FCS Image Rendering & Display Settings

Extracted from the fcs-HBC-2-tacr production codebase (Outputs/, AnalysisSocket/).

1. Fcs.Presentation.ImageRenderer

The core class for rendering 3D FCS models to images:

imageRenderer := Fcs.Presentation.ImageRenderer{
   Model                    = someGclass,              # the FCS model/gclass to render
   DrawSettingsFile         = "path/to/settings.fcsdrs",  # rendering style JSON
   ProjectionSettingsFile   = "path/to/view.fcsdrv",      # camera/projection JSON
   AutoZoom                 = True,                    # auto-fit to content
   ComputePolygonVisibility = True,                    # z-buffer for 3D solids (optional)
}

Using in a Report Image

image := Fcs.Reporting.Image{
   ImageContent := imageRenderer,
   Title        := "3D Model View",
   HtmlStyle    := "width:100%",     # optional CSS
}

Direct CLI Rendering

fli_image imageRenderer

Path Resolution

Use res.GetFileNamePath("filename.fcsdrs") to resolve a path relative to the current FCS file's directory:

DrawSettingsFile       = res.GetFileNamePath("PrimaryFrame.fcsdrs"),
ProjectionSettingsFile = res.GetFileNamePath("XYPlanePicture.fcsdrv"),

2. .fcsdrs — Draw Settings File

Format: Single-line JSON
Controls: Colors, pen widths, label styles, visibility of model elements

For material appearance that should travel with the model, prefer inline layer materials:

layer {paintedSteel} color LightSteelBlue material {
    SurfaceColor := {R := 0.62, G := 0.68, B := 0.74},
    Roughness := 0.42,
    Metalness := 0.65,
    Side := "Front"
}

Layer materials are exported into scene materialData and work without .fcsdrs. Use .fcsdrs mainly for visibility, camera-independent draw style, labels, meshes, and result-display settings. See 26-MATERIAL-VISUALIZATION.md.

Top-Level JSON Structure

{
  "Environment": {
    "grdBot":  { "knownColor": 164 },
    "grdDraw": true,
    "grdTop":  { "knownColor": 164 },
    "light1":  { "ColorAmbient": {...}, "ColorDiffuse": {...}, "Light": 1,
                 "Position": {"x": -1, "y": -1, "z": 1} },
    "light2":  { ... },
    "lights":  true
  },
  "Palette":   { "font": {"ffam": "Arial Narrow", "size": 8}, "maxV": 1, "minV": 0,
                 "steps": 20, "visible": true },
  "WorkPlane": { "draw_axes": true, "draw_grid": true },
  "assemblyDraw":     false,
  "deformationScale": 10,
  "drawGeometry":     true,
  "draw_boudarycond": true,
  "draw_mesh":        false,

  "geometry_curves":        { "visible": true,  "brushColorBy": 2, "normalPen": {...} },
  "geometry_vertices":      { "visible": false },
  "geometry_solids":        { "visible": true,  "brushColorBy": 2 },
  "geometry_labels":        { "visible": true },
  "geometry_areas":         { "visible": false },
  "geometry_gblocks":       { "visible": true },
  "geometry_distributions": { "visible": true },

  "mech_beams":    { "visible": false, "displaySurface": true, "displaySystemLine": false, "result": 44 },
  "mech_load":     { "visible": true,  "sizeScale": 1, "loadScale": 1 },
  "mech_supp":     { "visible": true,  "MarkSize": 0.1 },
  "mech_sections": { "visible": true },
  "mech_planes":   { "visible": true },
  "mech_plates":   { "visible": true },

  "result_field": { "visible": true }
}

Key Visibility Flags

Coloring Modes (brushColorBy)

Common Named Settings Files (HBC-2)

3. .fcsdrv — Projection / View Settings File

Format: Single-line JSON
Controls: Camera position, projection type, zoom, image size

JSON Structure

{
  "anizotropicZoom":   false,
  "applySceneCutting": false,
  "aspectRatio":       1,
  "autoFit":           true,
  "cutPlaneFar":       1000,
  "cutPlaneNear":      0.1,
  "focusDistance":     1,
  "imageDpi":          72,
  "isPerspective":     false,

  "layersVisibility": {
    "implicitVisibility": true,
    "list": []
  },

  "mOrigin":    { "x": 5.17,  "y": 7.45,  "z": 3.76 },
  "mShiftView": { "x": -206.15, "y": 6.21 },
  "mViewAhead": { "x": -0.526, "y": 0.677,  "z": -0.515 },
  "mViewRight": { "x":  0.790, "y": 0.613,  "z": 0 },
  "mViewUp":    { "x": -0.316, "y": 0.407,  "z": 0.857 },
  "mZoomX": 31.9,
  "mZoomY": 31.9,

  "perfMaxTesselPoints": 70,
  "perspectiveAngle":    10,

  "sceneCutShape": {
    "bbox": { "Coords": [{"Max": 1, "Min": -1}, {"Max": 10, "Min": -10}, {"Max": 10, "Min": -10}] },
    "lcs":  { "origin": {"x": 0, "y": 0, "z": 0}, "axes": {"X": {"x": 1, "y": 0, "z": 0}} }
  },

  "sizeAutoToScreen": true,
  "textDpi":          72,
  "visibilityStyle":  0,
  "xSize":            2000,
  "ySize":            1302
}

Key Fields

Common Named View Files (HBC-2)

4. Quick Reference

# Define a renderer
renderer := Fcs.Presentation.ImageRenderer{
   Model                    = myModel,
   DrawSettingsFile         = res.GetFileNamePath("DrawSettings.fcsdrs"),
   ProjectionSettingsFile   = res.GetFileNamePath("ReportModels.fcsdrv"),
   AutoZoom                 = True,
}

# Wrap in a report image
img := Fcs.Reporting.Image{
   ImageContent := renderer,
   Title        := "Figure 1 – Overview",
   HtmlStyle    := "width:80%",
}

# CLI render to file
fli_image renderer