The GNU 3DLDF Really Old News Page

Author: Laurence D. Finston

This copyright notice applies to the text and source code of this web site, and the graphics that appear on it. The software described in this text has its own copyright notice and license, which can be found in the distribution itself.

Permission is granted to copy, distribute, and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.3 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, with no Front-Cover Texts, and with no Back-Cover Texts. A copy of this license is included in the file COPYING.TXT

Last updated: February 15, 2026.

Added a webpage for needlework. It's currently under construction.

2023年08月14日.
Started working on Sinewaves.

2023年07月11日.
Added a new set of 3DLDF, TeX and PDF files for Alhambra.

2023年04月23日.
I've added a Video webpage.

2023年04月09日.
I've added a Glyphs webpage.

2022年12月15日.
The TUGboat issue 43:3 has been published. It contains two articles by myself: An introduction to GNU 3DLDF and A graphical ellipse envelope construction with GNU 3DLDF, which I am making available here. See also Documentation.

2022年12月14日.
Added PDF files and 3DLDF and TeX code for Chord Chart Templates on the Graph Paper page.

2022年08月17日.
I've written an Introduction to GNU 3DLDF. This article is due to appear in TUGboat, The Communications of the TeX Users Group, Vol. 43, No. 3, toward the end of 2022. However, I'm making it available here in advance. See also Documentation.

2022年03月09日.
I've added a Technical Drawing webpage. It contains the section Tools for Technical Drawing with plans for "center finders" for circles between 10 and 29cm in increments of .25mm.

2022年03月08日.
I now have a personal website.

I also now have an online shop where I plan to offer artwork for sale, e.g., prints and plaster and papier-máchê casts and plaster molds.

A lot of the material on these websites will be related to GNU 3DLDF, TeX, METAFONT, MetaPost, etc., including source files and graphics for which I wish to retain the copyright rather than assigning it the Free Software Foundation, Inc. In addition, I can include more graphics on these websites, whereas the guidelines for GNU Project websites encourage limiting the number of graphics.

2022年03月01日.
Added a section Alhambra on the Architectural Models page of this website.

2021年04月05日
After a long hiatus, the author has begun working on GNU 3DLDF again. The most important task is to update the manual so that it documents the interactive use of the package.

The complete current sources can be obtained from the Git repository for the 3DLDF project on the GNU Project's software development site Savannah.
The git repository can be cloned using the following shell command: git clone git://git.savannah.gnu.org/3dldf.git

2013年12月13日
GNU 3DLDF 2.0.3 Released.
It can be downloaded from ftp://ftp.gwdg.de/pub/gnu/3dldf/
Alternatively, http://ftpmirror.gnu.org/3dldf/ will automatically redirect to a nearby mirror.

2013年11月08日
GNU 3DLDF 2.0 Released!
It can be downloaded from ftp://ftp.gwdg.de/pub/gnu/3dldf/
Alternatively, http://ftpmirror.gnu.org/3dldf/ will automatically redirect to a nearby mirror.

It is also available from the Git repository for the project at Savannah:
git clone git://git.savannah.gnu.org/3dldf.git

This is the first release since 1.1.5.1 in 2004. It is also the first release including the interactive program `3dldf', which implements a language intended to resemble Donald Knuth's METAFONT language and John Hobby's MetaPost language, which is based on METAFONT.

In previous releases, the GNU 3DLDF package was more like a library of C++ classes and functions which could be used by users to write programs for making drawings. For several years, versions of the package allowing interactive use have been available via Savannah, but 2.0 is the first official release including this feature.

There have been many other changes, too numerous to list here.

This release has been delayed so long, because the change in the way the package is meant to be used (i.e., interactively) means that the manual must be completely rewritten. Unfortunately, it has not been possible for me to do this. However, in order not to delay the release any longer, I have decided to go ahead without a new manual. As a partial substitute, many examples are included in the subdirectory 3DLDF-2.0/examples/.

2012年08月05日., 2012年08月06日.
Updated Sphere Model 2 : Added octagonal caps for the ends and matching pyramids to be attached to the caps. This is meant to solve the problem that it's difficult to attach the spherical biangles as they narrow to a point at the ends.

