Spline

Render a B-spline as 2D/3D Polyline, can be used with DXF R12. The advantage over R12Spline is the real 3D support which means the B-spline curve vertices has not to be in a plane and no hassle with UCS for 3D placing.

class ezdxf.render.Spline
__init__(points: Iterable[Vertex] = None, segments: int = 100)
Parameters

  • points – spline definition points as Vector or (x, y, z) tuple

  • segments – count of line segments for approximation, vertex count is segments + 1

subdivide(segments: int = 4) → None

Calculate overall segment count, where segments is the sub-segment count, segments = 4, means 4 line segments between two definition points e.g. 4 definition points and 4 segments = 12 overall segments, useful for fit point rendering.

Parameters

segments – sub-segments count between two definition points

render_as_fit_points(layout: BaseLayout, degree: int = 3, method: str = 'chord', dxfattribs: dict = None) → None

Render a B-spline as 2D/3D Polyline, where the definition points are fit points.

Parameters

  • layout – BaseLayout object

  • degree – degree of B-spline (order = degree + 1)

  • method – “uniform”, “distance”/”chord”, “centripetal”/”sqrt_chord” or “arc” calculation method for parameter t

  • dxfattribs – DXF attributes for Polyline

render_open_bspline(layout: BaseLayout, degree: int = 3, dxfattribs: dict = None) → None

Render an open uniform BSpline as 3D Polyline. Definition points are control points.

Parameters

  • layout – BaseLayout object

  • degree – degree of B-spline (order = degree + 1)

  • dxfattribs – DXF attributes for Polyline

render_uniform_bspline(layout: BaseLayout, degree: int = 3, dxfattribs: dict = None) → None

Render a uniform BSpline as 3D Polyline. Definition points are control points.

Parameters

  • layout – BaseLayout object

  • degree – degree of B-spline (order = degree + 1)

  • dxfattribs – DXF attributes for Polyline

render_closed_bspline(layout: BaseLayout, degree: int = 3, dxfattribs: dict = None) → None

Render a closed uniform BSpline as 3D Polyline. Definition points are control points.

Parameters

  • layout – BaseLayout object

  • degree – degree of B-spline (order = degree + 1)

  • dxfattribs – DXF attributes for Polyline

render_open_rbspline(layout: BaseLayout, weights: Iterable[float], degree: int = 3, dxfattribs: dict = None) → None

Render a rational open uniform BSpline as 3D Polyline. Definition points are control points.

Parameters

  • layout – BaseLayout object

  • weights – list of weights, requires a weight value (float) for each definition point.

  • degree – degree of B-spline (order = degree + 1)

  • dxfattribs – DXF attributes for Polyline

render_uniform_rbspline(layout: BaseLayout, weights: Iterable[float], degree: int = 3, dxfattribs: dict = None) → None

Render a rational uniform BSpline as 3D Polyline. Definition points are control points.

Parameters

  • layout – BaseLayout object

  • weights – list of weights, requires a weight value (float) for each definition point.

  • degree – degree of B-spline (order = degree + 1)

  • dxfattribs – DXF attributes for Polyline

render_closed_rbspline(layout: BaseLayout, weights: Iterable[float], degree: int = 3, dxfattribs: dict = None) → None

Render a rational BSpline as 3D Polyline. Definition points are control points.

Parameters

  • layout – BaseLayout object

  • weights – list of weights, requires a weight value (float) for each definition point.

  • degree – degree of B-spline (order = degree + 1)

  • dxfattribs – DXF attributes for Polyline

R12Spline

DXF R12 supports 2D B-splines, but Autodesk do not document the usage in the DXF Reference. The base entity for splines in DXF R12 is the POLYLINE entity. The spline itself is always in a plane, but as any 2D entity, the spline can be transformed into the 3D object by elevation and extrusion (OCS, UCS).

The result is not better than Spline, it is also just a POLYLINE entity, but as with all tools, you never know if someone needs it some day.

class ezdxf.render.R12Spline
__init__(control_points: Iterable[Vertex], degree: int = 2, closed: bool = True)
Parameters

  • control_points – B-spline control frame vertices as (x, y) tuples or Vector objects

  • degree – degree of B-spline, 2 or 3 are valid values

  • closed – True for closed curve

render(layout: BaseLayout, segments: int = 40, ucs: UCS = None, dxfattribs: dict = None) → Polyline

Renders the B-spline into layout as 2D Polyline entity. Use an UCS to place the 2D spline in 3D space, see approximate() for more information.

