GLINT(1)

📦
version 7.44.0 · 2 versions
, in nixpkgs unstable

💅 GLINT(1) — the manual, but make it group chat 💅

okay so this is glint from BRL-CAD, and if you've ever stared at a model wondering "is there a random air pocket hiding in there fr fr" — bestie, this is the page for you. it's page GLINT(1), it's iconic, and we're gonna get through the whole thing together. pour a lil something 🍓

✨ NAME ✨

glint — sample BRL-CAD geometry for overlaps and air problems

like, it fires rays at your geometry and snitches on everything that's wrong. that's the whole vibe check.

🦋 SYNOPSIS 🦋

glint [-copsu] [-a az] [-e el] [-g gridsize] [-r bits] [-t tol] [-x bits] model.g object...

🌸 DESCRIPTION 🌸

okay so glint uses librt(3) to fire a regular grid of parallel rays at whatever object(s) you named in the database model.g, and then it reports overlaps, vacuums (voids), and potential problems with modeled air regions. she's thorough. she's observant. she's giving main character energy for your mesh 💅

by default the output is one single-line ASCII report per problem. every report starts with a tag that identifies its type, then the relevant data comes after. here's the lineup — memorise the tags, iykyk:

  • overlap r1 r2 length x_in y_in z_in x_out y_out z_out — consecutive partitions overlap by more than tol. reports the names of the two regions, the overlap length along the ray, and the model coordinates of the ray's entry and exit points.
  • air_contiguous r1 a1 r2 a2 x y z — consecutive partitions have different (non-zero) air codes, and the gap between them is less than tol. reports the names and air codes of the two regions and the point coordinates.
  • air_unconfined r1 (s1) r2 (s2) length x1 y1 z1 x2 y2 z2 — a partition with a non-zero air code abuts another partition across a gap larger than tol. reports the names of the regions (and solids) involved, the gap length, and coordinates.
  • air_first r a x y z — the first partition along a ray has a non-zero air code. reports the region name, its air code, and the ray entry coordinates.
  • air_last r a x y z — the last partition along a ray has a non-zero air code. reports the region name, its air code, and the ray exit coordinates.
  • vacuum r1 (s1) r2 (s2) length x1 y1 z1 x2 y2 z2 — the space between consecutive partitions is larger than tol. reports the regions (and solids) involved, the gap length, and the coordinates.

when the ray origin is requested (-o), the model coordinates of the ray's origination point get inserted between the report tag and the remaining data. when plot3 output is requested (-p), the problems come out as colored plot3(5) geometry instead of text. glow-up, honestly ✨

🎀 OPTIONS 🎀

  • -a az — set the azimuth angle from which to fire rays. the default is 0.
  • -c — fire one ray from the exact center of each grid cell. by default, rays are fired from a random point within each cell.
  • -e el — set the elevation angle from which to fire rays, in the range -90 to 90. the default is 0.
  • -g gridsize — set the width and height of each grid cell, in millimeters. the default is 100.
  • -o — include the model coordinates of the ray's origination point in each report.
  • -p — produce output in plot3(5) format rather than ASCII text, useful for overlaying results in mged(1).
  • -r bits — select which report types to produce using a bitmask (decimal, octal with a leading 0, or hex with a leading 0x). prefixing the value with a minus sign negates the selection (aka specifies what NOT to report). the bit values are 1 (overlaps), 2 (contiguous unlike airs), 4 (unconfined airs), 8 (air first on rays), 16 (air last on rays), and 32 (vacuums). the default is 1 (overlaps only).
  • -s — collect and sort overlap reports before printing, grouping them by region pair in order of decreasing cumulative overlap length. by default, overlaps are reported immediately as they are found. this overrides -p.
  • -t tol — set the length tolerance, in millimeters, below which overlaps, vacuums, and air gaps are ignored. the default is 0.
  • -u — enable reporting on partitions containing air. this is set implicitly whenever an air-related report bit is requested via -r.
  • -x bits — set glint diagnostic flags. the value is interpreted as hexadecimal.
  • -h, -? — print the usage message and exit.
no cap, that -r bitmask is the one to actually learn. 62 is a whole personality, you'll see her in a sec 💀

🔥 EXAMPLES 🔥

example 1 — find overlaps with a fine grid and a tolerance

glint -c -g 1.0 -t 0.01 vehicle.g hull

fires one ray per 1mm grid cell from the center of each cell at the hull combination in vehicle.g, reporting only overlaps longer than 0.01mm. a fine grid catches small interferences that a coarse grid would step over. she's not missing anything, periodt 🫶

example 2 — audit air regions and visualize the results in MGED

glint -r 62 -p cabin.g interior > air.plot3

selects every report type except plain overlaps (62 = 2+4+8+16+32) and emits plot3(5) geometry, which can be overlaid on the model with the overlay command in mged(1) to see exactly where the air problems occur. literally seeing your problems in 3D? iconic 🌈

👑 SEE ALSO 👑

brlcad(1), mged(1), gqa(1), rt(1), librt(3), plot3(5)

🌟 AUTHOR 🌟

BRL-CAD Team — collectively the blueprint 💜

this software is Copyright (c) 1995-2026 by the United States Government as represented by U.S. Army Research Laboratory.

🦋 BUG REPORTS 🦋

reports of bugs or problems should be submitted via electronic mail to devs@brlcad.org — pls be nice and pls be specific, they're doing their best 🙈

and that's the whole page, bestie 💖 this was GLINT(1) from BRL-CAD — go shoot some rays, find those vacuums, and remember: a coarse grid will absolutely step over your problems and let them fester. mwah, slay, and always read the bitmask 🎀✨

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