2012年06月05日.
Started working on plans for Building Elements for paper or cardboard models.

2012年05月11日.
Added a page for music with an example of how polyrhythms can be illustrated: Music.

2011年10月05日.
Added a page for board games with a document containing empty chessboard and go board diagrams: Board Games.

2011年01月28日.
Added a document with plans for a papercut: Star Spiral Pattern 1.

2011年01月05日.
I've added a Geometric Patterns page with a section Papercut Patterns. On the latter, I have posted a document (along with the source code) containing patterns which may be of use for making papercut patterns (or similar kinds of patterns).

2010年12月17日.
Added a third pattern on the Stellation Patterns webpage. I've also put all of the patterns into a single document.

2010年09月24日.
Added collections of model plans on the models webpage. These are PDF files, plain and compressed (gzipped), in DIN A4 and DIN A3 format.

2010年08月27日.
Added an Ellipsoid Models webpage. I'm currently working on plans for a model of an ellipsoid and I've posted the source code and files containing images on this page. However, this is a work-in-progress and the plans are still very incomplete.

2010年08月06日.
Added plans for a third sphere model.

2010年06月10日.
Added a Stellation Patterns webpage.

2010年06月02日.
Added plans for a second version of a sphere model. This version has separate tabs, so the pieces are flush and don't overlap.

2010年05月17日.
Added an Architectural Models webpage with plans for a paper model of the upper part of a clock tower.

2009年10月27日.
Added a Models webpage with plans for a paper model of a facetted cone.

2009年10月20日.
Added a Sphere and Dome Models webpage.

2009年01月22日.
Added plans for a cardboard model of a Great Rhombicosidodecahedron.

2009年01月13日.
Added a Curve-Drawing Machine Simulation webpage. It contains an example of a trochoid pattern.

2009年01月06日.
Added plans for a cardboard model of a Great Stellated Dodecahedron.

2008年08月18日.
Added more examples of interference patterns and a flipbook with a cycloid pattern.

2008年08月10日.
Started working on plans for a knitted dodecahedron model. (Note: Removed 2009年01月23日.)

Added a flipbook with interference patterns.

2007年12月18日.
I've started working on sets of functions and parser rules for complex numbers and matrices. They use data types and functions defined in the GNU Scientific Library. GNU 3DLDF now links to this library if it is available. All code using the GSL is conditionally compiled, so 3DLDF should fail gracefully if the GSL is not available and a user tries to use any features that require it.

2007年12月18日.
I have also added web pages for Complex Numbers and Matrices, but they are both under construction.

2007年11月08日.
Started working on plans for a cardboard dodecahedron model with sundial faces. So far, I've only calculated the dial for a single face. However, there are diagrams illustrating the method. The files can be found on the Polyhedron Models page (Dodecahedra) or on the Sundials page (Dodecahedron Model).

2007年10月31日.
Added pages for Catalan Solids (Archimedean Duals) and Rhombic Triacontahedron. The Catalan Solids (Archimedean Duals) page is under construction. The Rhombic Triacontahedron page has a sample of the net and a page with rhombuses for cutting out watercolor paper. The tabs also have markings for stitching the model together.

The same sample is included on the Polyhedron Models page.

2007年10月26日.
Added links to 3DLDF, MetaPost, TeX, PostScript, PDF files, along with a couple of others, under Current Sample. Also added a link to a compressed (gzipped) archive file containing all of the source files and some generated files comprising the current sample: currsmpl.tgz.

2007年10月23日.
Added an Origami and Paper-Folding page.

2007年10月19日.
Added plans for a dodecahedron model on the Polyhedron Models page.

2007年10月14日.
Added a web page for arcs. It's currently under construction.

2007年09月30日.
Put first sample on the sundials web page. Will be revising it and adding explanatory text soon.

2007年09月29日.
Added a web page for sundials.

2007年09月28日.
Added a web page for polyhedron models. Not much on it yet.

