transformation of geometrical objects using various algorithms.
It is possible to easily set Parameters predefined to be used as arguments when objects are created.
SHAPER module preferences are described in the SHAPER preferences section of SALOME Help.
Almost all SHAPER module functionalities are accessible via Python Interface.
SHAPER module works with one study containing several documents:
partset
one or several parts.
Only one document can be active. In complicated models partset consists of several parts. Parts in partset may be copied, positioned relatively to each other, or simply translated.
A new study contains only a partset with 7 default constructions, which cannot be deleted:
one point Origin coinciding with the origin of the coordinate system;
three axes OX, OY, OZ coinciding with coordinate axes;
three planes YOZ, XOZ, XOY coinciding with coordinate planes.
Only points, axis, planes (see Construction plug-in) and sketches (see Sketch plug-in) can be added into Partset to be used in any part later.
Parameters can be used both in Partset and any Part.
A new Part can be created as described in Part plug-in.
Double click or pop-up menu can be used to activate existing document.
Dock windows can be placed in three dock areas using drag-and-drop:
left,
right,
bottom.
By default Object browser window is placed at the left dock area, Inspection panel at the right dock area and Python console at the bottom dock area of the main window.
Property Panel is hidden.
Property Panel is shown on operation start in left dock area of the main window by default.
If Object browser is shown at the same side then they will be tabbed.
Each dock window can be closed using Cross window button and opened again using a corresponding command from View - WindowsMain menu or alternatively using pop-up menu.
Pop-up menu for visibility of windows and toolbars
The order of features can be changed using Move to the end and Move to the end and split pop-up menu commands. They work only for Group features. The selected group or several groups will be moved to the end of features list. The Move to the end and split also splits the resulting group in several groups: one group per one selection.
Folders can be used to arrange long Tree View for features.
Insert a folder before pop-up menu command creates a new empty folder before the selected feature. The folder can be renamed.
Features placed after/before the created folder can be moved into the folder using Move into the previous folder / Move into the next folder pop-up menu command.
This allows to decrease the length of feature list.
Features can be removed from the folder using Move out before the folder / Move out after the folder pop-up menu command.
Clean history pop-up menu command looks for features that do not participate in other features.
Clean history dialog box shows a list of unused features. After confirmation by click Yes button unused features are removed.
If this panel is activated it “listens” to the user selection.
If a face is selected then its name will be shown in the panel’s list and hidden in the viewer.
If the user wants to display a hidden result body again (by a show operation) then the faces of this result body will be removed from Hide Faces list and the visibility of all referenced faces will be restored.
Instead of hiding the faces, it is also possible to make them transparent. For this purpose the “Transparent” check-box can be used. The value of the transparency can be changed under the Visualization tab of the Preferences dialog box.
Closing the Hide Faces panel restores the visibility state of all objects. If it is necessary to deactivate the Hide Faces panel (preserving the current display state) then the user has to press the “Esc” button.
If a parameter value is changed, then all features where it is used are rebuilt.
A parameter name should be unique in the active document.
However, partset and part can have parameters with the same name. If parameter names in Partset and Part are identical, then Part parameter has a higher priority and its value will be used in the features of this part.
In contrast to features (see Object browser), there is an additional option when parameters are deleted.
After clicking Replace button, the selected parameter is removed but its parent parameters and features are not removed. The deleted parameter is replaced by its value.
Parameter can be created during feature creation simply by writing variable=expression in any editbox.
After feature validation a new parameter with the given name variable and value equal to the evaluated expression appears in object browser under Parameters in the active partset or part.
Description of General application preferences and Preferences dialog box is provided in GUI module user’s guide in chapter Setting Preferences.
SHAPER preferences define visualization of objects, visualization during selection, edition. New preferences can be used right after modification or later after activation of SHAPER module.
To call Preferences dialog box:
select in the Main Menu File - > Preferences item or
Create new part flag. If it is enabled, an empty part is created on a study creation.
Activate relates to activation of part when opening a HDF document. Its could be one of the following:
“Last part” - activate last part in the document (default value);
“All parts” - activate all parts within the document;
“No activation” - do not activate any part.
Display in “Opening a study”. It specifies the shapes, which should be visualized when activating a part. It could be one of the following:
“As stored in HDF” - display only the shapes visible before the document is saved (default value);
“Last item in each folder” - show only the last result in each folder of the part: Constructions, Results, Groups, Fields;
“All items” - show all shapes from each folder;
“No visualization” - do not display any shape.
Display in “Launching a python script”. It specifies the shapes, which should be visualized when loading a script using “File -> Load Script…” menu. It could be one of the following:
“Last item in each folder” - show only the last result in each folder of the part: Constructions, Results, Groups, Fields;
“All items” - show all shapes from each folder(default value);
“No visualization” - do not display any shape.
Enable automatic backup flag. If it is enabled, the active SHAPER study will be periodically saved into a backup folder.
By default, this option is disabled.
Backup Interval defines the time interval in minutes between two consecutive backups. The minimum value is 5 minutes.
Backup Folder defines the root folder where the backups are stored.
Each backup is always stored in a subfolder named by the current date and time (“yyyymmdd_hhmmss”).
If no backup folder is given, the backup root folder will be either a subfolder of the path pointed to by SALOME_TMP_DIR,
or a subfolder of the tmp folder if the SALOME_TMP_DIR environment variable is not defined.
In both cases, the name of the subfolder consists of random numbers only.
