and the objects is given. Additional arguments may be supplied on the nirt command line. See the man page of nirt for more details.
Examples:
mged> query_ray

-- Fire a single ray through the center of the MGED display.


quit
The "quit" command ends the MGED process. Note that there is no write database command in MGED. All changes are made to the database as the user performs them. Therefore, a quit command will not restore the database to its pre-edited state. This is a synonym for the q command.
Examples:
mged> quit

-- Quit the current MGED session.


qvrot dx dy dz angle
The "qvrot" command adjusts the current MGED viewing direction such that the eye is positioned along the direction vector (dx dy dz) from the view center and is looking towards the view center. The angle (in degrees) allows for a twist about the viewing direction. The ae command provides a similar capability.
Examples:
mged> qvrot 0 0 1 90

-- Set the current view to the same as achieved by the press top command.


r region_name <operation object>
The "r" command creates a region with the specified region_name. The region is constructed using the list of Boolean operations and object pairs. The operators are represented by the single characters "+," "-," and "u" for intersection, subtraction, and union, respectively. The object associated with each operator may be a combination or a primitive shape. No parentheses or any grouping indication is allowed in the r command. The operator hierarchy for the r command has been established through the ancestry of BRL-CAD and does not conform to accepted standards (see the c command for a more standard implementation). Intersection and subtraction operations are performed first, proceeding left to right; then union operations are performed. BRL-CAD regions are special cases of BRL-CAD combinations and include special attributes. Default values for these attributes may be set using the regdef command. As new regions are built, the default ident number gets incremented. If region_name already exists, then the operation/object pairs get appended to its end.
Examples:
mged> r new_region u shape1 - shape2 u shape3 + group4

-- Create a region named new_region that consists of two parts unioned together. The first part is shape1 with shape2 subtracted. The second part is the intersection of shape3 and the combination group4.


rcc-blend rccname newname thickness [b|t]
The "rcc-blend" command generates a blend at an end (base [b] or top [t]) of the specified RCC shape. The thickness is the radius of the TOR curvature. The blend is saved as a region made up of an RCC and a TOR. The default end is the base.
Examples:
mged> rcc-blend rcc.s blend.s 10
-- Create a region named blend.s that extends 10 units from the base of rcc.s.
mged> rcc-blend rcc.s blend.s 10 t
-- Create a region named blend.s that extends 10 units from the top of rcc.s.

rcc-cap rccname newname [height] [b|t]
The "rcc-cap" command is used to round the end of a cylinder with an ellipsoid. It creates an ELL shape with the given height at one end (base [b] or top [t]) of the specified RCC. If the height option is not specified, a spherical cap will be generated. The default end is the base.
Examples:
mged> rcc-cap rcc.s cap.s 20
-- Create an ELL shape named cap.s with a radius of 20 units at the base of rcc.s.
 
mged> rcc-cap rcc.s cap.s 20 t
-- Create an ELL shape named cap.s with a radius of 20 units at the top of rcc.s.

rcc-tgc rccname newname x y z [b|t]
The "rcc-tgc" command creates a TGC shape with the specified apex (x y z) at one end (base [b] or top [t]) of the specified RCC. The default end is the base.
Examples:
mged> rcc-tgc rcc.s tgc.s 0 2 4
-- Create a TGC shape named tgc.s with an apex at (0 2 4) from the base of rcc.s.
 

rcc-tor rccname newname
The "rcc-tor" command is used to round the edges of the specified RCC by creating a torus based on the parameters of that RCC. The radius values of the RCC must be greater than half its height.
 
Examples:
mged> rcc-tor rcc.s tor.s
-- Create a TOR shape named tor.s using the parameters of rcc.s.
 

rcodes file_name
The "rcodes" command reads the specified file and assigns the region attributes to the regions listed. The file is expected to be in the format produced by the wcodes command.
Examples:
mged> rcodes region_codes

-- Read the file named region_codes and set the region specific attributes according to the values found in the file.


red combination
The "red" command creates a file describing the specified combination and starts an editor for the user to modify the combination. The environment EDITOR variable will be used to select the editor. If EDITOR is not set, then /bin/ed will be used. All the attributes of BRL-CAD regions and combinations may be edited in this way. The region specific attributes will be ignored if the combination is not a region and is not set to be a region during editing. It is not necessary to be in an editing mode to run this command. The rm, r, comb, c, and g commands provide some basic combination editing capabilities.
Examples:
mged> red group2

-- Edit the combination group2 with the user�s editor of choice.


refresh
The "refresh" command updates the MGED display.
Examples:
mged> refresh

-- Update the MGED display.


regdebug [debug_level]
The "regdebug" command with no options toggles the display manager debug flag. If a debug_level is supplied, then the display manager debug flag is set to that value.
Examples:
mged> regdebug

-- Toggle the display manager debug flag.


regdef item [air [los [material_code]]]
The "regdef" command sets the default region attributes used by the r and c commands when building a BRL-CAD region. The default ident number is incremented each time a new region is created with the r or c commands.
Examples:
mged> regdef 1003 0 100 8

-- Set the region default attributes to an ident of 1003, an air code of 0, an los of 100%, and a material code of 8.


regions output_file <objects>
The "regions" command creates a summary of all the regions in the specified list of objects. The summary is written in the specified output_file. The summary includes, for each region, a sequential region number, its ident, air code, material code, los, the path from one of the objects to the region, and the Boolean formula for the region.
Examples:
mged> regions regions_file group1 group2

-- Place a summary of all the regions from group1 and group2 in the file named regions_file.


