[Visualpython-users] First steps of FDScad, an open source preprocessor for NIST FDS.

[Emanuele G. <ema...@gm...>]

Hi,

first of all *thank you* very much for developing VPython and making it open
source.

My name is Emanuele Gissi and I am a recent subscriber to this list.
I am not a professional developer (http://gissi.free.fr), I am an officer of
the Italian National Fire Brigade ( http://www.vigilfuoco.it/).
I am using Ubuntu Linux and rather new to Python, but really impressed by
its power and simplicity.

I encountered VPython while trying to develop a small and simple
preprocessor for an open source CFD program named FDS (
http://www.fire.nist.gov/fds/) used to simulate fires in buildings.
FDS does not have an own GUI to enter the geometry of the building.
(Yes, there is Pyrosim ( http://thunderheadeng.com/pyrosim/), but it is a
commercial application, not from NIST, closed source and Windows version
only).

And developers at NIST would be very interested in a open source, multi
platform GUI for FDS.

My small (for now ;-) preprocessor (FDScad) is a sort of CAD for the
geometry of the building and its boundary conditions.
I attach the current version to this email.
I don't think it can be still a candidate for "contributed programs": it's
in its infancy and it is a very rough prototype!

Now, question time:

1) Is there a more vpython-ish way to do the following: (probably in 4beta
version?)
  a - I reimplemented the box class, as I needed a box with differently
colored faces.
  b - I implemented a function for absolute positions of objects.
  c - Another function calculates the absolute normals of faces of my
reimplemented box.

2) Is there a binary package (deb, tar.gz, rpm) for the 4beta version? I
admit that I am not able to compile it on my own...
This would facilitate testing.

Thank you, once more, in advance.
Emanuele Gissi.