Example (create backup on March 26, 2025 at 09:26:54):
folder defined (= $HOME/backup): $HOME/backup/20250326_092654
SALOME_TMP_DIR defined (= $HOME/tmp): $HOME/tmp/<random_number>/20250326_092654
no folder defined: /tmp/<random_number>/20250326_092654
Backup Storage defines whether to store the last backup only, or whether to store the full backup history below the root folder.
Selection color defines a color for selected objects;
Result color selects default shading color for objects from Results branch;
Group color selects default color for objects from Groups branch;
Construction color selects default color for objects from Constructions branch;
Part color selects default color for parts shown in Partset;
Field color selects default color for objects from Fields branch;
Body deflection coefficient defines default deflection coefficient for objects from Results branch. A smaller coefficient provides better quality of a shape in the viewer;
Construction deflection coefficient defines default deflection coefficient for objects from Constructions branch. A smaller coefficient provides better quality of a shape in the viewer;
Reference shape wireframe color in operation selects default color used for wireframe visualization of objects used in active operation;
Result shape wireframe color in operation selects default color used for wireframe visualization of result in active operation. Click See preview button to show result;
Multi selector item color in operation selects default color used for visualization of objects selected in property panel to distinguish them among all objects used in active operation;
Color of removed feature in operation selects default color used for visualization of sketch entities to be removed during Trim/Split operations;
Color of sketch plane selects default shading color for sketch plane;
Hidden faces transparency defines default transparency value for hidden faces;
Dimension arrow size defines default size of arrows for extension line showing dimensional constraint;
Dimension font defines font used for value of dimensional constraint;
Dimension value size defines default size of value for dimensional constraint;
Sketch dimension color defines default color of dimensional constraint;
Construction plane color selects default color for Construction planes;
Sketch entity color selects default color for sketch objects;
Sketch external entity color selects default color for external objects selected as reference during sketch creation/edition;
Sketch auxiliary entity color selects default color for sketch auxiliary objects;
Sketch overconstraint color selects default color for a sketch with redundant constraints;
Sketch fully constraint color selects default color for a sketch with zero degrees of freedom.
Zoom trihedron arrows if this control is checked then arrows of a view trihedron will be scaled according to current view scale
Axis arrow size relative size of trihedron arrows. It has effect only in case if Zoom trihedron arrows is On.
Enable automatic rotation enables the perpetual rotation animation in the viewer.
To redefine any color click on the corresponding line to access Select color dialog box
Default path selects default folder where plugins are located. Click on Open button opens standard Find directory dialog box to navigate to desired folder;
Import initial directory selects default folder where resources are located. Click on Open button opens standard Find directory dialog box to navigate to desired folder.
Thickness defines thickness of coordinate plane borders;
Rotate to plane when selected check-box turns on/off automatic switch the viewer to the top view for the selected sketch plane;
Angular tolerance defines defines an angular tolerance for automatic creation of horizontal and vertical constraints;
Default spline weight defines default weight for B-spline nodes during creation. The default value can be changed by editing of the spline;
Cursor for sketch operation defines a cursor which indicates a launched sketcher sub-operation;
Create sketch entities by dragging defines a style of sketch etities creation. It concerns creation of lines, rectangles, circles, arcs, ellipses, elliptic arcs. If it is switched ON then points of objects have to be defined by mouse press - mouse move - mouse release. Otherwise every point of an object has to be defined by mouse click;
Allow automatic constraint substitution/remove allows automatic resolving of conflicting constraints.
The following conflicts could be processed:
Horizontal/Vertical automatic constraints (this last constraint will be removed);
Pair of arcs connected smoothly, which centers are coincident (Tangency between arcs will be removed);
Notify automatic constraint substitution/remove defines a message box to be shown to the user, if the conflicting constraints situation is automatically resolved.
Use HideFaces panel in operation if the checkbox is checked then HideFaces panel will be launched automatically on launching an operation where using of this panel is considered.
Delete button removes currently selected tool bar. Click on Delete button opens warning dialog box. After confirmation by click Yes button the selected toolbar is deleted. Click No button cancels removing of the selected toolbar;
Reset button restores modified tool bars structure to default state;
OK button closes the dialog box, stores result of tool bars edition and updates Shaper tool bars;
Cancel button closes the dialog box without modification of tool bars.
Name of a new toolbar defines name of the new tool bar. The name of tool bar has to be unique. If user defines a not unique name then a warning appears and a new tooolbar with not unique name is not created;
Ok button closes the dialog box and add a new tool bar of the module into Toolbars window;
Cancel button closes the dialog box without addition of a new tool bar.
Toolbar name non-editable field displays name of modified tool bar;
Out of toolbars window contains list of commands which are not included into any tool bar and separator definition “——“;
In the toolbar window contains list of commands which are defined in the current tool bar. Items in this window are listed according to order of commands in the toolbar;
Right arrow button transfers currently selected item from Out of toolbars window to In the toolbar window and puts new item before the selected item in In the toolbar window.
If there is no selected item in In the toolbar window then new item will be added at the end of items list. In order to clear current selection it is necessary to click in empty space of the window.
Left arrow button transfers currently selected item from In the toolbar window into Out of toolbars window;
Up and Down buttons change position of selected command in In the toolbar window;
Ok button closes the dialog box, stores result of edition;
Cancel button closes the dialog box without modification of tool bar content.
Ok/Apply executes operation with defined parameters,
Cancel/Close calls Abort operation dialog box to confirm operation abort,
Help calls User’s guide opened on page describing the current operation.