release [name]
The "release" command is used to close a display manager. If invoked with no arguments, the current display manager is closed. Otherwise, name (i.e., the Tcl/Tk path name of the display manager window) is closed.
Examples:
mged> release

-- Close the current display manager.


mged> release .dm_X0
-- Close .dm_X0.


rfarb
The "rfarb" command creates a new ARB8 shape based on rotation and fallback angles. The command prompts the user for all the required information. In addition to the name for the new shape and the rotation and fallback angles, the user is prompted for the coordinates of one corner of the ARB8 and for two of the three coordinates of the other three vertices of one face of the ARB8. The other coordinate of each of these vertices is calculated in order to ensure that the face is planar. The user is then prompted for a thickness, and the first face is extruded normally by the specified thickness to complete the ARB8.
Examples:
mged> rfarb

-- Create a new ARB8 shape according to arguments supplied in answer to prompts.


rm combination <members>
The "rm" command deletes all occurrences of the listed members from the specified combination. The red, r, comb, c, and g commands provide other combination editing capabilities.
Examples:
mged> rm group1 regiona

-- Delete regiona from group1.


rmater file
The "rmater" command reads the specified file and sets the combinationshader, color, and inheritance values according to those listed in the file. The format of the file is expected to be as produced by the wmater command.
Examples:
mged> rmater mater_file

-- Read the file named mater_file and set the combination attributes according to those listed in the file.


rot x y z
The "rot" command rotates the view or an object by xyz degrees. Exactly what is rotated and how it is rotated are dependent on MGED�s state as well as the state of the display manager. See arot for a similar capability.
Examples:
mged> rot 0 0 45

-- Rotate 45 degrees about the Z axis.


mged> rot 45 45 0
-- Rotate 45˚ about the y axis, then rotate 45 degrees about the x axis.


rotobj [-i] x-angle y-angle z-angle
The "rotobj" command rotates the currently edited object by z angle degrees about the z direction, y angle about the y direction, and x angle degrees about the x direction in that order. If an -i option is included, then the rotations are treated as increments to the previous rotations. MGED must be in the matrix edit mode for this command to be useful. The p command provides a similar capability for primitive editing.
Examples:
mged> rotobj 0 0 25

-- Rotate the currently edited object by 25 degrees about the z direction from the original orientation.


rpp-arch rppname newname face
The "rpp-arch" command is used to round a specified face of an RPP by creating an RCC based on the parameters of the RPP.
Examples:
mged> rpp-arch rpp.s arch.s 1234
-- Create an RCC shape named arch.s at the 1234 face of the RPP.

rpp-cap rppname newname face height [0|1]
The "rpp-cap" command creates an ARB6 with the specified height at a particular face of the given RPP. The optional "0" and "1" refer to the orientation of the ARB6. If "0" is chosen, the peaks of the ARB6 are positioned at the midpoint between the first and second points and at the midpoint between the third and fourth points of the specified face. If "1" is chosen, the peaks of the ARB6 are positioned at the midpoint between the first and fourth points and at the midpoint between the second and third points of the specified face. The default is 0.
Examples:
mged> rpp-cap rpp.s cap.s 1234 20
-- Create an ARB6 shape named cap.s that extends 20 units from the 1234 face of the RPP. The peaks of the ARB6 will be at the midpoint between point 1 and 2 and at the midpoint between 3 and 4.
 
mged> rcc-cap rcc.s cap.s 1234 20 1
-- Create an ARB6 shape named cap.s that extends 20 units from the 1234 face of the RPP. The peaks of the ARB6 will be at the midpoint between point 1 and 4 and at the midpoint between 2 and 3.

rrt program [options]
The "rrt" command executes the specified program with the provided options and includes the current database name and the list of currently displayed objects on the command line. This command effectively executes:
        program options database_name objects.

The rrt command also provides the current MGED viewing parameters to the program on standard input. Many BRL-CAD programs use the -M option to indicate that viewing parameters will be provided on standard input. The rt command can be simulated with rrt as:

        rrt /usr/brlcad/bin/rt -M -s50

provided that perspective is not currently being used. Any executable routine may be run using rrt; however, it will always be run with the provided options followed by the current database name and the list of currently displayed objects.

Examples:
mged> rrt echo

-- Will list the current database name and the list of currently displayed objects.


rt [options] [-- objects]
The "rt" command executes the BRL-CAD rt program with the default options of
"-s50 �M." If perspective is turned on, then the -p option will be included with the value of the perspective angle. The current database name is added to the end of the rt command line along with either the specified objects or, if none is specified, the list of currently displayed objects. The rt program is written such that options may be repeated, and the last occurrence of an option will override any earlier occurrences. This allows the user to specify other size (-s) options. The rrt command performs a similar function, but may be used to execute other programs as well. The -M option tells rt to read the viewing parameters from standard input. See the man page on rt for details. A related command is saveview, which can be used to create a shell script (batch job) to raytrace this view in the background.
Examples:
mged> rt -s1024 -F/dev/Xl

-- Run the rt program to produce a color-shaded image of the current view in the MGED display. The image will be 1024 pixels square and will be displayed on a lingering X framebuffer.


mged> rt -C 200/200/255 -- roof
-- Run the rt program to produce a color-shaded image of the object roof using MGED�s current viewing parameters. The image will have a sky-blue background and will be displayed on the framebuffer specified by the FB_FILE shell variable.


