GSoC/GCI Archive
Google Code-in 2012 BRL-CAD

Review and post "Blender to BRL-CAD" tutorial on our wiki

completed by: Toshita Barve

mentors: Sean

This is a follow-on for a previous GCI task:

http://www.google-melange.com/gci/task/view/google/gci2012/7977231

Your task is to take that tutorial, review it, and post it to our wiki.  There are a couple minor issues to correct and at least one omission.  Read through the whole tutorial and verify that it works (RUN THE STEPS).  Add any clarifications / corrections that you find are needed.  Here are a few that we notice:

  • Step 10 doesn't say or show what the obj-g command actually is.
  • When uploaded to the wiki, the mged command and graphics windows in section 11 need to be smaller, about quarter-size (not cropped).  Both together should be the same size as the Blender window.  Place them side-by-side.
  • The MGED windows are disproportionately big, should be smaller or cropped to the area of interest in sections 12, 13, 14, and 15 (the command windows, too much white)
  • Move the output image in section 16 into section 15 after the raytrace control panel so we end off with just the rendering in 16
  • Third and fourth sentences are wrong.  It is compatible, it's rotated. Say this instead:

Do you remember what your table looked like when you finished building it in Blender?  It was upside down and now it's on its side.  Rotating the table reorients it correctly:

sed default.1.1.b.c.s

rot 0 -90 0

accept

[insert another final rendering]

Then you can add this in a box with the diagram at the end:

"BRL-CAD, like most of the CAD industry, uses +Z for up.  Blender, like most of the film industry, uses +Y for up.  Using +Y for up has origins in the film industry where the image screen is the center of attention, X and Y form a view plane and Z is the depth or distance from the camera.  Using +Z for up has origins in manufacturing and architecture where the object and scene are the center of attention,  X and Y form a horizontal ground plane, and thus Z becomes the elevation or height dimension."

Add the cleaned up and reviewed article to our wiki at http://brlcad.org/wiki/Tutorial/Blender_to_CAD

Be sure to also add a reference to the tutorial on our main wiki page.