Since 1979, the U.S. Army Research Laboratory has been developing and distributing the BRL-CAD constructive solid geometry (CSG) modeling package for a wide range of military and industrial applications. The package includes a large collection of tools and utilities including an interactive geometry editor, ray tracing and generic frame buffer libraries, a network-distributed image processing and signal-processing capability, and an embedded scripting language. As part of this effort, a multivolume tutorial series is being developed to assist users in the many features of the BRL-CAD package. The Overview and Installation guide, which is the first volume in the series, addresses the background, purpose, and strengths of the package; the libraries and utilities included within it; platform-specific installation instructions; and information about bugs and updates. Other volumes focus on advanced features, individual utilities, and programming.

Since 1979, tbe U.S. Army Research Laboratory has been developing and distributing the BRL-CAD constructive solid geometry (CSG) modeling package for a wide range of military and industrial applications. The package includes a large collection of tools and utilities, including an interactive geometry editor, raytracing and generic framebuffer libraries, network-distributed image-processing and signal-processing capabilities, and an embedded scripting language. As part of this effort, a multivolume tutorial series is being developed to assist users in the many features of fl%the BRL-CAD package. Principles of Effective Modeling," which is the third volume in the series, addresses the modeling process and suggests principles and techniques for maximizing BRL-CAD's capabilities. Other volumes focus on package installation and specific features and utilities within the software package.

Since 1979, the U.S. Army Research Laboratory has been developing and distributing the BRL-CAD constructive solid geometry (CSG) modeling package for a wide range of military and industrial applications. The package includes a large collection of tools and utilities, including an interactive three-dimensional geometry editor, raytracing and generic framebuffer libraries, network-distributed image-processing and signal-processing capabilities, and an embedded scripting language. As part of this effort, a multivolume tutorial series is being developed to assist users in the many features of the BRL-CAD package. Converting Geometry Between BRL-CAD and Other Formats, which is the fourth volume in the series, discusses pertinent characteristics of the BRL-CAD file format and provides specific instruction on converting to/from various other modeling file formats. Also discussed are the steps involved in creating a new BRL-CAD converter and postconversion issues.