2007年09月19日.
Added a web page for Focuses. It's currently under construction.

2007年08月07日.
Moved the examples of using the Braikenridge-Maclaurin Construction to the Conic Sections webpage. The Braikenridge-Maclaurin Construction is related to Pascal's Theorem. Given five points on a conic section, the Braikenridge-Maclaurin Construction can be used to find an arbitrary number of additional points. I plan to use this for finding the parameters of conic sections where only points are known. This will be useful in finding intersections and solving the problem of apparent edges in perspective projection.

2007年02月06日.
Added a Circles webpage.

2007年02月03日.
2006 was a bad year for GNU 3DLDF project. I was only able to work on it a few times. I hope that 2007 will be better.

2006年11月09日.
Added an image of a double-napped cone with shadow on the Cones webpage. The parser rules and functions needed for making it are new.

2006年11月08日.
It is now possible to set, transform, and draw right circular and elliptical cylinders and cones. I'm still working on the functions and rules for the ‘cylinder’ and ‘cone’ types. I've added web pages for : Cylinders and Cones, but I haven't gotten around to putting any examples in them.

2006年04月09日.
Added an Important Notice.

2006年02月25日.
Added a Wave Forms page.

2006年01月25日.
Added pages for Elliptical Paraboloids, Hyperbolic Paraboloids, One-Sheet Hyperboloids, and Two-Sheet Hyperboloids. They are currently all under construction.

2006年01月23日.
Added a Paraboloids page and a Hyperboloids page. They are currently under construction.

2006年01月20日.
Added code for finding the intersection of a polyhedron and a plane. It is a polygon (except for the degenerate cases).

2006年01月20日.
Added code for finding the intersection points of a polyhedron and a linear path.

2005年12月20日.
Finished the non-default constructor for the Great Rhombicosidodecahedron. Added illustrations of it to the Great Rhombicosidodecahedron page.

2005年12月16日.
Added text, illustrations, and code samples to the Cuboids page.

2005年12月16日.
I've now implemented a way of finding the ellipse that represents the intersection of an ellipsoid and a plane. See the The Intersection Points of an Ellipsoid and a Plane for more information.

2005年12月09日.
Added Polyhedra, Cuboids, Regular Platonic Polyhedra, and Semi-Regular Archimedean Polyhedra pages. They're currently under construction.

2005年12月06日.
Added a Quadric Surfaces page. It's currently under construction.

2005年12月06日.
Added a Prime Numbers page.

2005年11月28日.
Adding a Conic Sections page.

2005年11月27日.
Working on functions for finding the intersection points of a linear path and a hyperbola.

2005年11月21日.
Adding parser rules and functions for parabolæ.

2005年11月15日.
Added a Hyperbolæ page.

2005年11月10日.
Started working on a web page for the 3DLDF language.

2005年11月09日.
Added a Parabolæ page.

2005年10月31日.
The ellipsoid data type now works. See Ellipsoid for more information.

2005年10月25日
The sphere data type now works. See Spheres for more information.

2005年10月25日
I have now removed all of the declarations and rules for x_like expressions, e.g., path_like_variable, path_like_primary, ellipse_like_secondary, etc. These rules tended to cause conflicts, so I've decided to replace them with separate rules for each type. I've also removed the debugging code from the rules that I had to change. This substantially reduces the size of the file parser.c++, generated by GNU Bison from the parser input files. It is not possible to break this file up into parts and compile them separately. The length of time it takes to compile it is a bottleneck in development and installation. I am therefore trying to reduce its size. Removing these unnecessary rules and reducing the amount of debugging code seems to have helped. I also plan to replace a lot of code in the parser actions with function calls.

PLEASE NOTE: Since I've removed the code involving x_like expressions, some things that used to work are temporarily unavailable. I will be replacing the collective rules that I've removed with individual rules for the individual types. It will probably take me awhile before I've replaced all of the ones that were formerly available.

2005年09月28日
Added a Sources section.

2005年09月27日
Added a Graph Paper (Plain and Perspective) page.

2005年09月21日
Added a Converting TeX Text to Images section.