django-cad-inspector 0.6.0

Upgrading to version 0.4.0 from earlier

Some breaking changes (app name change). Before upgrading download your models as fixtures: python manage.py dumpdata cadinspector -o somefile.json, open the file and change all occourences of cadinspector. into django_cad_inspector.. Finally upgrade the package and reload the fixtures: python manage.py loaddata somefile.json

Templates

You also need a base.html template with following template blocks (a sample base.html is provided among package templates).

{% block extra-head %}
{% end block extra-head %}
...
{% block content %}
{% endblock content %}

Package comes with four templates, django_cad_inspector/entity_list.html, django_cad_inspector/entity_detail.html, django_cad_inspector/scene_list.html and django_cad_inspector/scene_detail.html. Copy and override them in your project templates if you want to add your styles.

Scenes from a DXF

Enter title, description and eventually an Equirectangular image to simulate the environment, then upload a DXF file (it is a CAD exchange file). The DXF file must contain some meshes (if you have 3DSolids you have to convert them to Meshes). Click on the Save and continue button. Thanks to the outstanding ezdxf library, meshes are converted to *.obj files, incorporated into Entity models and associated to the Scene via Staging inlines. Each Staging holds information for position, rotation, scale, color (extracted from the CAD Layer the mesh belonged to) and some data (more on that later). WARNING: updating the DXF file will remove all entities staged on the Scene, but not the entities. Also CAD Blocks with meshes will be imported, each Block will be transformed into an Entity, while Insertions will be transformed into Stagings and associated to the Scene. In the case of Blocks, the appended data will contain also Block attributes. WARNING, some restrictions occour for insertions when pitch rotation is 90 or -90 degrees. Visit the site at http://127.0.0.1:8000/3d again. Finally the Scene is listed. Click on the link and access the A-Frame virtual reality: hold down the right mouse button to look around, and use WASD keys to move. When the cursor moves on an object and you click on it, a popup with data should appear (if data is associated to the staged entity). Leave the object and the popup will disappear.

Entities

You can create Entities navigating to http://127.0.0.1:8000/admin/django_cad_inspector/entity/add/: enter a Title and Description, then upload an *.obj file. If provided, the associated *.mtl file and eventual images. Check the Switch field if your object was created in CAD: A-Frame coordinate system is rotated with respect to CAD coordinate system. Alternatively you can upload a *.gltf file, which is the recommended format in A-Frame. If uploaded, all other formats will be ignored.

Add Entities to Scenes

In http://127.0.0.1:8000/admin/django_cad_inspector/scene/ choose a Scene to update. Add a Staged entity, select one of the Entities you created previously, adjust color, position, rotation and scale. Stage as many entities you want (even multiple specimens of the same entity), then update the Scene.

Shadows

When inspecting a scene, click on the dropdown next to the scene title: you will be able to inspect the scene without popups and / or with shadows casted on entities. The latter functionality is resource consuming.

Check file names

Uploading *.mtl file and images in Django may change their filename, i.e. to avoid duplicate filenames. This can lead *.obj files and *.mtl files to miss their assets (filenames are hardcoded within these files). Select corrupted Entities and run the routine: hardcoded filenames will be rewritten to match actual uploaded filenames.

Delete unstaged entities

As seen before, deleting a Staging does not delete the corresponding Entity, which can be staged in multiple Scenes. Select all Entities and run this routine if you want to get rid of unstaged ones.