render_view
Render build123d models in 3D or 2D, auto-detecting shape type. Supports PNG, SVG, DXF outputs with adjustable camera angles, object coloring, and clipping for visual inspection.
Instructions
Render model. Auto-detects 3D vs 2D: solids use the VTK tessellation path; 2D shapes (Sketches, edge Compounds, dimensioned drawings) use the ezdxf+matplotlib raster path — review dimensioned drawings the same way as 3D parts. Renders confirm appearance, not geometry — verify booleans with measure() first. format: 'png' (raster, default), 'svg' (HLR line drawing, works without a display), 'dxf' (HLR projection as parseable polylines for downstream 2D CAD), or 'both' (PNG + SVG together). If the PNG path fails (headless host), falls back to SVG automatically. direction: top, front, side, iso. azimuth/elevation: camera rotation in degrees applied after the direction preset. objects: comma-separated names or name:color pairs e.g. 'u_frame:blue,roller:red' (default: all, auto-coloured). quality: standard, high. clip_plane: x, y, z to slice; clip_at: absolute world coordinate along that axis (default: each mesh's midpoint). save_to: optional file path; for format='both' writes .png and .svg. mode: 'auto' (default; no solids + flat in Z = 2D), or '2d'/'3d' to force a pipeline when auto-detection picks wrong (e.g. a Compound mixing a Sketch and a solid routes to 3D); the path used is reported as 'Rendered via pipeline.' colors: optional dict mapping object names and special layer keys (_dims, _labels) to colour names or '#aabbcc'; overrides name:color syntax and the default dimension colour (2D PNG/SVG only; ignored for 3D and DXF). label_objects: when true, each named object is labelled at its centroid in the PNG. highlights: optional list of entities to label, e.g. [{"object": "bracket", "type": "edge", "index": 5, "label": "hinge_edge"}]; type is 'face', 'edge', or 'vertex', index matches shape.faces()/edges()/vertices(); the object must be registered with show() and in the rendered set. Labels are PNG-only.
Input Schema
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| mode | No | auto | |
| colors | No | ||
| format | No | png | |
| azimuth | No | ||
| clip_at | No | ||
| objects | No | ||
| quality | No | standard | |
| save_to | No | ||
| direction | No | iso | |
| elevation | No | ||
| clip_plane | No | ||
| highlights | No | ||
| label_objects | No |