CGAL 4.10 released

Changelog

Installation

• The minimum required version of CMake is now 3.1. All CMake versions up to 3.7 are supported.
• The compilation of some demo may require a C++11 compiler. The CGAL library itself still support C++03 compilers.
• The shell script cgal_create_cmake_script now enables C++14 by default.
• A new mechanism to check which packages of CGAL are used have been added. It is particularly interesting for commercial users to ensure they have a valid commercial license for the packages they used. This can also be used to make sure only LGPL header files are used.
• Because of a bug in the g++ compiler about the C++11 keyword thread_local, the CGAL_Core library now always requires Boost.Thread if the g++ compiler is used.

Generalized Maps (new package)

• This package implements Generalized Maps in d dimensions. A generalized map is a data structure enabling to represent an orientable or non orientable subdivided object by describing all the cells of the subdivision (for example in 3D vertices, edges, faces, volumes) and all the incidence and adjacency relationships between these cells. This data structure is the generalization of the combinatorial maps in order to be able to represent non orientable objects.

3D Point Set (new package)

• This package provides a flexible data structure CGAL::Point_set_3 that allows the user to easily handle point sets with an arbitrary number of attributes (such as normal vectors, colors, labeling, etc.).

Combinatorial Maps and Linear cell complex

• Breaking change: the requirements of the item class used to customize a combinatorial map and a linear cell complex changed. Instead of defining the type of darts used, you have to define the information you want to add in each dart. You can define the CGAL_CMAP_DART_DEPRECATED macro to keep the old behavior.

Triangulated Surface Mesh Shortest Paths

• Breaking change: Rename all functions, types, and enums using barycentric coordinate to barycentric coordinates.

CGAL and the Boost Graph Library (BGL)

• Breaking change: Addition of a free function reserve() in the concept MutableFaceGraph. Models provided by CGAL have been updated.

2D and 3D Linear Geometry Kernel

• Breaking change: The function compare_slopes() was renamed compare_slope.
• Added a 2D and 3D weighted point class and predicates and constructions.
• Added functions l_infinity_distance() for 2D and 3D.
• Added a new functor in CGAL Kernel concept to compare the slope of two 3D segments. All models of the Kernel concept now provide the functor Compare_slope_3, and the free function compare_slope() is available.
• Added an operator in CGAL Kernel concept Angle_3 to qualify the angle between the normal of the triangle given by three points, and a vector.

3D Convex Hull

• The convex hull function can also produce a Surface_mesh, and generally speaking any model of the concept MutableFaceGraph
• The function convex_hull_3_to_polyhedron_3() is deprecated and convex_hull_3_to_face_graph.h should be used instead.
• The class Convex_hull_traits_3 now documents a nested type Polygon_mesh instead of Polyhedron_3. The other nested type is kept for backward compatibility.
• Removed the function CGAL::convex_hull_incremental_3() deprecated since CGAL 4.6.

3D Boolean Operations on Nef Polyhedra

• Added a new constructor from a face graph model

Linear cell complex

• Deprecated class Linear_cell_complex which is now renamed Linear_cell_complex_for_combinatorial_map_dart.

2D Triangulation data structure

• Added function insert_in_hole.

2D Triangulations

• Breaking change: Removed the arbitrary dimensional weighted point class. Users must use a version prior to 4.9 if they need this class.
• Breaking change:The number type of weighted points in regular triangulations is no longer a template parameter but the field type of the geometric traits class. Users who need this feature must use a version prior to 4.9
• The class Regular_triangulation_filtered_traits_2 deprecated since CGAL 3.6 has been removed.
• Deprecated the class Regular_triangulation_euclidean_traits_2, as the weighted point and the function objects for weighted points are part of the concept Kernel/
• The class Regular_triangulation_2 can take a kernel as template argument, that is one no longer has to use Regular_triangulation_euclidea_traits_2, although this still works.

3D Triangulations

• Breaking change: The number type of weighted points in regular triangulations is no longer a template parameter but the field type of the geometric traits class. Users who need this feature must use a version prior to 4.9.
• The class Regular_triangulation_filtered_traits_3 deprecated since CGAL 3.6 has been removed.
• Deprecated the class Regular_triangulation_euclidean_traits_3, as the weighted point and the function objects for weighted points are part of the concept Kernel/
• The class Regular_triangulation_3 can take a kernel as template argument, that is one no longer has to use Regular_triangulation_euclidean_traits_3, although this still works.
• Added function link_to_face_graph() to copy the set of faces incident to a vertex into a model of FaceGraph.

3D Mesh Generation

• The constructor CGAL::Polyhedral_mesh_domain_with_features_3(std::string) is deprecated.

Polygon Mesh Processing

• Added fast and robust corefinement and Boolean operation functions for triangulated surface meshes:
  • CGAL::Polygon_mesh_processing::corefine_and_compute_union()
  • CGAL::Polygon_mesh_processing::corefine_and_compute_difference()
  • CGAL::Polygon_mesh_processing::corefine_and_compute_intersection()
  • CGAL::Polygon_mesh_processing::corefine()
  • CGAL::Polygon_mesh_processing::does_bound_a_volume()
  • CGAL::Polygon_mesh_processing::surface_intersection()
• Added functions to compute approximated Hausdorff distances between two meshes, a mesh and a point set, or a point set and a mesh: sample_triangle_mesh(), approximated_Hausdorff_distance(), approximated_symmetric_Hausdorff_distance(), max_distance_to_triangle_mesh(), max_distance_to_point_set().
• The function CGAL::Polygon_mesh_processing::bbox_3() has been renamed CGAL::Polygon_mesh_processing::bbox().

Point Set Processing

• Function CGAL::remove_outliers() has an additional parameter based on a distance threshold to make it easier and more intuitive to use.
• New functions for automatic scale estimations: either a global scale or multiple local scales can be estimated for both 2D and 3D point sets based on the assumption that they sample a curve in 2D or a surface in 3D.

CGAL and the Boost Graph Library (BGL)

• Added function CGAL::convert_nef_polyhedron_to_polygon_mesh() to convert a Nef_polyhedron_3 to any model of the MutableFaceGraph concept.
• Added class CGAL::Graph_with_descriptor_with_graph that wraps an existing graph and provides a reference to the said graph to all of its descriptors.

Cone Based Spanners

• Added a parameter to compute half Tao graph and half Theta graph.
• Added an ipelet for this package.

Geometric Object Generators

• Added the following point random generators:
  • in a 3D triangle mesh model of the concept FaceListGraph (CGAL::Random_points_in_triangle_mesh_3),
  • on the boundary of a tetrahedral mesh (CGAL::Random_points_in_tetrahedral_mesh_boundary_3),
  • in a tetrahedral mesh (CGAL::Random_points_in_tetrahedral_mesh_3),
  • in a 2D triangle mesh (CGAL::Random_points_in_triangle_mesh_2),
  • in a range of 2D or 3D triangles (CGAL::Random_points_in_triangles_3 and CGAL::Random_points_in_triangles_2).
  • on a 3D segment (CGAL::Random_points_on_segment_3).