[Bf-committers] Google Summer of Code 2016 - Adding CAD functionality to Blender

Duaret Ramos Sapo duarte_ramos at sapo.pt
Sat Mar 5 05:08:33 CET 2016 

As an architect and a frequent Blender user doing precision modeling and 
CAD like work daily, I believe such an editor for 2D layout our paper 
space page work is a bit overkill and unnecessary in Blender.
It is very different from what Blender currently does, won't properly 
fit in with current tools or workflow and will easily feel out of place. 
Page layout is such a complex area covering so many different subjects 
and tools that I fear it will always feel incomplete or lacking in 
features compared to established dedicated tools (like say Inkscape, or 
Scribus, or LibreOffice).
Blender already outputs renders in the form of images or even vector 
graphics (SVG) with FreeStyle that can easily be set up as isometric 
views and then used elsewhere in a dedicated page layout software and I 
believe that is enough.

I would much rather see efforts invested on areas where CAD workflow is 
actually lacking in Blender, like say precision modeling tools for 
better object snapping (more precise, more responsive, tracking points 
like midpoints, edge extension, etc.), better transforms tools (base 
points for moving, reference points for rotations, etc) CAD like tools 
like trimming and extending, offsetting, fillet, chamfering, especially 
for curve objects where such tools are severely lacking.

This item in ideas page 
<http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Dev:Ref/GoogleSummerOfCode/2016/Ideas#Improvements_for_Bezier_Curves> 
details some of the things that need some work at least in the area of 
bezier curves, and above all Justas Ingelevičius amazing work 
<https://developer.blender.org/T45734> in his patch in the tracker which 
is a much much needed improvement for Blender CAD-like workflow that 
needs to be made in a way that can safely be merged to trunk.

