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Overview

Features

  • Surface generation (3D sketch primitives, extrusion, revolution, ...)
  • Fast boolean operations
  • Common mesh file format import/export
  • Kinematic manipulation
  • Indirect geometry definition through the constraint/solver system
  • Blending and envelope completion functions
  • Objects display with high-quality graphics

Data types

The most common object types of madcad are the following:

Math types:

  • vec3 a 3D vector (with fast operations)
  • mat3 linear transformation, used for rotations and scaling
  • mat4 affine transformation, used for poses, rotations, translations, scaling
  • quat a quaternion, used for rotation (faster and more convenient than matrices for non-repeated operations)

Examples:

>>> from madcad import *
>>> print('\n'.join(map(str, (O, X, Y, Z)))) # already created
dvec3(            0,            0,            0 )
dvec3(            1,            0,            0 )
dvec3(            0,            1,            0 )
dvec3(            0,            0,            1 )
>>> A = vec3(3.54, -2.22, 82.17)
>>> B = 3.54 * X - 2.22 * Y + 82.17 * Z
>>> print(A == B)
True
>>> normalized_A = normalize(A)
>>> print(length(normalized_A)) # also see length2
0.9999999999999999
>>> rot90aroundA = angleAxis(pi / 2, A)
>>> print(type(rot90aroundA))
<class 'glm.dquat'>
>>> print(type(rotate(pi / 2, A)))
<class 'glm.dmat4x4'>
>>> print(type(translate(2 * X)))
<class 'glm.dmat4x4'>
>>> print(rotate(pi / 2, Z) * X) # = Y
dvec3(  6.12323e-17,            1,            0 )
>>> print(angleAxis(pi / 2, Z) * X) # = Y
dvec3(  2.22045e-16,            1,            0 )
>>> print(translate(Z) * X) # = X + Z
dvec3(            1,            0,            1 )

More functions and details are in module mathutils.

Note

translate(vector) can be replaced by vector (i.e. X + Z == vec3(1., 0., 1.)). Nevertheless, some functions or methods in madcad require a matrix of transformation such as translate(v) or rotate(v). See examples in Mesh data section.

Mesh data:

  • Wire used to represent only contiguous 3D lines.
  • Web used to represent 3D lines.
  • Mesh used to represent 3D surfaces.

Kinematic data:

  • Solid each instance constitutes a kinematic rigid solid
  • Kinematic holds joints and solids for a kinematic structure, with some common mathematical operations

Details in module kinematic