source: src/documentation/constructs/shaperegistry.dox@ 3aa204

/*
 * Project: MoleCuilder
 * Description: creates and alters molecular systems
 * Copyright (C)  2013 University of Bonn. All rights reserved.
 * Please see the LICENSE file or "Copyright notice" in builder.cpp for details.
 */

/**
 * \file shaperegistry.dox
 *
 * Created on: Jan 28, 2013
 *    Author: ankele
 */

/** \page shaperegistry ShapeRegistry
 *
 * \section shape-registry-basics Basics
 *
 * Instances of \ref shapes with unique names can be stored inside the
 * ShapeRegistry. They can be selected via actions.
 *
 * There are special action to manipulate the currently selected shapes:
 *  - CombineShapesAction
 *  - RemoveShapeAction
 *  - RotateShapeAction
 *  - StretchShapeAction
 *  - TranslateShapeAction
 *
 * Some actions on the world (like selecting all atoms within a shape or
 * filling a shape with molecules) use the currently selected shapes in
 * the ShapeRegistry.
 *
 * GLWorldView is an observer to the ShapeRegistry. It always renders the
 * currently selected shapes into the scene.
 *
 * To do so, the shapes need to be tesselated (i.e. we need a triangle mesh).
 * Currently we find a number of points on the shape and then use the
 * Tesselation class. This happens when the shape is added to the registry.
 * GLWorldView caches the triangulation as long as the shape is inside the
 * registry.
 *
 * \todo It is planned to create a more specialized ShapeTesselation class. 
 * Basic shapes (sphere, cube, etc.) would have predefined meshes. For combined
 * shaped these basic meshes could then be intersected. That would be faster
 * and allow correct rendering of topologically nontrivial shapes.
 *
 * \date 2013-02-22
 *
 */