Menu functions and options

Figure 1. 'lv's menu bar

File menu

Figure 2. Contents of the File menu

Currently it contains the following functions:

• "Load other logfile...": Allows to specify another file to be displayed in the text section if the "Other" button (see section on User interaction) is selected.

• "Exit": Once the geometry and topology have been investigated with sufficient detail, 'lv' can be terminated by selecting "Exit" from the "File" menu.

Assembly menu

Figure 3. Contents of the Assembly menu

• "Show Tree...": Pops up the Tree window that shows a graphical representation of the assembly or document structures in the STEP file.

Definition menu

Figure 4. Contents of the Definition menu

• "Show definition...": Pops up a browser window that contains the definition index for the underlying exchange format.

Options menu

Figure 5. Contents of the Options menu

Note that some of the toggles displayed here might be absent depending on the current product's contents.

• "Describe base geometry": If activated (not as a default), the base geometry of certain curves, surfaces, and faces is shown whenever a suitable instance type gets marked or highlighted. For example, the control polygons of b-splines are shown, or the defining coordinate system of conics.
  

  Figure 6. Describe base geometry: Control points of an edge_curve are shown (the edge_curve in this example is based on a b_spline_curve).

  Note the following restrictions:

  • Descriptions are only given for 3D geometry. For surface_curves, the description always belongs to the 3D curve (regardless of the curve's master_representation flag), pcurves are not supported, and the function is not available in parametrics mode.

  • The following curve and surface types are currently not supported:
    replicas, offset, polynomials, and swept surfaces. Also, most of the topological entitys are not supported.

• "Show coordinate system": If active (default), the coordinate system of the product is drawn if it falls into the display at the current view setting.

• "Show scale": If active (default), a metric scale is always drawn to show the size of the displayed features.

• "Show coordinate values": If active (default), the coordinate values under the mouse pointer are displayed at the bottom and top of the display if the mouse pointer moves over the displayed geometry (both in 3D and in parametrics mode), as described in the section on User interaction.

• "Show vectors": If activated (not as a default), normal or tangent vectors are drawn if the mouse pointer moves over the displayed geometry (both in 3D and in parametrics mode), as discussed in the section on User interaction.

• "Show isolines": If active (default), surfaces and face_surfaces are rendered including isolines as specified with the -i option (see section on Command line options). If not, only the boundaries are rendered.

  

  Figure 7. Show isolines: (a) activated (upper left), (b) deactivated (lower right)

• "Show isolines in motion": If active (default), surfaces and face_surfaces are always rendered including isolines as specified with the -i option (see section on Command line options). If not, only the boundaries are rendered while the view is in motion (e.g., while rotating the view using Ctrl-Left button; see section on User interaction). Turning the option off thus can speed up the interaction a little.

• "Blink non-styled items" [only present if appropriate]: If the product contains styled items, this toggle is displayed.
  If active (default), items that have no styling assigned are being displayed in a blinking state, to allow for an easy identification. If not, they are drawn permanently using a default color.

• "Show text section": If active (default), the text section is visible. When the text section gets switched off, the geometry display will change its width to the full width of 'lv'`s window. It is now possible to control the size of the window in any direction. When the text section gets switched on again, the geometry display will keep its last width. In order to make the text section appear, it is necessary to increase the width of 'lv'`s window.
  See also option -nt in the section on Command line options.

• "Poor man's hidden line": This option is only offered if the displayed product contains solids. If activated (then by default), only those portions of isolines are drawn where the underlying surface's normal points into the positive Z direction. Also, voids in the solid will not be displayed.
  This is a simple method to increase the "realism" of the view. However, it is generally referred to as the "poor man's hidden line algorithm", because it produces correct results only for convex scenes, whereas in non-convex scenes, there usually remain too many lines (those that would normally be obscured by other, more closer elements of the scene).

  

  Figure 8. Poor man's hidden line: (a) deactivated (upper left), (b) activated (lower right)

Help menu

Figure 9. Contents of the Help menu

• "Help": Pops up a browser window that contains the online help for 'lv'.