rtcheck [options]
The "rtcheck" command executes the BRL-CAD rtcheck program with the default options of "-s50 �M." The -M option tells rtcheck to read the viewing parameters from standard input so that rays are only fired from the current view. The current database name and the list of currently displayed objects are added to the end of the rtcheck command line. The rtcheck program is written such that options may be repeated, and the last occurrence of an option will override any earlier occurrences. This allows the user to specify other size (-s) options. The rrt command performs a similar function, but may be used to execute other programs as well. The rtcheck program uses raytracing to check for overlapping regions in the list of objects passed on the command line. When invoked from within MGED, any discovered overlaps along a ray are represented as yellow lines that extend only in the areas of overlap. Details and a count of overlaps are also reported. Note that overlaps of less than 0.1 mm are currently ignored by rtcheck. The default option of -s50 indicates that the checking rays should be fired from a uniform square grid with 50 rays on a side. This is very coarse and may miss significant overlaps. It is recommended that the user select appropriate options for the rtcheck program and execute it for a variety viewing aspects to perform a thorough check. The granularity of the grid may be controlled with the -s, -w, -n, -g, and -G options. See the man page on rtcheck for details.
Examples:
mged> rtcheck -g10 -G10

-- Run the rtcheck program with rays fired from a uniform grid with the rays spaced every 10 mm.


saveview file [args]
The "saveview" command saves the current viewing parameters in the specified file in the form of a shell script that will run the BRL-CAD rt program as if it had been executed from within MGED using the rt -s512 command. Any args included on the saveview command line will be copied to the file as options to the rt program. If the file already exists, the script will be appended to it. This is useful in setting up images to be raytraced later. The default script produced by "saveview test.rt" looks like:

#!/bin/sh
rt -M \
 -o test.rt.pix\
 $*\
 model.g\
 'object1' 'object2' \
 2>> test.rt.log\
 <<EOF
viewsize 2.780320739746094e+02;
orientation 2.480973490458727e-01 4.765905732660483e-01 7.480973490458729e-01 3.894348305183902e-01;
eye_pt 1.234152656421214e+02 7.220202900588745e+01 3.845765464924686e+01;
start 0; clean;
end;
EOF

When this script is executed, the image will be stored in test.rt.pix, and all messages and errors generated by the rt program will be stored in test.rt.log. The above script will produce an image of object1 and object2 from the BRL-CAD database named model.g. The viewsize, orientation, and eye_pt parameters reproduce the view displayed by MGED when the saveview command was executed. The presence of "$*" in the script causes any additional command-line options given when the script is invoked to be interpreted as additional rt options. Typically, a "-s" option might be used to set the image size (the default is 512 pixels square). See the man page on rt for details on available options.

If you have a saveview script and wish to change MGED to that view, merely cut-and-paste, or source, the viewsize, orientation, and eye_pt lines from the saveview file into MGED.

Examples:
mged> saveview rt_script -s1024

-- Create (or append to) a file named rt_script that will contain a script to run the rt program and create a color shaded image of the current MGED display. The image produced will be 1024 pixels square.


sca sfactor
The "sca" command is used to apply a scaling factor. The effect is determined by the Transform option in the Settings menu. This is normally affected by the current mode of operation in MGED (e.g., matrix edit, primitive edit, or viewing).
Examples:
mged> sca 2
-- In matrix edit mode, the object being affected will get twice as big.
-- In view mode, the size of the view will be doubled (showing twice the volume of space, hence making objects appear half their previous size on the display).

sed path
The "sed" command places MGED directly into the primitive edit mode. The path must uniquely identify a primitive shape. If the shape is only referenced once in the objects being displayed, then path may simply be the shape name. If the shape is multiply referenced, then the path should be the full path from a top level displayed object to the primitive shape to be edited. The who command will return a list of the top-level objects currently being displayed.
Examples:
mged> sed shape1

-- Enter primitive edit state for shape1.


setview x-angle y-angle z-angle
The "setview" command sets the current view in MGED by specifying rotation angles (in degrees) about the x, y, and z axes. The rotations are performed about the z axis first, then the y axis, then the x axis. The "setview 0 0 0" command is a synonym for press top.
Examples:
mged> setview 90 180 90

-- Set the current view to that set by ae 0 0.


shader combination shader_name ["{shader_args}"]
The "shader" command assigns shader parameters to the specified combination. The shader_name indicates which shader should be assigned. If shader_args are supplied, they will be assigned to parameters of the indicated shader. This performs a similar function as the mater command.
Examples:
mged> shader group1 checker "{a 0,255,0 b 0,0,255}"

-- Assign the checkerboard shader to group1 using green and blue colors for the squares.


shells NMG_shape
The "shells" command separates the specified NMG shape into its constituent shells. Each shell is written to the database as a separate NMG object with a name of the form "shell" with a number appended to make the name unique. If the NMG has only one shell, then only one new object will be created. This differs from the decompose command in that decompose will actually break the object into a number of separate shells if possible.
Examples:
mged> shells object.nmg

-- Break the NMG shape named object.nmg into its constituent shells.


showmats path
The "showmats" command lists the transformation matrices encountered along the specified path and also lists the accumulated matrix at the end of the path. If any member occurs more than once in a combination along the path, then a matrix will be listed for each occurrence of that member, and the accumulated matrix will only use the first occurrence. Related commands are putmat, copymat, and listeval.
Examples:
mged> showmats head/skull/jaw

-- List the transformation matrices along the path "head/skull/jaw" and the accumulated matrix for the entire path.


size view_size
The "size" command sets the size of the current viewing cube to the specified view_size (in local units). This size is the length of any side of the square MGED display.
Examples:
mged> size 250

-- Set the MGED display to be 250 units across.


solids file <objects>
The "solids" command lists a summary of all the primitive shapes used in regions referenced by the list of objects. The summary is written to the specified file. The summary is similar to that produced by the regions command, but with the addition of primitive shape parameters. The shape parameters listed will have the accumulated transformation matrices along the path from the listed objects to the primitive shape applied (as would be listed by the listeval command). The showmats command may be used to see the actual transformation matrices.
Examples:
mged> solids shapes_summary group1 regiona

