========================== README File for Geompack++ ========================== Author: Barry Joe E-mail: bjoe@shaw.ca Web site: members.shaw.ca/bjoe Date: May 2010 ---------- Geompack++ ---------- Geompack++ is a mesh generation package for performing various meshing operations on 2-D regions and meshes, 3-D regions and meshes, and surface meshes. The operations include generating a mesh given a region, generating a 3-D mesh given a surface mesh, improving a given mesh, and refining a given mesh. -------------------------------- Contents of Geompack++ zip files -------------------------------- 1) zgp1005Win32.zip contains this README file and a free 32-bit version of the Geompack++ executable, zgp1005.exe, for 32-bit and 64-bit x86-based Windows systems (e.g. Windows 7/Vista/XP/2000/NT/Me/98/95). 2) zgp1005Linux32.zip contains this README file and a free 32-bit version of the Geompack++ executable, zgp1005_linux, for 32-bit and 64-bit x86-based Linux systems; zgp1005_linux is a static executable that should run on any Linux system, independent of the version number of the gcc-c++ shared libraries. 3) zgp1005DocSamp.zip contains this README file; a header file, geompack.h; two PDF files in techrep directory, zcs10-01.pdf and zcs08-01.pdf, containing the documents "Geompack++ Meshing Operations" and "Geompack++ File Formats for Regions and Meshes"; and some sample files in the directories region2d, region3d, mesh2d, mesh3d, meshsurf, 200f2, 201d2, ..., 354rh. ------------------- Geompack++ versions ------------------- The major enhancements in zgp1005.exe and zgp1005_linux are: a) a new meshing operation for generating a surface mesh using the advancing front approach, starting from mesh edges produced on 3-D region edges (possibly provided by user), b) two other related meshing operations. Various minor changes have also been made, some in response to data files received from Geompack++ users. ----------------------------- Running Geompack++ executable ----------------------------- Copy zgp1005.exe or zgp1005_linux into a directory that has been added to the search path for executable files, and rename as zgp.exe or zgp. With this renaming, invoke a command of the form "zgp oper.in err.out" in a Windows Command Prompt window or Linux Command Line Terminal window or using the standard library function "system" in a C or C++ routine. See the above two documents for more details. ------------ Restrictions ------------ Because the Windows and Linux executables are free, all sizes in the region, mesh, and curve/surface files are restricted to be at most 1,000,000, and the executables expire on November 30, 2012 (there will be a new version before then). ------- License ------- The Geompack++ software is owned by Zhou Computing Services Inc., Abbotsford, BC, Canada. This company grants to the user a non-exclusive license to use the Geompack++ freeware (free version of the Geompack++ Windows or Linux executable) for research, educational, teaching, evaluation, or other noncommercial purposes. The Geompack++ freeware may be included in a free software package, provided e-mail or written permission is obtained from the author. To include the Geompack++ freeware in a new or start-up commercial software product or to use the Geompack++ freeware for consulting or other income-producing purposes, please contact the author to negotiate a license agreement. Various subsets of Geompack++ are available in alternative forms for inclusion in established commercial software products or other purposes, after a license agreement is done (see the above web site). --------- Liability --------- No guarantee is made as to the proper functioning of the software. No liability will be admitted for damage resulting from using the software. However, there were no known bugs on the release date and the author is confident there are few bugs in the software. -------- Graphics -------- Geompack users have recommended the use of the following graphics visualization programs for viewing meshes and regions: Geomview (www.geomview.org), GMV (General Mesh Viewer is no longer free). It should be straightforward to convert mesh files to be plotted by any graphics package. Converting and plotting region files with NURBS will likely be harder to do. ------------------------------------- Conversion from ACIS, IGES, STL, etc. ------------------------------------- It shouldn't be that hard to convert objects represented in commonly used file formats, such as ACIS, IGES, and STL, to the Geompack++ region file format, provided that the object is stored in a valid geometric and topological form. ---------------- NURBS references ---------------- The following books should be a good introduction for those who want to learn more on NURBS curves and surfaces. 1. L. Piegl and W. Tiller, The NURBS Book, Springer, 1995. 2. G. Farin, Curves and Surfaces for Computer Aided Geometric Design: A Practical Guide, Academic Press, 1988 (there are later editions). 3. R.H. Bartels, J.C. Beatty, and B.A. Barsky, An Introduction to Splines for Use in Computer Graphics and Geometric Modeling, Morgan Kaufmann, 1987. 4. M.E. Mortenson, Geometric Modeling, Wiley, 1985. ---------- Trademarks ---------- Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation. ACIS is a registered trademark of Spatial Technology Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. ------- Contact ------- Questions, data files, suggestions for graphics visualization programs, etc. may be sent by e-mail to the author at bjoe@shaw.ca