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RELEASE NOTES 0.15.6: Advanced Face and Wire Creation from Circles

· 3 min read
Matas Ubarevičius
Matas Ubarevičius
Founder

A visual representation of new features in Bitbybit.dev v0.15.6, showcasing complex geometries created from circular elements.

This release, version 0.15.6, builds upon the enhancements introduced in our previous update. This time, we've implemented a few powerful new open-source methods focused on creating complex wires and faces from two or more circles. These additions are particularly useful when designing intricate mechanical parts and other geometries involving circular features.

Face From Circles​

Constructing faces that span between two or more circles is a common requirement in mechanical design. This release brings dedicated functionalities for this task:

  • bitbybit.occt.shape.face.createFaceFromMultipleCircleTanWires:
    • Creates a single face by connecting multiple circular wires with tangential surfaces.
    • You can choose how these circles are connected using different strategies:
      • 'allWithAll': Connects every circle with every other circle in the input list.
      • 'inOrder': Connects the circles sequentially as they are provided in the input list.
      • 'inOrderClosed': Connects the circles sequentially and also connects the last circle back to the first one, forming a closed loop of surfaces.
  • bitbybit.occt.shape.face.createFaceFromMultipleCircleTanWireCollections:
    • This is a more advanced and powerful technique for generating complex designs from circles automatically.
    • You provide a 2D array (a list of lists) of circles. The function then connects these circles based on a chosen strategy:
      • 'allWithAll': Connects all circles with all other circles within their respective collections (sub-arrays).
      • 'inOrder': Connects circles in the order they are provided within each nested array. This strategy requires all nested lists to contain the same number of circles.
      • 'inOrderClosed': Connects circles in the order they are given within each nested array, and also connects corresponding circles between the nested arrays, effectively forming a grid-like connection. This strategy also requires all nested lists to contain the same number of circles.

Circular Wires​

To facilitate the construction of more complex wire geometries involving circles, we've introduced a new method:

  • bitbybit.occt.shape.wire.createWireFromTwoCirclesTan:
    • Constructs a wire by connecting two input circles with tangential lines and arcs.
    • The default configuration outputs a wire that includes the outer tangential lines and the corresponding outer arcs of the circles.
    • Users can also opt to include the inner tangential lines and inner arcs. However, be aware that such configurations (using inner tangents/arcs) may result in self-intersecting wires, which might not be suitable for all subsequent operations.

These new tools further expand the capabilities of Bitbybit.dev for creating sophisticated and precise 3D models, particularly those with strong Fcircular or cylindrical design elements. All features in this release are open-source and included in our NPM packages.