-- Write a summary of all the regions in group1 and include the region named regiona. The summary will include detailed shape parameters for the shapes used in the regions.


sph-part sph1name sph2name newname
The "sph-part" command creates a PART shape that encompasses two specified SPH shapes based on their parameters.
Examples:
mged> sph-part sph1.s sph2.s part.s
-- Create a PART shape named part.s that surrounds the spheres sph1.s and sph2.s.

status [subcommands]
Without a subcommand, the status command returns the following information: current state, view size of the current display manager, the conversion factor from local model units to the base units (mm) stored in the database, and the view matrices of the current display manager. Status accepts the following subcommands:
state
Get the current state of MGED (i.e., "VIEWING," "SOL PICK," "SOL EDIT," "OBJ PICK," "OBJ PATH," "OBJ EDIT," or "VERTPICK").
Viewscale
Get the view scale.
base2local
Get the conversion factor from base units (mm) to local units.
local2base
Get the conversion factor from local units to base units (mm).
toViewcenter
Get the matrix that describes the location of the view center.
Viewrot
Get the matrix that describes the view orientation.
model2view
Get the model to view conversion matrix.
view2model
Get the view to model conversion matrix.
model2objview
Get the model to view conversion matrix. This matrix also includes changes made during editing.
objview2model
Get the view to model conversion matrix. This matrix also includes changes made during editing.
help
Print the usage message.
Examples:
mged> status

-- Get default information (i.e., state, view size, local2base, toViewcenter, Viewrot, model2view and view2model).


mged> status Viewrot
-- Get the view rotation matrix.


mged> status state
-- Get the edit state.


summary [s r g]
The "summary" command with no arguments lists the number of primitive shapes, regions, and non-region combinations in the current database. If the s argument is supplied, then the name of each primitive shape is also listed. Similarly, the r flag asks for the region names, and g asks for the names of all the combinations (including region). The flags may be concatenated to get combined output.
Examples:
mged> summary sr

-- List a summary of primitive shapes and regions for the current database.


sv x y [z]
The "sv" command moves the view center to (x, y, z). If z is not provided, then z=0 is used. The parameters x, y, z are integer values relative to the screen. For example, the center of the screen is (0, 0, 0) and the upper left corner is (-2048, 2047, 0).
Examples:
mged> sv 0 0 0

-- The view is unchanged.


mged> sv 1024 0 0
-- The view center is moved half way between the current view center and the right side of the view screen.


sync
The "sync" command causes all information in memory that should be on disk to be written out.
Examples:
mged> sync

-- Make sure disk files are up to date.


t [-a -c -r -s] [objects]
The "t" command with no object argument lists the name of every object in the database (in alphabetical order) except those marked as hidden with the hide command. If the object argument is supplied, only those objects are listed. The object argument may include regular expressions for matching. The following options are also allowed:

The t command is a synonym for the ls command. Note that when any of the above options is used, the output is not formatted.

Examples:
mged> t shape*

-- List all objects with names beginning with "shape."
(output is formatted)


mged> t -a shape*
-- List all objects with names beginning with "shape."


mged> t -s wheel*
-- List all shapes with names beginning with "wheel."


mged> t -r wheel*
-- List all regions with names beginning with "wheel."


mged> t -c suspension*
-- List all combinations with names beginning with "suspension."


ted
The "ted" command places the parameters of the currently edited primitive shape into a file, then starts a text editor for the user to modify the parameters. The editor used is whatever the user has set in the environment variable EDITOR. If EDITOR is not set, then /bin/ed is used. MGED must be in the primitive edit mode prior to using this command. The red command performs a similar function for combinations.
Examples:
mged> ted

-- Use a text editor to modify the currently edited shape.


title [string]
The "title" command, with no arguments, returns the title string for the current database. If command line arguments are supplied, they will become the new title string for the current database. Quotation marks must be doubly escaped.
Examples:
mged> title This is my \\"database\\"

-- Set the title of the current database to This is my "database."


tol [abs #] [rel #] [norm #] [dist #] [perp #]
The "tol" command, with no arguments, lists the current tolerance settings. If the command line includes any of the keywords followed by a number, then that tolerance setting will be modified. The keywords are:
Examples:
mged> tol rel .05 perp 1e-6

-- Set the relative tolerance to 5% and the perpendicularity tolerance to 1e-06 (cosine of 89.9999˚).


tops [-g -n -u]
The "tops" command displays a list of all the top-level objects in the current database. The top-level objects are all those objects that are not referenced by some other combination. The hierarchical structure of BRL-CAD databases usually means that there will be a top-level object that includes all (or at least most) of the objects in the database. The -g option shows only geometry objects. The -n option specifies that no "decoration" (e.g., "/" and "/R") be shown at the end of each object name. The -u option will not show hidden objects. See also the hide command.
Examples:
mged> tops

-- List all the top-level objects in the current database.


tor-rcc torname newname
The "tor-rcc" command creates an RCC shape that fills in the hole of a specified TOR.
 
