ClipFrustum

Description¶

The example uses vtkClipPolyData to clip a model with a vtkCamera's view frustum. The frustum is displayed using vtkFrustumSource.

The example proceeds as follow:

Read a vtkPolyData. The example can read any of the supported polydata readers.
Generates a view of the model.
Recovers the view frustum of the current vtkCamera.
Creates an implicit function using vtkPlanes::SetFrustumPlanes.
Passes the vtkPlanes to vtkFrustumSource.
Passes the vtkPlanes to vtkClipPolyData as the ClipFunction.
Tells vtkClipPolyData to generate vtkPolyData for inside and outside.
Presents the frustum, and clipped models. The inside model is red and the outside model is gold.

Bug

The first attempt to write the example used vtkClipConvexPolyData, but that filter has bugs and only works with one plane.

Code¶

ClipFrustum.cxx

#include <vtkSmartPointer.h>

#include <vtkFrustumSource.h>
#include <vtkClipPolyData.h>

#include <vtkPlanes.h>
#include <vtkNamedColors.h>
#include <vtkPolyDataNormals.h>

#include <vtkBYUReader.h>
#include <vtkOBJReader.h>
#include <vtkPLYReader.h>
#include <vtkPolyDataReader.h>
#include <vtkSTLReader.h>
#include <vtkXMLPolyDataReader.h>
#include <vtkSphereSource.h>

#include <vtksys/SystemTools.hxx>

#include <vtkProperty.h>
#include <vtkCamera.h>
#include <vtkMapper.h>
#include <vtkActor.h>
#include <vtkRenderWindow.h>
#include <vtkRenderer.h>
#include <vtkRenderWindowInteractor.h>
#include <vtkPolyDataMapper.h>

#include <vtkCamera.h>
namespace
{
vtkSmartPointer<vtkPolyData> ReadPolyData(const char *fileName);
void PositionCamera(vtkSmartPointer<vtkRenderer> &renderer,
                    double *viewUp,
                    double *position);
}

int main (int argc, char *argv[])
{
  vtkSmartPointer<vtkPolyData> polyData = ReadPolyData(argc > 1 ? argv[1] : "");;

  vtkSmartPointer<vtkNamedColors> colors =
    vtkSmartPointer<vtkNamedColors>::New();

  // a renderer and render window
  vtkSmartPointer<vtkRenderer> renderer =
    vtkSmartPointer<vtkRenderer>::New();
  vtkSmartPointer<vtkRenderWindow> renderWindow =
    vtkSmartPointer<vtkRenderWindow>::New();
  renderWindow->AddRenderer(renderer);

  // an interactor
  vtkSmartPointer<vtkRenderWindowInteractor> renderWindowInteractor =
    vtkSmartPointer<vtkRenderWindowInteractor>::New();
  renderWindowInteractor->SetRenderWindow(renderWindow);

  vtkSmartPointer<vtkPolyDataMapper> mapper =
    vtkSmartPointer<vtkPolyDataMapper>::New();
  mapper->SetInputData(polyData);
  mapper->ScalarVisibilityOff();

  vtkSmartPointer<vtkActor> actor =
    vtkSmartPointer<vtkActor>::New();
  actor->SetMapper(mapper);
  actor->GetProperty()->SetDiffuseColor(colors->GetColor3d("Crimson").GetData());
  actor->GetProperty()->SetSpecular(.6);
  actor->GetProperty()->SetSpecularPower(30);
  renderer->AddActor(actor);

  vtkSmartPointer<vtkPolyDataMapper> outMapper =
    vtkSmartPointer<vtkPolyDataMapper>::New();
  outMapper->SetInputData(polyData);
  outMapper->ScalarVisibilityOff();

  vtkSmartPointer<vtkActor> outActor =
    vtkSmartPointer<vtkActor>::New();
  outActor->SetMapper(outMapper);
  outActor->GetProperty()->SetDiffuseColor(colors->GetColor3d("Gold").GetData());
  outActor->GetProperty()->SetSpecular(.6);
  outActor->GetProperty()->SetSpecularPower(30);

  // Position the camera so that we can see the frustum
  double viewUp[3] = {0.0,1.0,0.0};
  double position[3] = {1.0,0.0,0.0};
  PositionCamera(renderer, viewUp, position);
  renderer->GetActiveCamera()->Elevation(30);
  renderer->GetActiveCamera()->SetViewAngle(10.0);

  double planesArray[24];
  renderer->GetActiveCamera()->GetFrustumPlanes(1.0, planesArray);

  vtkSmartPointer<vtkPlanes> planes =
    vtkSmartPointer<vtkPlanes>::New();
  planes->SetFrustumPlanes(planesArray);

  vtkSmartPointer<vtkFrustumSource> frustumSource =
    vtkSmartPointer<vtkFrustumSource>::New();
  frustumSource->ShowLinesOff();
  frustumSource->SetPlanes(planes);
  frustumSource->Update();

