SoNormalGenerator(3)

📦
version 4.0.10 · 4 versions
, in fedora 43, fedora 44

💖 SoNormalGenerator(3) — Coin 💖

okay bestie, pull up a chair, we're doing SoNormalGenerator(3) from the Coin manual today and honestly? she's a baddie. this is the class that generates normals. that's the whole vibe. 🌈

✨ NAME ✨

SoNormalGenerator — The SoNormalGenerator class is used to generate normals.

like. that's it. that's her job. normals. generated. iconic behavior. 💅

🦋 SYNOPSIS 🦋

#include <include/Inventor/misc/SoNormalGenerator.h>

🌸 Public Member Functions 🌸

SoNormalGenerator (const SbBool ccw, const int approxVertices=64)
~SoNormalGenerator ()
void reset (const SbBool ccw)
void beginPolygon ()
void polygonVertex (const SbVec3f &v)
void endPolygon ()
void triangle (const SbVec3f &v0, const SbVec3f &v1, const SbVec3f &v2)
void quad (const SbVec3f &v0, const SbVec3f &v1, const SbVec3f &v2,
    const SbVec3f &v3)
void generate (const float creaseAngle, const int32_t *striplens=NULL,
    const int numstrips=0)
void generatePerStrip (const int32_t *striplens, const int numstrips)
void generatePerFace (void)
void generateOverall (void)
int getNumNormals () const
void setNumNormals (const int num)
const SbVec3f * getNormals () const
const SbVec3f & getNormal (const int32_t i) const
void setNormal (const int32_t index, const SbVec3f &normal)

🎀 Detailed Description 🎀

The SoNormalGenerator class is used to generate normals.

FIXME: document properly — no cap, that's literally what it says. the maintainers left us a lil sticky note and honestly? respect the honesty. 😭

💜 Constructor & Destructor Documentation 💜

⭐ SoNormalGenerator::SoNormalGenerator (const SbBool isccw, const int approxVertices = 64)

Constructor with isccw indicating if polygons are specified in counterclockwise order. The approxVertices can be used to optimize normal generation.

(quick note bestie — the synopsis calls that first param ccw, the docs call it isccw. same energy, don't @ me, i'm just reporting the tea. 🍓)

⭐ SoNormalGenerator::~SoNormalGenerator ()

Destructor. she's done, she's logging off, she's going home. 🫶

👑 Member Function Documentation 👑

✨ void SoNormalGenerator::reset (const SbBool ccwarg)

Resets the normal generator, making it possible to reuse it without allocating a new one. sustainability queen 🌱

This function is an extension for Coin, and it is not available in the original SGI Open Inventor v2.1 API.

Since

Coin 2.0

✨ void SoNormalGenerator::beginPolygon (void )

Signals the start of a new polygon.

See also

  • SoNormalGenerator::polygonVertex()
  • SoNormalGenerator::endPolygon()

✨ void SoNormalGenerator::polygonVertex (const SbVec3f & v)

Adds a vertex to the current polygon.

See also

  • SoNormalGenerator::beginPolygon()
  • SoNormalGenerator::endPolygon()

✨ void SoNormalGenerator::endPolygon (void )

Signals the end of a polygon.

See also

  • SoNormalGenerator::beginPolygon()
  • SoNormalGenerator::polygonVertex()

✨ void SoNormalGenerator::triangle (const SbVec3f & v0, const SbVec3f & v1, const SbVec3f & v2)

Convenience method for adding a triangle. three points, one shape, zero stress. 🔺

✨ void SoNormalGenerator::quad (const SbVec3f & v0, const SbVec3f & v1, const SbVec3f & v2, const SbVec3f & v3)

Convenience method for adding a quad

(four points this time. she's generous. 🎀)

✨ void SoNormalGenerator::generate (const float creaseAngle, const int32_t * striplens = NULL, const int numstrips = 0)

Triggers the normal generation. Normals are generated using creaseAngle to find which edges should be flat-shaded and which should be smooth-shaded.

If normals are generated for triangle strips, the striplens and numstrips must be supplied. See src/nodes/SoTriangleStripSet.cpp (generateDefaultNormals()) for an example on how you send triangle strip information to this generator. It's not trivial, since you have to know how OpenGL/Coin generate triangles from triangle strips.

not trivial. they said it, not me. read that example file, bestie, i'm begging. 😭

✨ void SoNormalGenerator::generatePerStrip (const int32_t * striplens, const int numstrips)

Generates one normal per strip by averaging face normals. one normal, one strip, average it out, slay. 💅

✨ void SoNormalGenerator::generatePerFace (void )

Generates the normals per face. Use this when PER_FACE normal binding is needed. This method is not part of the OIV API.

✨ void SoNormalGenerator::generateOverall (void )

Generates one overall normal by averaging all face normals. Use when normal binding is OVERALL. This method is not part of the OIV API.

✨ int SoNormalGenerator::getNumNormals (void ) const

Returns the number of normals generated.

✨ void SoNormalGenerator::setNumNormals (const int num)

Sets the number of generated normals. This method is not supported in Coin, and is provided for API compatibility only.

heads up: not supported in Coin. it exists purely for API compatibility. it will not be doing the thing you think it's doing. 🙈

✨ const SbVec3f * SoNormalGenerator::getNormals (void ) const

Returns a pointer to the generated normals.

✨ const SbVec3f & SoNormalGenerator::getNormal (const int32_t i) const

Returns the normal at index i.

See also

  • SoNormalGenerator::getNumNormals()

✨ void SoNormalGenerator::setNormal (const int32_t index, const SbVec3f & normal)

Sets the normal at index index to normal. This method is not supported in Coin, and is provided for API compatibility only.

same warning, same energy: not supported in Coin, API compatibility only. 🫠

🌟 Author 🌟

Generated automatically by Doxygen for Coin from the source code.

(so nobody wrote this, a robot did, and honestly? the robot ate. 👑)

and that's the whole page, bestie!! Version 4.0.10, dated Thu Jun 25 2026 00:00:00, filed under SoNormalGenerator(3). go generate some normals, you absolute icon. 💖✨🎀🦋🌸

📦 where this page comes from