g5-g4 v5.g v4.gG5-G4(1)
NAME
g5-g4 - convert a BRL-CAD version 5 geometry database to version 4
On this page
SYNOPSIS
DESCRIPTION
g5-g4 reads the objects stored in a current version 5 ("v5") BRL-CAD geometry database and writes out the equivalent objects in the legacy version 4 ("v4") ".g" format. It is the inverse of g4-g5(1) and is provided chiefly for interoperability with older tools that only understand the v4 format.
Not every v5 object can be represented in a v4 database. Objects whose major type is not native BRL-CAD geometry are not supported in v4 databases and are skipped rather than converted. For the objects that are converted, a few types are adjusted as they are written:
-
the plastic shader name found in combination shader strings is rewritten as phong;
-
height-field (HF) solids are converted to displacement-map (DSP) solids;
-
polysolids (POLY) are converted to bags of triangles (BOT).
Both v5.g (the input) and v4.g (the output) file names are required. The input must be a version 5 database; g5-g4 aborts if it is given a database of any other version. When the run completes, the number of v5-specific objects that were skipped and the number of attempted objects that failed to convert are reported on standard error.
SEE ALSO
brlcad(1), g4-g5(1), dbupgrade(1), mged(1)
DIAGNOSTICS
Descriptive messages are printed on standard error. The name of each object is echoed as it is processed. Objects that cannot be stored in a v4 database are reported as unsupported, and objects that fail to convert are reported individually before final counts are printed.
AUTHOR
BRL-CAD Team
COPYRIGHT
This software is Copyright (c) 2004-2026 United States Government as represented by the U.S. Army Research Laboratory.
BUG REPORTS
Reports of bugs or problems should be submitted via electronic mail to devs@brlcad.org