Provided by: libmath-clipper-perl_1.23-1build2_amd64 
NAME
Math::Clipper - Polygon clipping in 2D
SYNOPSIS
use Math::Clipper ':all';
my $clipper = Math::Clipper->new;
$clipper->add_subject_polygon( [ [-100, 100], [ 0, -200], [100, 100] ] );
$clipper->add_clip_polygon( [ [-100, -100], [100, -100], [ 0, 200] ] );
my $result = $clipper->execute(CT_DIFFERENCE);
# $result is now a reference to an array of three triangles
$clipper->clear();
# all data from previous operation cleared
# object ready for reuse
# Example with floating point coordinates:
# Clipper requires integer input.
# These polygons won't work.
my $poly_1 = [
[-0.001, 0.001],
[0, -0.002],
[0.001, 0.001]
];
my $poly_2 = [
[-0.001, -0.001],
[0.001, -0.001],
[0, 0.002]
];
# But we can have them automatically scaled up (in place) to a safe integer range
my $scale = integerize_coordinate_sets( $poly_1 , $poly_2 );
$clipper->add_subject_polygon( $poly_1 );
$clipper->add_clip_polygon( $poly_2 );
my $result = $clipper->execute(CT_DIFFERENCE);
# to convert the results (in place) back to the original scale:
unscale_coordinate_sets( $scale, $result );
# Example using 32 bit integer math instead of the default 53 or 64
# (less precision, a bit faster)
my $clipper32 = Math::Clipper->new;
my $scale32 = integerize_coordinate_sets( { bits=>32 } , $poly_1 , $poly_2 );
$clipper32->add_subject_polygon( $poly_1 );
$clipper32->add_clip_polygon( $poly_2 );
my $result32 = $clipper->execute(CT_DIFFERENCE);
unscale_coordinate_sets( $scale32, $result32 );
DESCRIPTION
"Clipper" is a C++ (and Delphi) library that implements polygon clipping.
Exports
The module optionally exports a few constants to your namespace. Standard Exporter
semantics apply (including the ":all" tag).
The list of exportable constants is comprised of the clip operation types (which should be
self-explanatory):
CT_INTERSECTION
CT_UNION
CT_DIFFERENCE
CT_XOR
Additionally, there are constants that set the polygon fill type during the clipping
operation:
PFT_EVENODD
PFT_NONZERO
PFT_POSITIVE
PFT_NEGATIVE
CONVENTIONS
INTEGERS: Clipper 4.x works with polygons with integer coordinates. Data in floating
point format will need to be scaled appropriately to be converted to the available integer
range before polygons are added to a clipper object. (Scaling utilities are provided
here.)
A Polygon is represented by a reference to an array of 2D points. A Point is, in turn,
represented by a reference to an array containing two numbers: The X and Y coordinates. A
1x1 square polygon example:
[ [0, 0],
[1, 0],
[1, 1],
[0, 1] ]
Sets of polygons, as returned by the "execute" method, are represented by an array
reference containing 0 or more polygons.
Clipper also has a polygon type that explicitly associates an outer polygon with any
additional polygons that describe "holes" in the filled region of the outer polygon. This
is called an ExPolygon. The data structure for an ExPolygon is as follows,:
{ outer => [ <polygon> ],
holes => [
[ <polygon> ],
[ <polygon> ],
...
]
}
Clipper additionally offers an export type named PolyTree which represents several nested
polygons by assigning each one to its parent. The PolyTree structure is an arrayref
looking like this one:
[
{ outer => [ ..points.. ], children => [] },
{
outer => [ ..points.. ],
children => [
{ hole => [ ..points.. ], children => [] },
{ hole => [ ..points.. ], children => [] },
],
}
]
Each item is a hashref which may contain either the contour or the hole key, containing
the polygon points. It also contains a children key containing an arrayref of hashrefs
itself, and so on. The Clipper documentation reports that it's more computationally
expensive to process (roughly 5-10% slower), it should only be used when parent-child
polygon relationships are needed and not just polygon coordinates.
The "fill type" of a polygon refers to the strategy used to determine which side of a
polygon is the inside, and whether a polygon represents a filled region, or a hole. You
may optionally specify the fill type of your subject and clip polygons when you call the
"execute" method.
