3D Viewer

The 3D Viewer is the central component of the Geant4 Geometry Editor, providing an interactive visualization of your geometry.

Overview

The 3D Viewer renders your geometry in three dimensions, allowing you to visualize, inspect, and interact with your design. It uses Three.js to provide a high-performance WebGL-based rendering of complex geometries.

Features

Visualization

  • Real-time Rendering: See your geometry in 3D as you build it
  • Materials Visualization: Different materials are displayed with distinct colors
  • Wireframe Mode: Toggle between solid and wireframe display
  • Axes Display: Optional coordinate axes to help with orientation
  • Grid: Optional reference grid to help with positioning

The 3D Viewer provides intuitive controls for navigating your 3D scene:

  • Rotate: Click and drag with the left mouse button
  • Pan: Click and drag with the middle mouse button or use Shift + left mouse button
  • Zoom: Use the mouse wheel or right mouse button drag up/down
  • Reset View: Button to reset the camera to the default position
  • Focus: Double-click on an object to center the view on it

Selection

  • Click on any object in the 3D Viewer to select it
  • The selected object will be highlighted
  • The properties of the selected object will be displayed in the Properties Tab
  • Multiple selection is possible by holding the Ctrl key while clicking

Transformation Controls

When an object is selected, transformation controls appear in the 3D Viewer:

  • Translation: Move the object along the X, Y, or Z axis
  • Rotation: Rotate the object around the X, Y, or Z axis
  • Scaling: Resize the object along the X, Y, or Z axis (for certain geometry types)

These controls provide visual feedback as you manipulate objects, making it easy to position and orient them precisely.

Clipping Planes

The 3D Viewer supports clipping planes to see inside complex geometries:

  • X, Y, Z Clipping: Slice the geometry along any axis
  • Adjustable Position: Control the position of the clipping plane
  • Toggle On/Off: Enable or disable clipping as needed

Display Options

The 3D Viewer provides several options to customize the display:

  • Background Color: Change the background color of the 3D scene
  • Lighting: Adjust the lighting to enhance visibility
  • Shadows: Toggle shadows on or off
  • Transparency: Control the transparency of objects
  • Edge Highlighting: Emphasize the edges of geometry objects

Performance Tips

For complex geometries with many objects, consider these tips to improve performance:

  • Level of Detail: Use simpler geometries for distant or less important objects
  • Visibility Toggle: Hide complex parts of the geometry when not needed
  • Instance Reuse: Use instances for repeated objects instead of duplicating geometry
  • Wireframe Mode: Switch to wireframe mode when working with very complex scenes