Examples:
mged> tor-rcc tor.s rcc.s
-- Create an RCC named rcc.s to fill in the hole in the middle of tor.s.

tra dx dy dz
The "tra" command translates the view or an object. Exactly what is done is determined by MGED�s state as well as the state of the current display manager. The parameters dx, dy, and dz are in local units.
Examples:
mged> tra 10 0 0

-- Translate by 10 units along the x axis.


track [parameters]
The "track" command builds a simple representation of the linked track of a vehicle such as a tank. With no command line arguments, the track command will prompt for all the required input. The vehicle is assumed to be axis-aligned with the front in the +x direction. A combination name for the track is built by appending a unique number to the string "track." The information about the track may be included on the command line, and is order-dependent. The parameters are (in order):
Examples:
mged> track 500 0 10 10 -50 50 10 550 50 10 -50 -20 2

-- Build a simple track using the provided arguments.


translate x y z
The "translate" command is used to precisely control the translation of an object in both primitive edit and matrix edit modes. The keypoint of the edited object or shape is translated to the specified coordinates.
Examples:
mged> translate 10 20 30

-- Move the currently edited object to the model coordinates (10 20 30).


tree [-c] [-i #] [-o outfile] object(s)
The "tree"command will list the contents of the specified objects in a tree-like format that displays the hierarchical structure of the objects, and all objects referenced by them, down to the primitive shape level. If -c is given, the shapes are not printed. The -o outfile option prints the results to outfile. The -i # option allows the user to set the number of spaces to indent.
Examples:
mged> tree group1

-- Show the structure of the tree rooted at group1 down to the primitive shape level.


mged> tree -i 2 group1
-- This time use two spaces for each level of indentation.


mged> tree -c group1
-- No shapes are printed.


units [units_type]
The "units" command, with no arguments, will return the current type of units that MGED is using. If a units_type is specified, MGED will switch to editing in the indicated units. The actual database is always stored in millimeters, and the display is adjusted to the users choice of units. If the units_type specified on the command line is one of the types allowed, it will be written to the database file as the preferred units and succeeding invocations will use those units. The units_type strings that will be remembered as the preferred editing unit are:

Units_type strings that may be used, but will not be remembered as the preferred editing units, are:

 
Examples:
mged> units in

-- Switch to editing in "inches" and remember this as the preferred editing units for this database.


vars [variable=value]
The "vars" command, with no arguments, will list all the MGED variables and their values. If a variable=value string is included on the command line, then that value is assigned to the specified variable. Note that no spaces are allowed around the "=". The available variables are:
Examples:
mged> vars sliders=1

-- Turn on the sliders.


vdraw command [args]
The "vdraw" command allows drawing of lines and polygons (optionally with per vertex normals) in the MGED graphics display. It is used to build a named list of drawing commands for MGED, send the list to the MGED display, modify the list, or delete all or part of the list. All vertices in the vdraw command are in millimeters. The MGED drawing commands are represented by integers in the vdraw command. The MGED drawing commands and the integers that vdraw uses for them are:

MGED Drawing Command

Vdraw integer

MGED Action

RT_VLIST_LINE_MOVE

0

begin a new line at this point

RT_VLIST_LINE_DRAW

1

draw line from previous point to this point

RT_VLIST_POLY_START

2

start polygon (argument is surface normal)

RT_VLIST_POLY_MOVE

3

move to first polygon vertex

RT_VLIST_POLY_DRAW

4

subsequent polygon vertices

RT_VLIST_POLY_END

5

last polygon vertex (should be same as first)

RT_VLIST_POLY_VERTNORM

6

vertex normal (for shading interpolation)

The vdraw commands are:


All textual arguments may be abbreviated by their first letter.

 

Examples:
mged> vdraw open square

-- Open a list named square.


mged> vdraw params color ff00
-- Set color to green.


mged> vdraw write next 0 0 0 0
-- Start a line at the origin.


mged> vdraw write next 1 100 0 0
-- Draw line to (100 0 0).


mged> vdraw write next 1 100 100 0
-- Draw line to (100 100 0).


mged> vdraw write next 1 0 100 0
-- Draw line to (0 100 0).


mged> vdraw write next 1 0 0 0
-- Draw line to (0 0 0).


mged> vdraw send
-- Draw the square in the MGED display.


view subcommand
Get/set view parameters (local units). The view command accepts the following subcommands:


center [x y z]--get/set the view center of the current view.

size [val]--get/set the view size of the current view.
eye [x y z]--get/set the eye point of the current view.
ypr [y p r]--get/set the yaw, pitch, and roll of the current view.
quat [v1 v2 v3 v4]--get/set the view in the form of a quaternion.
aet [a e t]--get/set the azimuth, elevation, and twist of the current view.
 
Examples:
mged> view center

-- Get the view center.


mged> view center 0 0 0
-- Set the view center at the origin of model space.


viewsize view_size
The "viewsize" command sets the size of the current viewing cube to the specified
view_size (in local units). This size is the length of any side of the square mged display. This command is a synonym for the size command.
Examples:
mged> viewsize 250
-- Set the mged display to be 250 units across.

vnirt [nirt args] x y
This command interprets x and y as view coordinates (i.e., +-2047) and converts them to model coordinates (local units) using a value of 2047 for view z before passing them to nirt. All other arguments are passed to nirt without modification.

vquery_ray x y
Same as vnirt.

vrot xrot yrot zrot
The "vrot" command rotates the view on the current geometry display window. The parameters xrot, yrot, and zrot are rotations (specified in degrees) about the viewing coordinate axes.


If the display is in rotate-about-center mode, then the rotation will occur about the center of the viewing volume. In rotate-about-eye mode, the view on the display will be rotated about the eye. The
vars command (or a menu button) allows the user to toggle between the two modes.