When you specify the NONZERO fill type, the winding order of polygon points determines
whether a polygon is filled, or represents a hole. Clipper uses the convention that
counter clockwise wound polygons are filled, while clockwise wound polygons represent
holes. This strategy is more explicit, but requires that you manage winding order of all
polygons.
The EVENODD fill type strategy uses a test segment, with it's start point inside a
polygon, and it's end point out beyond the bounding box of all polygons in question. All
intersections between the segment and all polygons are calculated. If the intersection
count is odd, the inner-most (if nested) polygon containing the segment's start point is
considered to be filled. When the intersection count is even, that polygon is considered
to be a hole.
For an example case in which NONZERO and EVENODD produce different results see "NONZERO
vs. EVENODD" section below.
METHODS
new
Constructor that takes no arguments returns a new "Math::Clipper" object.
add_subject_polygon
Adds a(nother) polygon to the set of polygons that will be clipped.
add_clip_polygon
Adds a(nother) polygon to the set of polygons that define the clipping operation.
add_subject_polygons
Works the same as "add_subject_polygon" but adds a whole set of polygons.
add_clip_polygons
Works the same as "add_clip_polygon" but adds a whole set of polygons.
execute
Performs the actual clipping operation. Returns the result as a reference to an array of
polygons.
my $result = $clipper->execute( CT_UNION );
Parameters: the type of the clipping operation defined by one of the constants ("CT_*").
Additionally, you may define the polygon fill types ("PFT_*") of the subject and clipping
polygons as second and third parameters respectively. By default, even-odd filling
("PFT_EVENODD") will be used.
my $result = $clipper->execute( CT_UNION, PFT_EVENODD, PFT_EVENODD );
ex_execute
Like "execute", performs the actual clipping operation, but returns a reference to an
array of ExPolygons. (see "CONVENTIONS")
pt_execute
Like "execute", performs the actual clipping operation, but returns a PolyTree structure.
(see "CONVENTIONS")
clear
For reuse of a "Math::Clipper" object, you can call the "clear" method to remove all
polygons and internal data from previous clipping operations.
UTILITY FUNCTIONS
integerize_coordinate_sets
Takes an array of polygons and scales all point coordinates so that the values will fit in
the integer range available. Returns an array reference containing the scaling factors
used for each coordinate column. The polygon data will be scaled in-place. The scaling
vector is returned so you can "unscale" the data when you're done, using
"unscale_coordinate_sets".
my $scale_vector = integerize_coordinate_sets( $poly1 , $poly2 , $poly3 );
The main purpose of this function is to convert floating point coordinate data to
integers. As of Clipper version 4, only integer coordinate data is allowed. This helps
make the intersection algorithm robust, but it's a bit inconvenient if your data is in
floating point format.
This utility function is meant to make it easy to convert your data to Clipper-friendly
integers, while retaining as much precision as possible. When you're done with your
clipping operations, you can use the "unscale_coordinate_sets" function to scale results
back to your original scale.
Convert all your polygons at once, with one call to "integerize_coordinate_sets", before
loading the polygons into your clipper object. The scaling factors need to be calculated
so that all polygons involved fit in the available integer space.
By default, the scaling is uniform between coordinate columns (e.g., the X values are
scaled by the same factor as the Y values) making all the scaling factors returned the
same. In other words, by default, the aspect ratio between X and Y is constrained.
Options may be passed in an anonymous hash, as the first argument, to override defaults.
If the first argument is not a hash reference, it is taken instead as the first polygon to
be scaled.
my $scale_vector = integerize_coordinate_sets( {
constrain => 0, # don't do uniform scaling
bits => 32 # use the +/-1,073,741,822 integer range
},
$poly1 , $poly2 , $poly3
);
The "bits" option can be 32, 53, or 64. The default will be 53 or 64, depending on whether
your Perl uses 64 bit integers AND long doubles by default. (The scaling involves math
with native doubles, so it's not enough to just have 64 bit integers.)
Setting the "bits" option to 32 may provide a modest speed boost, by allowing Clipper to
avoid calculations with large integer types.
