BOT_DUMP(nged)

💅 BOT_DUMP 💅

okay so bestie, this one lives in the nged section of the manual, and it's honestly such a glow-up for your geometry. bot_dump is the command that takes your Bag-of-Triangles (BOT) primitives and yeets them out into a real mesh file format so other software can actually see them. iconic behavior fr fr.

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✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

bot_dump [-b] [-n|--normals] [-F|--full-precision]
         [-m|--output-directory dir] [-o|--output-file file]
         [-t dxf|glb|gltf|obj|sat|stl] [-u unit]
         [--materials|--no-materials]
         [bot1 bot2 ...]

like, that's the whole vibe. flags first, bot names last, no notes 💅

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🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

so bot_dump exports one or more BOT (Bag-of-Triangles) primitives out of the current database and into an external mesh file. that's the whole job and she does it well.

and here's the slay part: if you don't name any BOTs at all, it just exports all the BOT objects in the database. no name-dropping required, she'll take the whole friend group 🫶

the output formats it supports, in no particular order (okay there is an order, here it is):

• stl — STL (Stereolithography), and yes this one is the default. can be binary or ASCII.
• dxf — AutoCAD DXF format.
• obj — Wavefront OBJ format, and it comes with an accompanying .mtl material file like a little matching accessory 💖
• sat — ACIS SAT format.
• glb — glTF binary format.
• gltf — glTF JSON format.

🎀 Options 🎀

• -b — writes the output in binary format where it's supported (think binary STL, binary glTF/GLB). she's not doing plain text if she doesn't have to 💀
• -n, --normals — writes per-vertex normals, but only if the output format actually supports them. no cap, formats are picky.
• -F, --full-precision — writes full floating-point precision for the coordinate values. heads up though: this is non-standard for glTF output, so like, know what you're doing 🌸
• -m dir, --output-directory dir — writes each BOT to its own separate file inside the directory dir. and listen: this is mutually exclusive with -o. pick a lane bestie, you can't have both.
• -o file, --output-file file — writes all the output into the single file you name. also mutually exclusive with -m, same energy.
• -t fmt — specifies the output format type. accepted values are: dxf, glb, gltf, obj, sat, stl. the default is stl. if you skip it, she's going STL and she's not sorry.
• -u unit — specifies the output units for the coordinate values (like mm, cm, in, ft). defaults to the database's native units, which honestly is the respectful choice 💜
• --materials — exports resolved color and material information when the selected format supports it. and this is the default behavior for supported formats, so it's already happening ✨
• --no-materials — turns off color and material export entirely and writes geometry only. strictly business, no decorations 🙈

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🌈 EXAMPLES 🌈

literally just copy these, they ate.

Example 1. Export all BOTs to a single STL file

mged> bot_dump -o scene.stl

Exports all BOT primitives in the database to scene.stl in ASCII STL format. all of them. every last triangle 💅

Example 2. Export a specific BOT as binary STL

mged> bot_dump -b -o hull_mesh.stl hull.bot

Exports hull.bot to hull_mesh.stl in binary STL format. one bot, one file, zero drama 🦋

Example 3. Export to OBJ format with named per-object files

mged> bot_dump -t obj --output-directory ./export/

Exports each BOT in the database to its own .obj file in the ./export/ directory, including color/material data when it's available. very organized of her honestly 👑

Example 4. Export in glTF binary format with full precision

mged> bot_dump -t glb -F -o scene.glb

Exports all BOTs to scene.glb in binary glTF format with full floating-point precision. maximum detail, no shortcuts ⭐

Example 5. Export in DXF format with unit conversion

mged> bot_dump -t dxf -u in -o scene.dxf

Exports all BOTs to scene.dxf in DXF format, with coordinates converted to inches. unit math handled, you're welcome 🎀

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👀 SEE ALSO 👀

• dbot_dump(nged)
• bot(nged)

go read those too, iykyk 💖

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💜 AUTHOR 💜

BRL-CAD Team — legends, honestly 🫶

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📬 BUG REPORTS 📬

if you find a bug or a problem, reports should be submitted via electronic mail to devs@brlcad.org. don't suffer in silence bestie, tell them 😭

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ngl, the formats are picky and the flags are mutual-exclusive, so double-check what you asked for before you blame the triangles 💀

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and that's the page! brought to you by the fine folks behind BRL-CAD (that's the source and version line at the bottom of the original — the manual name is BOT_DUMP(nged) if you ever need to cite her). go forth and dump some bots, bestie 💅✨🔥