n-wach / protractr

Geometric Constraint Solver

protractr

A constraint-based 2D Sketching tool - View on Github Pages

Functionality is planned to match basic Solidworks sketches containing Points, Lines, Circles, and Arcs. Most of Solidworks' relations are currently supported, with the remaining to be implemented soon.

Examples:

• Arcs
• Pyramid
• Kite

Supported relations

• Horizontal
• Vertical
• Colinear
• Tangent Line
• Tangent Circle
• Concentric
• Midpoint
• Intersection
• Coincident on Point
• Coincident on Line
• Coincident on Circle
• Radius Equal
• Line Length Equal

Missing relations

• Perpendicular
• Parallel
• Fix / Lock Entity

Structure and Documenation

View the docs!

Protractr is composed of two main modules:

• gcs is used to describe and solve geometric sketches, which are composed of figures and relations.
• ui displays the current sketch and allows a user to modify it

Contributing

To get started:

1. Clone this repo, and cd into it

2. Run npm install

3. Make changes to the TypeScript source. This should be done under the scripts directory.

4. To test your changes, run:

   npm run build
   

   You should then see that the file dist/bundle.js has been created/updated. This is a single JavaScript file combining all the compiled TypeScript. To view your changes, open index.html in a browser.

5. To make a new release on Github Pages, first commit all local changes. Then run release.sh. This will recompile dist/bundle.js, as well as generate the docs. Then, the changes will be moved to the gh-pages branch and pushed to Github.

protractr's Issues

Nice work! Question?

I've written geometric constraint solvers in the past and this looks like a great start. I was curious how exactly the constraint solver works. I looked through the codebase and it sort of reminds me of the Overveld relaxation method. Looks like maybe you did this as a student project. Did you happen to do a write up by any chance?

Consider adding class/method documentation

It's always much easier to do that if it's autogenerated.

Here's one possible option: https://typedoc.org/guides/doccomments/

There may be others.

Look at Cross Browser Compatibility, esp Chrome

Doesn't seem to work well on Chrome for Mac.

I click on the dot button, and it doesn't make dots the way it does on Firefox.

Consider giving user more feedback on the constraints

Currently, hovering over a constraint gives the user only feedback by highlighting points.

Consider differentiating different types of constraints, and providing richer feedback to the user so that they can understand better what is happening

Consider clarifying some use cases.

For now, the focus seems to be on implementing features because you can.

Think about it from the standpoint of "why".

That is, what is a case of a piece of art, or a diagram that I want to draw, (whether artistic or scientific, or explanatory, whatever... ) where I would want each of the constraints you are building, and then, perhaps make a video where you say: Here's my finished product. Now let me show you step by step, how I constructed it and how, in the course of that, I used each of the tools in my toolbox.

If it isn't possible to come up with a "The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog" type of diagram, then make it two or three different diagrams. But the challenge is to see if you can cover a use case for each of the constraints.

Why? Because I think getting inside the head of the user will help you understand how to better design the UI/UX and also how to prioritize the different features you might add, whether new constraints, ui improvements, whatever...

Right clicking to delete a constraint isn't very clear to user

Consider how that could be make easier for the user to get.

You might even want to do a "talk aloud" study.

Here's a primer: https://www.nngroup.com/articles/thinking-aloud-the-1-usability-tool/

You can probably find better source of information, but that will do as a starting point.