Examples:
mged> vrot 90 0 0

-- Rotate 90 degrees about view x axis.


mged> vrot 0 180 0
-- Rotate 180 degrees about view y axis.


wcodes file <objects>
The "wcodes" command writes ident, air code, material code, LOS, and name of all the regions in the list of objects to the specified file. The format used is compatible with the rcodes command.
Examples:
mged> wcodes code_file group1 group2

-- Write region data for all the regions in group1 and group2 to code_file.


whatid region_name
The "whatid" command lists the ident number of the specified region.
Examples:
mged> whatid regiona

-- Get the ident number for regiona.


which_shader <shaders>
The "which_shader" command lists all the regions that use one of the shaders specified.
Examples:
mged> which_shader plastic light

-- List all regions in the current database that use the plastic or light shaders.


whichair <air_codes>
The "whichair" command lists all the regions that use one of the air codes specified. The eac command will perform a similar search, but will draw the qualifying regions in the MGED display rather than listing them. Regions that have nonzero ident numbers will not be listed by this command.
Examples:
mged> whichair 2 3

-- List all regions in the current database that have air codes of 2 or 3.


whichid <idents>
The "whichid" command lists all the regions that use one of the idents specified.
Examples:
mged> whichid 1002 1003

-- List all regions in the current database that have idents of 1002 or 1003.


who [real | phony | both]
The "who" command lists the top-level objects that are currently displayed. The phony flag asks for just phony objects. Phony objects are typically objects that are drawn in the MGED display, but are not actual database objects. Some phony objects are drawings from the vdraw command and the edgeuses drawn by the ev -u command. The real flag asks for just real objects, and the both flag asks for both real and phony objects. The default is just real objects. Any of the flags may be abbreviated by its first letter. The x command also lists displayed shapes, but in more detail.
Examples:
mged> who p

-- List all top-level phony objects currently displayed.


wmater file <objects>
The "wmater" command lists the shader name and parameters, RGB color, RGB_valid flag, and the inheritance flag to the specified file for the listed objects. The format used is compatible with the rmater command. If file already exists, the new data is appended to it.
Examples:
mged> wmater mater_file group1 regiona

-- List the shader parameters of group1 and regiona to mater_file.


x [level]
The "x"command lists all the primitive shapes currently drawn in the MGED display. The level determines how much detail should be included in the list. For level zero (the default), only a list of paths to shapes in the display list is produced. Each shape is prefixed by "VIEW" or "-no-," indicating that the shape is actually being drawn or that it is being skipped, respectively. If level is greater than zero, the center, size, ident number, RGB color assigned to the region, and the actual color used to draw the shape are also listed. If level is greater than one, the number of vlist structures and the number of points in each vlist structure are also listed for each shape. If level is greater than two, then the actual lines drawn for each shape are also listed. The who command performs a similar function, but lists only the top-level objects that are displayed.
Examples:
mged> x

-- List the paths to the displayed shapes.


xpush object
The "xpush" command "pushes" the effects of transformation matrices in the paths, from the specified object to the primitive shapes, into the shapes and replaces all the transformation matrices with identity matrices. The push command performs a similar function, but will refuse to make any changes if any shape needs to be transformed into more than one location/orientation/scale. The xpush command will recognize such situations and create extra copies of such shapes to accept the different transformation effects. New shapes created by this command will have a suffix appended to the original name to make the new name unique. Combinations referring to the new shape will also be modified to reflect the name change. The push command performs the same function but will refuse to make any changes if it cannot accomplish the "push" without creating any new shapes.
Examples:
mged> xpush group1

-- Move all the effects of the transformation matrices in the tree rooted at group1 down to the shape level (creating new shapes if needed).


zoom scale_factor
The "zoom" command changes the size of the viewing cube for the MGED display, resulting in a "zoom in" or "zoom out" effect. A scale_factor greater than one reduces the size of the viewing cube ("zoom in"). A scale_factor of less than one increases the size of the viewing cube ("zoom out").
Examples:
mged> zoom 2

-- Reduces the size of the current viewing cube by half (effectively doubling the size of objects in the display).


MGED Developer Commands

aip

cmd_win

collaborate

get_comb

get_dm_list

get_edit_solid

get_more_default

grid2model_lu

grid2view_lu

gui_destroy

hist

make_name

mged_update

mmenu_get

mmenu_set

model2grid_lu

model2view

model2view_lu

output_hook

put_comb

put_edit_solid

reset_edit_solid

rset

set_more_default

share

solids_on_ray

stuff_str

svb

tie

view2grid_lu

view2model

view2model_lu

view2model_vec

view_ring

viewget

viewset

winset

     

aip [f|b]

The "aip" command advances the illumination pointer when MGED is in the solid illuminate state or the object illuminate state. In either of the illuminate states, a single primitive shape is highlighted at one time, and the path to that shape is displayed. Moving the mouse vertically in the MGED display causes different shapes to be highlighted and their paths to be displayed. The aip command causes the next shape in the list to be highlighted (if used with no arguments or the f argument), or it causes the previous shape in the list to be highlighted (if used with the b argument). When the desired shape is highlighted, it is selected by clicking the middle mouse button or by using the M command. If MGED is in the object path state, the place along the path where the edit is to take place will advance. Once the desired path position is displayed, it is selected by clicking the middle mouse button or by using the M command.
Examples:
mged> press sill

-- Enter solid (i.e., primitive) illuminate mode.


mged aip
-- Highlight the next shape.


mged aip b
-- Highlight the previous shape.


mged
M 1 0 0
-- Select the highlighted shape.


cmd_win subcommand
This command is used to maintain internal command window structures. The cmd_win command accepts the following subcommands:

open id -- This subcommand is used to create the internal data structures for a new command window. If id is already in use, nothing is changed.

