Points in Bitbybit

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The Point class in Bitbybit provides essential tools for working with points in 3D space.

What is a Point in Bitbybit?

Just like a Vector, a Point in Bitbybit is fundamentally a simple array of three numbers: [x, y, z].

• This means you can often use a Point where a Vector is expected, and vice-versa, as they share the same underlying structure.
• When working in 2D, the Z-coordinate is typically just set to 0, so a 2D point looks like [x, y, 0].

This simplicity makes it easy to define locations and work with geometric data.

Core Capabilities of the Point Class

The Point class is all about defining locations and manipulating them. Here's an overview of what it helps you do. For the nitty-gritty details of each function, including specific input parameters, please check the full Point API documentation or the GitHub source linked above.

1. Creating Points & Point Patterns

Need to define a point or a collection of points?

• Basic Points: Create individual 3D points from X, Y, and Z coordinates (pointXYZ()) or 2D points from X and Y (pointXY(), which creates [x, y, 0]).
• Pattern Generation:
  • spiral(): Generate points arranged in a spiral pattern.
  • hexGrid(): Create points that form the centers of a hexagonal grid.
  • hexGridScaledToFit(): A more advanced hexagonal grid generator that can scale the grid to fit specific dimensions and provides both center points and hexagon vertices.
• Duplication:
  • multiplyPoint(): Create multiple copies of the same point.

2. Transforming Points (Moving, Rotating, Scaling)

This is a major strength of the Point class. You can easily change the position, orientation, or size of points:

• General Transformations: Apply complex transformations (like those created by the Transforms class) to a single point (transformPoint()) or multiple points (transformPoints()). You can even apply a unique transformation to each point in a list (transformsForPoints()).
• Translation (Moving):
  • Move points by a single vector (translatePoints(), translateXYZPoints()).
  • Move each point in a list by its own unique translation vector (translatePointsWithVectors()).
• Scaling (Resizing):
  • Scale points around a center point using X, Y, Z scale factors (scalePointsCenterXYZ()).
• Stretching:
  • Stretch points along a specific direction from a center point (stretchPointsDirFromCenter()).
• Rotation:
  • Rotate points around an axis that passes through a center point (rotatePointsCenterAxis()).

3. Analyzing and Measuring Points

Get information about your points and their relationships:

• Coordinates: Get the individual X, Y, or Z coordinate of a point (getX(), getY(), getZ()).
• Distance:
  • Calculate the distance between two specific points (distance()).
  • Find the distances from one point to many other points (distancesToPoints()).
• Closest Point:
  • From a reference point, find the closest point in a list of other points (closestPointFromPoints()).
  • You can also get the distance to this closest point (closestPointFromPointsDistance()) or its index in the list (closestPointFromPointsIndex()).
• Bounding Box: Find the smallest box that encloses a set of points (boundingBoxOfPoints()). This gives you the minimum and maximum extent, center, and dimensions.
• Average Point: Calculate the average position of a group of points (averagePoint()).
• Equality Check: Determine if two points are in (almost) the same location, within a small tolerance (twoPointsAlmostEqual()).

4. Calculating Normals and Fillets (More Advanced Geometry)

• Normal Vector: Calculate a normal vector (a vector perpendicular to a surface) from three points that define a plane (normalFromThreePoints()).
• Fillet Radius Calculation: Functions to help determine the maximum possible radius for a smooth, rounded corner (fillet) given points that define the corner (maxFilletRadius(), maxFilletRadiusHalfLine(), maxFilletsHalfLine(), safestPointsMaxFilletHalfLine()). These are useful for advanced modeling tasks like creating smooth transitions between edges.

5. Utility and Cleaning

• Removing Duplicates: Clean up lists of points by removing consecutive identical points, considering a tolerance (removeConsecutiveDuplicates()).
• Sorting: Sort a list of points, primarily by X, then Y, then Z coordinates (sortPoints()).