Visualization of Generic Systems in TIGLViewer

[pprebeg]

Dear TiGL Developers,

Is it possible to visualize a model with a generic system? I attempted to visualize the file singleModel_withGenericSystems_sphere.xml, but it appears that the model is not displayed.

I would appreciate any guidance or suggestions you may have.

Best regards,
Pero Prebeg

[pprebeg]

Just to be more precise, while the simple fuselage and wings are displayed correctly, the generic system does not appear to be shown.

[joergbrech]

Hi Pero, thanks for opening the discussion here. By default, the TiGLViewer displays the clean wing and fuselage shapes. You can visualize the generic systems using the menu bar: Draw -> Aircraft -> Draw Systems. Let me know if this helps.

[pprebeg]

Thanks for the quick help! I should have been more persistent in trying :)
What additionally confused me were the corresponding screenshots of TiGLViewer in tiglviewer-report/screenshots-expected, which also don't display the systems.

[joergbrech]

What additionally confused me were the corresponding screenshots of TiGLViewer in tiglviewer-report/screenshots-expected, which also don't display the systems.

Agreed, it would make much more sense to display the systems in the report. The report (as well as the expected images) is generated automatically with the default components (clean wings and fuselages), so we would need to customize the report for this file.

[pprebeg]

One additional inconvenience is that during the modeling process (changing scaling/translating in the CPACS model), it is necessary to repeatedly use Draw -> Aircraft -> Draw Systems.
I'm not aware of an existing configuration file for the viewer, but having one would be useful for this kind of workflow. The same applies to the visualization of control surfaces and any elements that are not displayed by default.

I’m also curious if it’s possible to visualize an external subsystem using an existing STEP (or other OCC-compatible) model in the viewer, together with fuselages/wings.
The genericSystem node seems to only allow shapes like spheres or cones. Perhaps there is another way to achieve this?

[joergbrech]

I'm not aware of an existing configuration file for the viewer, but having one would be useful for this kind of workflow. The same applies to the visualization of control surfaces and any elements that are not displayed by default.

Actually, the TiGLViewer has some scripting capabilities, see also https://dlr-sc.github.io/tigl/doc/latest/tiglviewer_console.html. A script that loads your CPACS file and displays the generic system is as simple as

app.openFile("singleModel_withGenericSystems_sphere.xml");
drawShape(tigl.getShape("mySystemUID4"))

That being said, the TiGLViewer only exposes a limited set of TiGL's API features. Anything more complex would need to be done using the C/C++/Python API.

I’m also curious if it’s possible to visualize an external subsystem using an existing STEP (or other OCC-compatible) model in the viewer, together with fuselages/wings.

Yes it is possible, see https://dlr-sl.github.io/cpacs-website/documentation/CPACS_3_5_0_Docs/html/50f4038a-beb9-f2dc-505e-242f548c6d99.htm and https://github.com/DLR-SC/tigl/blob/master/tests/unittests/TestData/simpletest-nacelle.xml

The genericSystem node seems to only allow shapes like spheres or cones. Perhaps there is another way to achieve this?

There is an open CPACS proposal for this, see DLR-SL/CPACS#845.