close id -- This subcommand releases id�s internal data structures. If the referenced command window is tied to a display manager, then that association is also removed.
set id -- This subcommand sets the current command window to id. If this command window is tied to a display manager, that display manager becomes the current display manager.
get -- This subcommand returns the id of the current command window.
Examples:
mged> cmd_win open my_id

-- Create a command window named my_id.


mged cmd_win close my_id
-- Closes the command window my_id.


mged cmd_win set my_id
-- my_id becomes the current command window.


mged cmd_win get
-- Gets the current command window.


collaborate subcommand
This command is used to maintain the "collaborative session." The collaborative session is a list whose members share a view and view ring among the upper right display manager panes. The collaborate command accepts the following subcommands:


join id -- This causes the GUI associated with id to join the collaborative session.

quit id -- This causes the GUI associated with id to quit the collaborative session.
show -- This returns the list of participants (ids) in the collaborative session.
Examples:
mged> collaborate join bill

-- bill is added to the collaborative session.


mged collaborate quit bill
-- bill is removed from the collaborative session.


mged collaborate show
-- Show list of collaborative participants.


get_comb comb_name

The "get_comb" command returns a Tcl list of information about comb_name. If comb_name is a region, the following information is returned:


NAME REGION REGION_ID AIRCODE GIFT_MATERIAL
LOS COLOR SHADER INHERIT BOOLEAN_FORMULA

Otherwise, the following shorter list is returned:

NAME REGION COLOR SHADER INHERIT BOOLEAN_FORMULA

Examples:
mged> get_comb some_region

some_region Yes 1000 0 1 100 {0 220 220} plastic No { u box - ball }

mged get_comb some_non_region
some_non_region No {0 220 220} plastic No { u box2 - ball2 }


get_dm_list
The "get_dm_list" command returns a list of all open display managers. The members of this list are the actual Tcl/Tk window names of the open display managers.


get_more_default
Returns the current default input value.

grid2model_lu gx gy
Given a point in grid coordinates (local units), convert it to model coordinates (local units).

grid2view_lu gx gy
Given a point in grid coordinates (local units), convert it to view coordinates (local units).

gui_destroy id
Destroy the GUI (Graphical User Interface) represented by id. Note that this GUI must have been created with the gui command.

hist subcommand
This command is used to maintain command history. Hist accepts the following subcommands:
add command
This adds command to the history list of commands executed during the current MGED session. If command is more than one word, it must be surrounded by braces (i.e., {make box arb8}).
next
This returns the next command in the command history list.
prev
This returns the previous command in the command history list.
Examples:
mged> hist add {ae 35 25}

-- Add the command "ae 35 25" to the history list.

mged ae 0 90

mged hist prev
-- Return the previous command (i.e., ae 0 90).


make_name template
make_name -s [num]
This command generates an object name that does not occur in the database. The name, which is generated in the format specified by template, contains an integer count. By default, this count appears at the end of the generated name, but if template contains the �@� character, then the count appears at that position in the name.
Examples:
mged> make_name wheel

-- Returns, say "wheel5."


mged make_name tree@trunk
-- Returns "tree@trunk." The two-character string �@@� is interpreted as the literal �@�, and thus is ignored for the purposes of positioning the name count. The integer counter starts at 0, and, by default, it is incremented each time make_name is executed. The -s option resets this counter. If the argument num is specified, the counter is set to this value. Otherwise, it is set to 0.


mged_update non_blocking
This command is used to handle outstanding events and to refresh the MGED display(s). This may be useful in certain Tcl scripts to maintain interactivity while waiting for user input. Note that if non_blocking is negative, outstanding events will not be processed. That is, only the MGED display(s) will be refreshed.
Examples:
mged> mged_update 0

-- Update the MGED display, blocking (i.e., handle all outstanding events; if none, wait for one).


mged mged_update 1
-- Update the MGED display, nonblocking (i.e., handle all outstanding events; if none, return immediately).


mmenu_get [i]
This command is used to get MGED�s internal menus. If i is not specified, return all three internal menus. Otherwise, return the ith menu. Note - valid values for i are 0, 1, or 2.
Examples:
mged> mmenu_get

-- Return all internal menus.


mged mmenu_get 2
-- Return the internal menu number 2.


mmenu_set id i
This Tcl proc is used to set/install MGED�s ith internal menu in the Tcl/Tk button menu owned by id.
mged> mmenu_set bill 0

-- Install MGED�s 0th internal menu into id�s button menu.


model2grid_lu mx my mz
Convert a point in model coords (local units) to a point in grid coords (local units).

model2view x y z
The "model2view" command converts the supplied point (in model coordinates) to view coordinates. View coordinates are the coordinates in the viewing cube with values between -1.0 and +1.0 being inside the viewing cube.
Examples:
mged> model2view 10 20 30

-- Display the view coordinates that correspond to the point (10 20 30) in model space.


model2view_lu mx my mz
Convert a point in model coordinates (local units) to a point in view coordinates (local units).

output_hook [hook_cmd]
Set up to have output from bu_log sent to hook_cmd. If hook_cmd is not specified, the output hook is deleted.

put_comb comb_name is_Region [id air gift los] color shader inherit Boolean_expr
The "put_comb" command defines the combination comb_name. If is_Region is Yes, then id, air, gift and los must be specified. If is_Region is No, then id, air, gift, and los must not be specified.
Examples:
mged> put_comb not_region No \"0 220 220\" plastic No \"u box\\n- ball\"

-- Defines a combination called not_region.


mged put_comb my_region Yes 1000 0 1 100 \"0 220 220\" plastic No \"u box\\n- ball\"
-- Defines a region called my_region.


reset_edit_solid
Reset the parameters for the currently edited shape (i.e. es_int) to the database values.