On 04-03-2016 15:20, Jaume Bellet wrote:
> I of course agree that blender is not cad tool, but imho lots of
> cad-utilities and workflows will improve it, and i think this should be the
> purpose.
>
> In my field of application as you said blender nowadays can be used on
> finals steps, to get renders and visualization purposes. Could be used in
> early steps for concepts, but lacks of tools. The whole idea should be the
> availability to go from beginning to the end, and this should include the
> availability to get drawings in a 2D space (let's say paper space), that
> could be used to get formal drawings for production if needed, or for
> technical documents.
>
>
>
> 2016-03-04 15:52 GMT+01:00 matmenu <matmenu at live.fr>:
>
>> Maybe contact Campbell, as he will work on custom editors for 2.8. But
>> I'm not sure this is something the users and the BF wants in Blender.
>>
>> What would be the advantage of such an editor over the normal quad
>> 3Dview or a normal orthogonal view? I may be wrong, but many users, even
>> architects and engineer know that Blender isn't a CAD program. What we
>> are looking for is not really to make a CAD program out of Blender (32
>> bit precision will avoid it anyway), but more to make operations that
>> are often required in the sketching (=concept phase) and rendering (=
>> final phase) process easier. And many of those addition, like better
>> snapping, benefit many users (people doing hard surface modelling, cars,
>> etc...). An editor only for CAD user sounds a bit to specific?
>>
>> Maybe you could explain with images better what would be the benefit of
>> such a new editor over the 3D view? If your work goes in the direction
>> of preparing for custom editors, then I guess it would awake much more
>> interest from users and programmers :) Your ISO parts editor could hen
>> be an example of such a custom editor, written in python on top of your
>> new API?
>>
>> On 04/03/2016 13:11, João Araújo wrote:
>>> Your work is amazing Jaume! I guess that it kills a few points from my
>>> initial list (assuming you are going to merge your code with the Blender
>>> master).
>>>
>>> Still, I would like to ear some opinions on the first topic of my list
>>> (editor that would allow the user to make ISO-compliant drawings of
>>> individual parts), which I consider the most important. I can implement
>> the
>>> other points as a python add-on.
>>>
>>> Does anyone have some suggestion as to who I could contact personally
>> that
>>> could possibly be interested in being a mentor for this?
>>>
>>> I will avoid blenderartists for a while, at least until I have more solid
>>> ideas.
>>>
>>> 2016-03-04 11:53 GMT+00:00 Jaume Bellet <mauge at bixo.org>:
>>>
>>>> https://vimeo.com/user2228784/videos
>>>>
>>>> Here are some videos of work done in a separate repo from bf official
>> one.
>>>> Work there is still in progress, not for production.
>>>>
>>>> I tried the snap tools to be applied on blender, but the final decision
>> was
>>>> to wait, as the code was on transform, which is a little messy, and
>>>> affecting lots of areas, and was said to check if could be integrated in
>>>> the new coming widgets.
>>>>
>>>> Any built-in cad features will be great ;)
>>>>
>>>> 2016-03-02 21:05 GMT+01:00 Daniel Salazar - patazstudio.com <
>>>> zanqdo at gmail.com>:
>>>>
>>>>> Freecad could be imported in Blender as a python library. I say could
>>>>> because there's a little problem with freecad using py2.7
>>>>> Daniel Salazar
>>>>> patazstudio.com
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> On Wed, Mar 2, 2016 at 11:50 AM, matmenu <matmenu at live.fr> wrote:
>>>>>> Hi João,
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Good to see some interest in improving Blender's CAD capabilities :) I
>>>>>> think it would be a good idea to speak about it on Blenderartists,
>>>>>> giving some focus to avoid the Christmas list effect. From experience
>>>>>> and what I read on the forums though, improving the snapping system
>>>>>> would be very welcome.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> For dimensioning, there are already many addons, 2 of them are really
>>>>>> good:
>>>>>>
>> http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Extensions:2.6/Py/Scripts/Curve/Dimension
>>>>>> and
>>>>>>
>> https://www.blender3darchitect.com/2012/10/dimension-lines-for-blender-with-the-caliper-add-on/
>>>>>> and https://github.com/Antonioya/blender/tree/master/measureit.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I find it interesting to have some work done in Python in this GSoC as
>>>>>> it will ensure users are able to use it in the end :)
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Regards
>>>>>>
>>>>>> On 02/03/2016 13:17, João Araújo wrote:
>>>>>>> Good afternoon,
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I am a college student who has known Blender for a few years now, and
>>>>> would
>>>>>>> like to contribute in GSoC 2016 by adding CAD functionality. I would
>>>>> like
>>>>>>> to ear your thoughts on my project idea.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I have been checking on what has been done to implement CAD in
>>>> Blender.
>>>>> I
>>>>>>> didn't find almost any software. Mostly there were forum discussions
>>>>> about
>>>>>>> how great it would be if Blender could have CAD features, while
>> others
>>>>>>> stated that it would be impractical.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> The only actual add-on I found was this one
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> http://www.cad4arch.com/cadtools/index.htm
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> but although it is still being developed, it is paid and only works
>>>> with
>>>>>>> Blender 2.49b. The author states an intention of embedding it into
>>>>> Blender,
>>>>>>> though.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> >From what I read, and based on my experience working with CAD
>>>>> packages, I
>>>>>>> compiled a list of targets for what I would propose myself to achieve
>>>>>>> during GSoC:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> ordered from most important to less important
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>      - Add a new editor that would allow the user to make
>> ISO-compliant
>>>>>>> drawings of individual parts.
>>>>>>>          - This requires, from the top of my head, the ability of
>>>> drawing
>>>>> the
>>>>>>> 6 isometric views, at a standard scale, on standard sized paper (A4,
>>>> A3,
>>>>>>> etc.), adding dimensions (lengths and angles), centerlines, axes,
>>>> being
>>>>>>> able to do section views (with crosshatch drawing) and detail views.
>>>>>>>      - Add sketch tools (the ability to draw lines, circles,
>> rectangles,
>>>>> etc.
>>>>>>> ; this serves the purpose of increasing the precision of drawing with
>>>>>>> Blender)
>>>>>>>      - Add reference geometry (reference planes and axes)
>>>>>>>      - Add a dimensioning tool (something that allows the user to edit
>>>> the
>>>>>>> dimensions a posteriori the sketch being created)
>>>>>>>      - Modify the array modifier in order to allow explicit circular
>>>>> arrays
>>>>>>>           - This can already be achieved using a trick with empties,
>>>> but I
>>>>>>> would like to clarify this workflow and simplify it (for example,
>>>>> instead
>>>>>>> of the user rotating the empty by 360/n degrees, where n is the
>> number
>>>>> of
>>>>>>> objects, he would simply select n and the modifier would take care of
>>>>> the
>>>>>>> rest)
>>>>>>>      - Add a fillet tool (a very simple addition; can be done with
>>>> vertex
>>>>>>> groups and the bevel modifier currently; once again I simply want to
>>>>>>> simplify it)
>>>>>>>      - Add a precise offset tool (currently, I can simply extrude and
>>>>> scale ;
>>>>>>> I want to make this work with the dimensioning tool mentioned above)
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I believe these are all feasible by me, with the first one being the
>>>>> most
>>>>>>> complex and one of the few requiring C programming. The others could
>>>> be
>>>>>>> implemented as a Python Add-On.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Best regards,
>>>>>>> Joao
>>>>>>> _______________________________________________
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