The "constrain" option is a boolean. Default is true. When set to false, each column of
coordinates (X, Y) will be scaled independently. This may be useful when the domain of the
X values is very much larger or smaller than the domain of the Y values, to get better
resolution for the smaller domain. The different scaling factors will be available in the
returned scaling vector (array reference).
This utility will also operate on coordinates with three or more dimensions. Though the
context here is 2D, be aware of this if you happen to feed it 3D data. Large domains in
the higher dimensions could squeeze the 2D data to nothing if scaling is uniform.
unscale_coordinate_sets
This undoes the scaling done by "integerize_coordinate_sets". Use this on the polygons
returned by the "execute" method. Pass the scaling vector returned by
"integerize_coordinate_sets", and the polygons to "unscale". The polygon coordinates will
be updated in place.
unscale_coordinate_sets($scale,$clipper_result);
offset
my $offset_polygons = offset($polygons, $distance);
my $offset_polygons = offset($polygons, $distance, $scale, $jointype, $miterlimit);
Takes a reference to an array of polygons ($polygons), a positive or negative offset
dimension ($distance), and, optionally, a scaling factor ($scale), a join type ($jointype)
and a numeric angle limit for the "JT_MITER" join type.
The polygons will use the NONZERO fill strategy, so filled areas and holes can be
specified by polygon winding order.
A positive offset dimension makes filled polygons grow outward, and their holes shrink. A
negative offset makes polygons shrink and their holes grow.
Coordinates will be multiplied by the scaling factor before the offset operation and the
results divided by the scaling factor. The default scaling factor is 100. Setting the
scaling factor higher will result in more points and smoother contours in the offset
results.
Returns a new set of polygons, offset by the given dimension.
my $offset_polygons = offset($polygons, 5.5); # offset by 5.5
or
my $offset_polygons = offset($polygons, 5.5, 1000); # smoother results, proliferation of points
WARNING: As you increase the scaling factor, the number of points grows quickly, and will
happily consume all of your RAM. Large offset dimensions also contribute to a
proliferation of points.
Floating point data in the input is acceptable - in that case, the scaling factor also
determines how many decimal digits you'll get in the results. It is not necessary, and
generally not desirable to use "integerize_coordinate_sets" to prepare data for this
function.
When doing negative offsets, you may find the winding order of the results to be the
opposite of what you expect, although this seems to be fixed in recent Clipper versions.
Check the order and change it if it is important in your application.
Join type can be one of "JT_MITER", "JT_ROUND" or "JT_SQUARE".
int_offset
my $offset_polygons = int_offset($polygons, $distance, $scale, $jointype, $miterlimit);
This function is a faster replacement for offset() when input coordinates are integers.
If floats are supplied to it, their decimal digits will be truncated so the offset might
work on invalid geometry (truncation can lead to self-intersecting polygons). Be sure to
only use this one if your input polygons only have integer coordinates.
int_offset2
my $offset_polygons = int_offset($polygons, $distance1, $distance2, $scale, $jointype, $miterlimit);
This function works like int_offset() but it does two consecutive offsets with the given
distances. The purpose of the *offset2 functions is to avoid overhead when two consecutive
offsets are needed (scaling/unscaling only happens once, and no conversion to Perl
variables happens in between).
ex_int_offset
my $offset_expolygons = ex_int_offset($polygons, $distance, $scale, $jointype, $miterlimit);
This function works like int_offset() but it does a UNION operation on the resulting
polygons and returns an arrayref of ExPolygons.
ex_int_offset2
my $offset_expolygons = ex_int_offset2($polygons, $distance1, $distance2, $scale, $jointype, $miterlimit);
This function works like ex_int_offset() but it does two consecutive offsets with the
given distances before performing the UNION operation.
area
Returns the signed area of a single polygon. A counter clockwise wound polygon area will
be positive. A clockwise wound polygon area will be negative. Coordinate data should be
integers.
$area = area($polygon);
orientation
Determine the winding order of a polygon. It returns a true value if the polygon is
counter-clockwise and you're assuming a display where the Y-axis coordinates are positive
upward, or if the polygon is clockwise and you're assuming a positive-downward Y-axis.
