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Revision as of 16:07, 28 January 2013 by EraxPadsaccer (talk | contribs) (The Best Video Games To Play From Each Genre: new section)

Hello and welcome, X Tin Basher! The edits to EBM and elsewhere are more than welcome, thanks!

Cheers! --Sean 10:48, 23 November 2010 (EST)


I've started having fun with BRL-CAD, but I notice that this wiki needs some TLC. I'm an old hand at mediawiki, so if nobody objects, I'm going to start making massive changes here. For starters, I can:

  • categorize every page, looks like there's quite a few untagged pages
  • relabel the stuff in Category:MGED to remove the prefix so it looks nicer (this is a huge job unless it gets automated)
  • Eventually, I'd like to make a page for (almost) every executable in brlcad/bin; some already have pdfs or pages and I'd start by finding and categorizing these.

If there's no objections, I'll get started when I have time. --Ssd 08:40, 12 November 2009 (EST)


Hi Ssd, no objections whatsoever! The wiki could absolutely use lots of TLC. Let me know if there are things I can do to help you out. If you're really up for a challenge, one of the things we were working on over a year ago (that never got off the ground) was a way to keep our Docbook XML sources fully synchronized with Mediawiki so you could perform bidirectional editing and have changes to one update the other. The basic idea was a Mediawiki plugin that staged wiki changes to an SVN checkout with Docbook-to-wiki and wiki-to-Docbook conversions happening on the fly.

Something to perhaps think about, but even without that, the Wiki still needs massive TLC. The categorization and filling in of missing content will be greatly appreciated!

Cheers! --Sean 08:48, 12 November 2009 (EST)


It also annoys me that none of the PDF's have a table of contents, but that's not somethign I know how to fix so easily. --Ssd 09:02, 12 November 2009 (EST)


Lots of great updates earlier today! As for the table of contents, are you referring specifically to PDF indices? Otherwise, the big documents (Vol II - Intro to MGED and Vol III - Principles of Eff. Modeling) have tables of contents (on pages vii and iii respectively). They're also part of the larger migration to Docbook as the central document management format so that the PDF files can be continually updated and regenerated, and the documents can be output in different formats (e.g. directly integrated with the wiki or even if just as static html dumps). -- Sean 15:26, 12 November 2009 (EST)

Lots of updates...yes, and did you see the time frame? Those were the easy ones. The rest will take longer, especially as I might actually have to write and/or research the content. As to the PDF's...the document has a toc obviously, but the PDF does not. Yes, I mean the pdf toc/index/bookmark thingie. Very annoying to try to find stuff in there without one. I take it that the docbook material is not yet in the wiki. Has anyone started work on a wiki translator for it? The bidirectional gateway thing sounds interesting but dangerous. --Ssd 00:58, 14 November 2009 (EST)

BRL-CAD Primitives

I got annoyed that I couldn't find a comprehensive list of primitives, so I started filling out BRL-CAD Primitives. I'm sure I missed a few, and the few that are there don't all have complete information. It would be nice to add a description/title, and a link to relevant documentation (and page) for those that need it.

Anyone wanna help fill in the blanks? --ssd 05:39, 31 December 2009 (EST)

Of relevance to this work, there is http://brlcad.org/tmp/primitives/ which includes grouping and visuals for most of the production-ready primitives. --Sean 14:20, 25 March 2010 (EDT)

I suggest utilizing this work for categorization of primitives - we've been working on how to group these things for a while, and we have an ordering that's based on a combination of the mathematical nature of the primitives and the type of data they use:

http://bzflag.bz/~starseeker/geometric_primitives.txt

CY (starseeker in irc)

Note that this categorization doesn't include a few "work in progress" primitives like metaballs and superell - metaballs in particular might need a little thought to categorize it - perhaps composite implicit

