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

Ton Roosendaal ton at blender.org
Sat Mar 5 17:20:02 CET 2016 

Hi Duarte,

Thanks for the insight, I fully agree to keep focus on Blender as a creative tool.
A lot of architects use Blender. Not for CAD, but as free design and visualization tool.

I also want to point students here at FreeCAD and other open source CAD projects. 

BRL-CAD is an umbrella vor 6 CAD projects even:
http://brlcad.org/wiki/Google_Summer_of_Code/Project_Ideas

Please support them! We really need good open source specialized CAD programs!

It's well possible to draw a line between what's CAD and what's 3D modeling and visualization (and animation etc). We can make sure our programs work well together, rather than having Blender to add a CAD module that makes you to not need to learn or support FreeCAD.

Why not streamline I/O with the popular CAD tools?

In Blender: better precision modeling tools (to make buildings or industrial designed objects) are very welcome, provided it works together in harmony with creative real-time tools as we have now.

My 2 cents,

-Ton-

--------------------------------------------------------
Ton Roosendaal  -  ton at blender.org   -   www.blender.org
Chairman Blender Foundation - Producer Blender Institute
Entrepotdok 57A  -  1018AD Amsterdam  -  The Netherlands



> On 5 Mar, 2016, at 5:08, Duaret Ramos Sapo <duarte_ramos at sapo.pt> wrote:
> 
> 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
>>>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>>>> Bf-committers mailing list
>>>>>>>> Bf-committers at blender.org
>>>>>>>> http://lists.blender.org/mailman/listinfo/bf-committers
>>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>>> Bf-committers mailing list
>>>>>>> Bf-committers at blender.org
>>>>>>> http://lists.blender.org/mailman/listinfo/bf-committers
>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>> Bf-committers mailing list
>>>>>> Bf-committers at blender.org
>>>>>> http://lists.blender.org/mailman/listinfo/bf-committers
>>>>>> 
>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>> Bf-committers mailing list
>>>>> Bf-committers at blender.org
>>>>> http://lists.blender.org/mailman/listinfo/bf-committers
>>>>> 
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> Bf-committers mailing list
>>>> Bf-committers at blender.org
>>>> http://lists.blender.org/mailman/listinfo/bf-committers
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Bf-committers mailing list
>>> Bf-committers at blender.org
>>> http://lists.blender.org/mailman/listinfo/bf-committers
>>> 
>> _______________________________________________
>> Bf-committers mailing list
>> Bf-committers at blender.org
>> http://lists.blender.org/mailman/listinfo/bf-committers
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Bf-committers mailing list
> Bf-committers at blender.org
> http://lists.blender.org/mailman/listinfo/bf-committers

More information about the Bf-committers mailing list