SX

SX is a graphical 3D object modeller implemented in Scheme. The program can create, edit, modify any geometry consisting points, one dimensional elements (links), triangles, quadrilaterals, tetrahedrons and blocks. Several operations on the objects have already been implemented and there are several operations which will be implemented as they are required. Lots of the features of the program or handling of the geometric model follow some of the features found in AutoCAD. (AutoCAD is a registered trademark of Autodesk). However This program is not an AutoCAD replica. The reason to "borrow" some features from AutoCAD is that I liked AutoCAD, but they discontinued the UNIX version of it somewhere around version 12. (If there is an AutoCAD for Unix then this program would never exist.)

The program was originally developed in GNU guile, then it was ported to Bigloo. The current version is developed in PLT-Scheme so the program is available on Unix and Windows systems.

Older versions for guile and bigloo are also available.

Requirements

OpenGL or Mesa
PLT-Scheme
mouse with three buttons

License

SX is licensed under the GNU Public License (GPL) version 2.0.

Links

SX v1.2 for PLT-Scheme v209
VRML 1.0 viewer to test SX. It implements the full VRML 1.0 standard.
- By nowadays it may be difficult to find VRML 1.0 objects, therefore my favourite objects are available here
DRview program using the SX modeller.
It is a finite element mesh creator and viewer handling boundary conditions and point loads.
The program demonstrates the implementation of info objects.
- A finite element mesh which can be loaded by the DRview program. Use the "e-lib-read" command.
  For a picture of the mesh see below.
A preliminary programming manual for the SX program.
The manual is created by adoc.

Installation and usage

Install the PLT packages in the standard way
All packages (SX.PLT, VRML.PLT and DRVIEW.PLT) install an executable file.
To run the programs simply execute the shell script on Unix or SX.EXE, VRML.EXE or DRVIEW.exe on Windows
By default the program is in viewing mode:
- Left mouse button: Rotating
- Middle mouse button: Panning
- Right mouse button: Zooming
To see the available commands type "list" and press ENTER or SPACE.
To see more textual output, you can resize the the bottom text view or press F1 for text screen.

Everybody loves screenshots

Starting screen of the VRML viewer
Rendering with different styles
Picture of the beam.mdf finite element mesh
Picture of a VRML knot from KnotPlot
Picture of a VRML car
Picture of a VRML airplane
Picture of a VRML ship
Picture of a VRML box
Picture of a VRML rose
Picture of another VRML knot from KnotPlot
Picture of a VRML maffioso

Some random comments

The program is still under development. Any suggestions, comments and bug fixes are greatly appreciated.
The editing functionality is intentionally left out of the VRML program. To edit VRML models first save them in native format then edit it in the SX program.
Thanks to the use of the "fantastic" hash functions of PLT-Scheme the program became very fast and it is possible to handle more than 50,000 objects!!!
No extension language is necessary, like AutoLisp in AutoCAD, since you have the whole source, it can be adapted as required. :-)