Spatial Slur
Spatial Slur is an open source library of geometric data structures and algorithms intended to facilitate the development of novel computational design methods. It is written in C# and compiled against .NET 4.6.
Overview
Below is a brief outline of the library by namespace. For further detail, take a look at the latest reference documentation or just dive into the source files and poke around. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, feel free to get in touch.
- SpatialSlur
- Primitive data types and algorithms for geometry processing in 2 and 3 dimensions
- SpatialSlur.Collections
- Generic data structures for spatial queries and related algorithms
- Extension methods for .NET collection types
- SpatialSlur.Dynamics
- Position-based constraint solver and various constraint types for shape exploration and optimization
- SpatialSlur.Fields
- Generic data structures for discrete and continuous field representations (scalar, vector etc.)
- Algorithms for image/signal processing and visualization
- SpatialSlur.Meshes
- Generic half-edge data structures for discrete representations of networks, surfaces, and (eventually) volumes
- Algorithms for mesh/graph processing and visualization
- SpatialSlur.Tools
- Tools and applications that utilize functionality offered by the rest of library
The following additional namespaces contain classes and convenience methods for interfacing with external APIs.
- SpatialSlur.Rhino
- SpatialSlur.Unity
Setup
To get started, download the precompiled binaries from the latest release. If on Windows, the downloaded files may be blocked by default so follow these instructions to make sure they're unblocked before referencing them within your own project(s).
Grasshopper
To use within Grasshopper, start by moving the contents of the Binaries > Rhino folder to your Grasshopper components folder (File > Special Folders > Components Folder).
Once done, restart Rhino, launch Grasshopper, and drop a C#/VB Script component on the canvas. Right click on the component icon/name, and go to Manage Assemblies. Add SpatialSlur.dll from your Grasshopper components folder to the list of referenced assemblies and click OK to confirm. SpatialSlur types will now be accessible from code written within this component.
Unity
Before using within Unity, the editor must to be configured to target .NET 4.6 (available in Unity 2017.1 or later). To do so, go to Edit > Project Settings > Player and expand the Other Settings dropdown. Under Configruation, set the Scripting Runtime Version to Experimental (.Net 4.6 Equivalent).
Once this has been set, import SpatialSlur.unitypackage into your current project (Assets > Import Package > Custom Package...). SpatialSlur types will now be accessible from any C# script in this project.
Building From Source
If you're interested in keeping up with the latest developments between releases, you'll need to make a clone and compile the binaries on your own machine. The following goes over a few important build-related details to be aware of while doing so.
IDE
While all projects in the solution currently target .NET 4.6, they do make use of some backwards compatible C# 7 features so you'll likely run into problems with older IDEs. For Windows users, Visual Studio 2017 or later is recommended.
Configurations
The solution file contains different build configurations for different use cases - each of which has a unique set of dependencies as detailed below.
Default has no dependencies beyond the .NET Framework
Rhino has the following additional dependencies:
- RhinoCommon.dll
- Grasshopper.dll
- GH_IO.dll
Unity has the following additional dependencies:
- UnityEngine.dll
- UnityEditor.dll
Reference Documentation
See below for links to reference documentation by version number.