Parameters

  • layout – BaseLayout object

  • segments – count of line segments for approximation, vertex count is segments + 1

  • ucs – UCS definition, control points in ucs coordinates.

  • dxfattribs – DXF attributes for Polyline

approximate(segments: int = 40, ucs: UCS = None) → List[Vertex]

Approximate B-spline by a polyline with segments line segments. If ucs is not None, ucs defines an UCS, to transformed the curve into OCS. The control points are placed xy-plane of the UCS, don’t use z-axis coordinates, if so make sure all control points are in a plane parallel to the OCS base plane (UCS xy-plane), else the result is unpredictable and depends on the CAD application used to open the DXF file, it maybe crash.

Parameters

  • segments – count of line segments for approximation, vertex count is segments + 1

  • ucs – UCS definition, control points in ucs coordinates.

Returns

list of vertices in OCS as Vector objects

Bezier

Render a bezier curve as 2D/3D Polyline.

The Bezier class is implemented with multiple segments, each segment is an optimized 4 point bezier curve, the 4 control points of the curve are: the start point (1) and the end point (4), point (2) is start point + start vector and point (3) is end point + end vector. Each segment has its own approximation count.

class ezdxf.render.Bezier
start(point: Vertex, tangent: Vertex) → None

Set start point and start tangent.

Parameters

  • point – start point as Vector or (x, y, z) tuple

  • tangent – start tangent as vector, example: (5, 0, 0) means a horizontal tangent with a length of 5 drawing units

append(point: Vertex, tangent1: Vertex, tangent2: Vertex = None, segments: int = 20)

Append a control point with two control tangents.

Parameters

  • point – control point as Vector or (x, y, z) tuple

  • tangent1 – first control tangent as vector “left” of control point

  • tangent2 – second control tangent as vector “right” of control point, if omitted tangent2 = -tangent1

  • segments – count of line segments for polyline approximation, count of line segments from previous control point to appended control point.

render(layout: BaseLayout, force3d: bool = False, dxfattribs: dict = None) → None

Render bezier curve as 2D/3D Polyline.

Parameters

  • layout – BaseLayout object

  • force3d – force 3D polyline rendering

  • dxfattribs – DXF attributes for Polyline

EulerSpiral

Render an euler spiral as 3D Polyline or Spline.

This is a parametric curve, which always starts at the origin (0, 0).

class ezdxf.render.EulerSpiral
__init__(curvature: float = 1)
Parameters

curvature – Radius of curvature

render_polyline(layout: BaseLayout, length: float = 1, segments: int = 100, matrix: Matrix44 = None, dxfattribs: dict = None)

Render curve as Polyline.

Parameters

  • layout – BaseLayout object

  • length – length measured along the spiral curve from its initial position

  • segments – count of line segments to use, vertex count is segments + 1

  • matrix – transformation matrix as Matrix44

  • dxfattribs – DXF attributes for Polyline

Returns

Polyline

render_spline(layout: BaseLayout, length: float = 1, fit_points: int = 10, degree: int = 3, matrix: Matrix44 = None, dxfattribs: dict = None)

Render curve as Spline.

Parameters

  • layout – BaseLayout object

  • length – length measured along the spiral curve from its initial position

  • fit_points – count of spline fit points to use

  • degree – degree of B-spline

  • matrix – transformation matrix as Matrix44

  • dxfattribs – DXF attributes for Spline

Returns

Spline

Random Paths

Random path generators for testing purpose.

ezdxf.render.random_2d_path(steps=100, max_step_size=1, max_heading=pi / 2, retarget=20) → Iterable[Vec2]

Returns a random 2D path as iterable of Vec2 objects.

Parameters

  • steps – count of vertices to generate

  • max_step_size – max step size

  • max_heading – limit heading angle change per step to ± max_heading/2 in radians

  • retarget – specifies steps before changing global walking target

ezdxf.render.random_3d_path(steps=100, max_step_size=1, max_heading=pi / 2, max_pitch=pi / 8, retarget=20) → Iterable[Vector]

Returns a random 3D path as iterable of Vector objects.

Parameters

  • steps – count of vertices to generate

  • max_step_size – max step size

  • max_heading – limit heading angle change per step to ± max_heading/2, rotation about the z-axis in radians

  • max_pitch – limit pitch angle change per step to ± max_pitch/2, rotation about the x-axis in radians

  • retarget – specifies steps before changing global walking target