  vtkSmartPointer<vtkPolyDataMapper> frustumMapper =
    vtkSmartPointer<vtkPolyDataMapper>::New();
  frustumMapper->SetInputConnection(frustumSource->GetOutputPort());

  vtkSmartPointer<vtkActor> frustumActor =
    vtkSmartPointer<vtkActor>::New();
  frustumActor->SetMapper(frustumMapper);
  frustumActor->GetProperty()->EdgeVisibilityOn();
  frustumActor->GetProperty()->SetOpacity(.5);
  frustumActor->GetProperty()->SetColor(colors->GetColor3d("Banana").GetData());

  vtkSmartPointer<vtkClipPolyData> clip =
    vtkSmartPointer<vtkClipPolyData>::New();
  clip->SetInputData(polyData);
  clip->SetClipFunction(planes);
  clip->InsideOutOn();
  clip->GenerateClippedOutputOn();
  clip->Update();

  mapper->SetInputConnection(clip->GetOutputPort());
  outMapper->SetInputData(clip->GetClippedOutput());

  renderer->SetBackground(colors->GetColor3d("Silver").GetData());
  renderer->AddActor(frustumActor);
  renderer->AddActor(outActor);

  renderer->ResetCamera();
  renderer->GetActiveCamera()->Azimuth(30);
  renderer->GetActiveCamera()->Elevation(30);
  renderer->GetActiveCamera()->Dolly(1.5);
  renderer->ResetCameraClippingRange();
  renderWindow->SetSize(640, 480);
  renderWindow->Render();

  // begin mouse interaction
  renderWindowInteractor->Start();
  return EXIT_SUCCESS;
}

// Snippets
namespace
{
vtkSmartPointer<vtkPolyData> ReadPolyData(const char *fileName)
{
  vtkSmartPointer<vtkPolyData> polyData;
  std::string extension = vtksys::SystemTools::GetFilenameExtension(std::string(fileName));
  if (extension == ".ply")
  {
    vtkSmartPointer<vtkPLYReader> reader =
      vtkSmartPointer<vtkPLYReader>::New();
    reader->SetFileName (fileName);
    reader->Update();
    polyData = reader->GetOutput();
  }
  else if (extension == ".vtp")
  {
    vtkSmartPointer<vtkXMLPolyDataReader> reader =
      vtkSmartPointer<vtkXMLPolyDataReader>::New();
    reader->SetFileName (fileName);
    reader->Update();
    polyData = reader->GetOutput();
  }
  else if (extension == ".obj")
  {
    vtkSmartPointer<vtkOBJReader> reader =
      vtkSmartPointer<vtkOBJReader>::New();
    reader->SetFileName (fileName);
    reader->Update();
    polyData = reader->GetOutput();
  }
  else if (extension == ".stl")
  {
    vtkSmartPointer<vtkSTLReader> reader =
      vtkSmartPointer<vtkSTLReader>::New();
    reader->SetFileName (fileName);
    reader->Update();
    polyData = reader->GetOutput();
  }
  else if (extension == ".vtk")
  {
    vtkSmartPointer<vtkPolyDataReader> reader =
      vtkSmartPointer<vtkPolyDataReader>::New();
    reader->SetFileName (fileName);
    reader->Update();
    polyData = reader->GetOutput();
  }
  else if (extension == ".g")
  {
    vtkSmartPointer<vtkBYUReader> reader =
      vtkSmartPointer<vtkBYUReader>::New();
    reader->SetGeometryFileName (fileName);
    reader->Update();
    polyData = reader->GetOutput();
  }
  else
  {
    vtkSmartPointer<vtkSphereSource> source =
      vtkSmartPointer<vtkSphereSource>::New();
    source->Update();
    polyData = source->GetOutput();
  }
  return polyData;
}

void PositionCamera(vtkSmartPointer<vtkRenderer> &renderer,
                    double *viewUp,
                    double *position)
{
  renderer->GetActiveCamera()->SetFocalPoint(0.0, 0.0, 0.0);
  renderer->GetActiveCamera()->SetViewUp(viewUp);
  renderer->GetActiveCamera()->SetPosition(position);
  renderer->ResetCamera();
  return;
}
}

CMakeLists.txt¶

cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 2.8)

PROJECT(ClipFrustum)

find_package(VTK REQUIRED)
include(${VTK_USE_FILE})

add_executable(ClipFrustum MACOSX_BUNDLE ClipFrustum.cxx )

target_link_libraries(ClipFrustum ${VTK_LIBRARIES})

Download and Build ClipFrustum¶

Click here to download ClipFrustum and its CMakeLists.txt file. Once the tarball ClipFrustum.tar has been downloaded and extracted,

cd ClipFrustum/build

If VTK is installed:

cmake ..

If VTK is not installed but compiled on your system, you will need to specify the path to your VTK build:

cmake -DVTK_DIR:PATH=/home/me/vtk_build ..

Build the project:

make

and run it:

./ClipFrustum

WINDOWS USERS

Be sure to add the VTK bin directory to your path. This will resolve the VTK dll's at run time.