BRL-CAD .g Wireframe Viewer

View BRL-CAD .g files as colored 3D wireframes in VS Code. You don't need to install BRL-CAD to use the viewer.

castle.g in perspective view.

Features

• Open .g files straight from the Explorer.
• Rotate, pan, and zoom the model.
• Switch between perspective and orthographic views without losing your place.
• Use Fit to bring the whole model into view.
• Use Reload to refresh the preview after editing the file elsewhere.
• See the model's colors and check warnings for any parts that couldn't be shown.

goliath.g in orthographic view.

Get started

1. Install BRL-CAD .g Wireframe Viewer.
2. Open a trusted folder containing your .g files in VS Code.
3. Click a .g file in the Explorer to open the viewer.

If the file opens in another editor, right-click its tab, choose Reopen Editor With…, and select BRL-CAD Wireframe.

Controls

Click inside the viewer before using keyboard shortcuts.

What it supports

gview previews BRL-CAD v5 .g databases. Older v4 databases need to be upgraded with BRL-CAD's dbupgrade tool first.

The viewer shows the shapes used in boolean operations, so cuts and unions won't appear as finished solids. It doesn't support every geometry type yet. BREP, terrain and volume data, NMG, B-splines, metaballs, and sketch-based solids are skipped. An Incomplete preview notice lets you check what couldn't be shown.

Large or complex models may exceed the preview limits.

You'll need VS Code 1.85 or later, a trusted workspace, and WebGL2 support. You can also open files through SSH and WSL in desktop VS Code. Files must be saved to disk. The extension doesn't run in vscode.dev.

Feedback and development

Report a problem or request a feature. Build instructions, backend settings, and preview limits are in the development guide.

License

LGPL-2.1-only. Includes code derived from BRL-CAD. See the third-party notices for details.