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Visualisation tools for the engineering field

With the addition of some completely new engineering related functions to V10 (mesh regions, FEM functionalities, etc), I feel that the visualisation tools are lagging behind on this field necessities).

The Image Assistant paradigm brought a lot of potential to the addition of all sort of tools. Unfortunately, this potential is currently not explored in the 3D environment. A Graphics Assistant bar would be a great place to add this sort of functionality, including:

  • the exposure of the current viewing vector, angle, etc, and also its numerical specification by keyboard; call pre-set views; etc (also see this post )
  • rendering specification related actions (without reprocessing the graphic): show/hide texture, transparency manipulation, show / hide shadows, specific rendering specifications (hidden line, filled hidden line, EdgeForm[], to monochrome, show/hide the active coordination system vector triad, etc.)
  • window area zoom and fly through mode
  • restricted and unrestricted measuring tape
  • etc.
  • (and, insisting with the need for multiple axes specification tools for both 2D and 3D, is never too much... see this post)

It is also important to note that some of the existing tools are not at their best shape (the drawing tools paradigm seems unfinished, with no mechanism for the copying/reuse of the actions end product; simple commands from the right menu, like the "front view" option, are very prone to session crashes, etc).

Are you also missing this kind of CAD related functionalities?

How do you imagine their adaptation into the Mathematica realm?

POSTED BY: Pedro Fonseca
Posted 9 years ago

I agree completely. I would also add that, while Wolfram documentation says "The Wolfram Language supports import and export of 3D geometry from all standard formats—with its symbolic representation of 3D objects allowing immediate faithful interchange," it does not support import/export of IGES, STEP, or SAT. Which are THE standard formats for 3D geometry in engineering and applied physics, covering the vast majority of applications. And every attempt I've made to use the STL export for real work has resulted in disappointment.

POSTED BY: David Keith
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