Great stuff! So brl-cad DOES have a revolve primitive! I'll have to play with that I guess. I still hate the sketch editor, so unless I start importing sketches, I might just stick with pipes. I added a few more from your list to the list. Your categorization closely fits mine already. A few discrepancies... First, in what way is a halfspace polyhedral? It doesn't even seem bounded. Also, I can't find support for sweep or brep. I assume they aren't supported in my version. (Do we need to tag new primitives with version numbers?) Also, a lot of your "hard to categorize" things I just stuffed in an "other" category; although the order I put them in still groups them about the same as you do, even within the other group. --ssd 17:10, 31 December 2009 (EST)

How about a category for meshed primitives? This would include (please correct me!) ars, bot, spline, nurbs, and maybe metaball? --ssd 01:58, 1 January 2010 (EST)

The only truly meshed primitives are the BoT and NMG primitives. ARS is presently implemented as a polygonal surface, but that is mostly an implementation detail (it could just as easily be a NURBS surface). Similarly, spline, nurbs, and metaballs aren't meshed. With the exception of metaballs, all the rest have one trait in common in that they are primitives with an explicit boundary representation. Metaballs are an implicit boundary representation primitive. --Sean 14:20, 25 March 2010 (EDT)

Hello Sean. Glad I haven't upset anyone yet with my edits. I'm a bit OCD about English grammar. Don't expect any amazing code or anything similar from me; I'm an ex-mechanical engineer, and computer programming is definitely not my forte. Nor am I mathematically gifted. But, BRL-CAD seems to fit my needs for a combined Cad-Modeller-Renderer. Bit of a steep learning curve, though...

The Best Video Games To Play From Each Genre

Whether in combat training, board rooms or classrooms, gaming can add much to our daily lives. We can meet new people and increase our knowledge and abilities as we enjoy a change of pace from our daily routines. The following article has online game suggestions and tricks that you can apply today.

If you buy pre-owned games, make certain to purchase a quality disc cleaner. It is almost impossible to tell ahead of time what condition used games will be in. Even though you may have let the discs get very dirty, the cleaning kit can help to get them working again. Research all the options that are available, though. There are a lot of cleaning kits out there.

Start out as a rookie when playing sports games. These games can be very tricky and intricate, so you will want to learn as much as you can before increasing the toughness. After playing for a few weeks, you can begin to make it more challenging by increasing the level of difficulty.

Keep your graphic drivers up to date. When gaming on the computer, it is smart to make sure your picture is sharp and clear. You should update your drivers to ensure this. To find out what graphic drivers your computer has installed, open your device manager, then click update driver.

One nice thing you can do for your children if they play video games is to set aside a specific room (a basement is ideal) for their hobby. Kids can be noisy, so putting them elsewhere can keep your home more comfortable. Try designing a video game area.

Ask for suggestions from the game store employees about games you will like. A lot of people like different kinds of video games, you should look to branch out. You will find that the clerks can offer a variety of recommendations that you can enjoy for many happy gaming hours.

You should try renting a game before buying it for your children. Stores often don't accept returned games if they've been played. Renting it first lets you and your kids try it out before you buy.

If you have children, ensure that you're limiting the amount of computer game play time your children have. Try not to let your kids play for over two hours every day since it can rearrange their priorities and strain their hands and eyes.

If your child gets a game as a gift or if you are buying a gift, make sure to verify its ESRB rating. These ratings are designed to help you assess whether the game is appropriate for the players it is being bought for. This should be a definite consideration before making the purchase.

Buying a new game is tougher than you may think. You might waste a lot of money on a game you end up hating. Read game reviews before making a purchase.

Figure out how to operate the safety and parental controls of any gaming system that comes into your home. You can likely make adjustments that keep kids from viewing mature content. Some allow each gaming profile to be customized separately, allowing adults to enjoy games not meant for younger audiences.

There are many computer games to explore, but if you want the best experience, you have to play the best games. This article provided you with much needed information. You may be amazed by the enjoyment you get from them.