rset [res_type [res [vals]]]
Provides a mechanism to get/set resource values for the given resource types. The supported resource types are: ax (Axes), c (Color Schemes), g (Grid), r (Rubber Band), and var (MGED Variables). Basically, rset always gets a value unless enough information is given to set a value. For example, with no parameters, rset returns a list of all resource values for the supported resource types. If rset is executed with only the res_type given, a list of all resource values for the given res_type is returned.
Examples:
mged> rset g

Grid

draw=0
snap=0
anchor=0,0,0
rh=1
rv=1
mrh=5
mrv=5


mged rset g snap
-- Get value for grid snapping 0.


mged rset g snap 1
-- Enable snapping.


mged rset r
Rubber Band
draw=0
linewidth=0
linestyle=�s�
pos=0,0
dim=0,0


mged rset r draw
-- Get value for "Rubber Band�s" draw variable 0.

mged rset r draw 1
-- Draw rubber band.

mged rset ax

Axes
model_draw=0
model_size=500
model_linewidth=1
model_pos=0,0,0
view_draw=0
view_size=500
view_linewidth=1
view_pos=0,0
edit_draw=0
edit_size1=500
edit_size2=500
edit_linewidth1=1
edit_linewidth2=1.

--Prints the values of the axes

mged rset ax model_size
-- Get size of model axes 500.


set_more_default more_default
Set the current default input value.

share [-u] resource dm1 [dm2]
The "share" command provides a mechanism to share (or unshare with the �u option) resources among display managers. When a resource is shared between two or more display managers, any change to that resource is seen only in the sharing display managers. The supported resource types are: ad (ADC), ax (Axes), c (Color Schemes), d (Display Lists), g (Grid), m (Menu), r (Rubber Band), vi (View), and var (MGED Variables).
Examples:
mged> share g .dm_ogl0 .dm_ogl1

-- .dm_ogl0 shares its grid resource with .dm_ogl1.


mged share -u g .dm_ogl1
-- .dm_ogl1 acquires a private copy of the grid resource.


solids_on_ray h v
List all displayed shapes along a ray.

stuff_str string
Sends a string to MGED�s tty, while leaving the current command line alone. This is used to relay the activity of Tcl/Tk command windows to MGED�s tty. If MGED is no longer attached to a tty, nothing happens.

svb
The "svb" command sets the view reference base variables, which are used internally by the knob command to implement absolute rotation, translation, and scale.
Examples:
mged> svb

-- Set the view reference base variables with respect to the current view.


tie [[-u] command_window [display_window]]
The "tie" command is used to create (or untie/destroy with the -u option) an association between a command window and a display window. When there exists such an association, all commands entered from the command window will be directed at the associated display window. The command_window can be specified with MGED to refer to the tty from which MGED was started or an id associated with a Tcl/Tk interface window created with gui . The display_window is specified with its Tcl/Tk pathname. If no parameters are given, a listing of the current command_window/display_window pairs is returned. If only the command_window is given, the display_window associated with command_window is returned. If both parameters are given, the command_window/display_window association is created.
Examples:
mged> tie my_id .my_display_window

-- Create the association between my_id and .my_display_window.

mged tie my_id
.my_display_window
-- Returns the display window associated with my_id.


mged tie
{my_id .my_window} {mged {}}
-- List all of the command_window/display_window pairs.


view2grid_lu vx vy vz
Given a point in view coordinates (local units), converts to grid coordinates (local units).

view2model x y z
The "view2model" command converts the specified point (x y z) in view coordinates to model coordinates (mm). The part of view space displayed by MGED is the cube -1.0 <= x,y,z <= +1.0.
Examples:
mged> view2model 1 1 0

-- List the model coordinates of the upper right corner of the MGED display (in a plane at the center of the viewing cube).


view2model_lu vx vy vz
Given a point in view coordinates (local units), converts to model coordinates (local units).

view2model_vec vx vy vz
Given a vector in view coordinates, convert it to model coordinates.

view_ring subcommand
This manipulates the view ring for the current display manager. The view ring is a list of views owned by a display manager. Views can be added or removed and can also be traversed or queried. View_ring accepts the following subcommands:

add

This subcommand adds the current view to the view ring.
next
This subcommand makes the next view on the view ring the current view.
prev
This subcommand makes the previous view on the view ring the current view.
toggle
This subcommand toggles between the current view and the last view.
delete vid
This subcommand removes/deletes the view with a view id of vid from the view ring. The last view cannot be removed (i.e., there is always one view on the view ring).
goto vid
This subcommand makes the view with a view id of vid the current view.
get [-a]
Returns the id of the current view. If -a is specified, all view ids on the view ring are returned.
Examples:
mged> view_ring add

-- Add the current view to the view ring.


mged view_ring goto 1
-- Go to view 1.


mged view_ring delete 1
-- Delete view 1 from the view ring.


viewget parameter
The "viewget" command displays various mged view parameters. The possible parameters are:

Examples:
mged> viewget center

-- List the model coordinates of the center of the MGED viewing cube.

 

viewset <parameter value>
The "viewset" command sets various MGED view parameters. More than one parameter may be set with one command. The possible parameters are:
Examples:
mged> viewset center 1 2 3 size 100

-- Set the model coordinates of the center of the MGED viewing cube to the point (1 2 3) and set the size of the viewing cube to 100 mm.

 

winset [pathName]
The "winset" command sets the current display manager to pathName. If pathName is not given, the current display manager is returned.
Examples:
mged> winset .my_window

-- .my_window is now the current display manager.



mged winset
-- Returns the current display manager (i.e., .my_window).

MGED User Commands MGED Developer Commands