Coordinate data should be integers. The majority of 2D graphic display libraries have
their origin (0,0) at the top left corner, thus Y increases downward; however some
libraries (Quartz, OpenGL) as well as non-display applications (CNC) assume Y increases
upward.
my $poly = [ [0, 0] , [2, 0] , [1, 1] ]; # a counter clockwise wound polygon (assuming Y upward)
my $direction = orientation($poly);
# now $direction == 1
This function was previously named "is_counter_clockwise()". This symbol is still exported
for backwards compatibility; however you're encouraged to switch it to "orientation()" as
the underlying Clipper library switched to it too to clarify the Y axis convention issue.
simplify_polygon =head2 simplify_polygons
These functions convert self-intersecting polygons (known as complex polygons) to simple
polygons. "simplify_polygon()" takes a single polygon as first argument, while
"simplify_polygons()" takes multiple polygons in a single arrayref. The second argument
must be a polyfilltype constant (PFT_*, see above). Both return an arrayref of polygons.
MAXIMUM COORDINATE VALUES AND 64 BIT SUPPORT
Clipper accepts 64 bit integer input, but limits the domain of input coordinate values to
+/-4,611,686,018,427,387,902, to allow enough overhead for certain calculations.
Coordinate values up to these limits are possible with Perls built to support 64 bit
integers.
A typical Perl that supports 32 bit integers can alternatively store 53 bit integers as
floating point numbers. In this case, the coordinate domain is limited to
+/-9,007,199,254,740,992.
When optionally constraining coordinate values to 32 bit integers, the domain is
+/-1,073,741,822.
The "integerize_coordinate_sets" utility function automatically respects whichever limit
applies to your Perl build.
NONZERO vs. EVENODD
Consider the following example:
my $p1 = [ [0,0], [200000,0], [200000,200000] ]; # CCW
my $p2 = [ [0,200000], [0,0], [200000,200000] ]; # CCW
my $p3 = [ [0,0], [200000,0], [200000,200000], [0,200000] ]; # CCW
my $clipper = Math::Clipper->new;
$clipper->add_subject_polygon($p1);
$clipper->add_clip_polygons([$p2, $p3]);
my $result = $clipper->execute(CT_UNION, PFT_EVENODD, PFT_EVENODD);
$p3 is a square, and $p1 and $p2 are triangles covering two halves of the $p3 area. The
"CT_UNION" operation will produce different results, depending on whether "PFT_EVENODD" or
"PFT_NONZERO" is used. These are the two different strategies used by Clipper to identify
filled vs. empty regions.
Let's see the thing in detail: $p2 and $p3 are the clip polygons. $p2 overlaps half of
$p3. With the "PFT_EVENODD" fill strategy, the number of polygons that overlap in a given
area determines whether that area is a hole or a filled region. If an odd number of
polygons overlap there, it's a filled region. If an even number, it's a hole/empty region.
So with "PFT_EVENODD", winding order doesn't matter. What matters is where areas overlap.
So, using "PFT_EVENODD", and considering $p2 and $p3 as the set of clipping polygons, the
fact that $p2 overlaps half of $p3 means that the region where they overlap is empty. In
effect, in this example, the set of clipping polygons ends up defining the same shape as
the subject polygon $p1. So the union is just the union of two identical polygons, and the
result is a triangle equivalent to $p1.
If, instead, the "PFT_NONZERO" strategy is specified, the set of clipping polygons is
understood as two filled polygons, because of the winding order. The area where they
overlap is considered filled, because there is at least one filled polygon in that area.
The set of clipping polygons in this case is equivalent to the square $p3, and the result
of the "CT_UNION" operation is also equivalent to the square $p3.
This is a good example of how "PFT_NONZERO" is more explicit, and perhaps more intuitive.
SEE ALSO
The SourceForge project page of Clipper:
<http://sourceforge.net/projects/polyclipping/>
VERSION
This module was built around, and includes, Clipper version 5.1.5.
AUTHOR
The Perl module was written by:
Steffen Mueller (<smueller@cpan.org>), Mike Sheldrake and Alessandro Ranellucci
(aar/alexrj)
But the underlying library "Clipper" was written by Angus Johnson. Check the SourceForge
project page for contact information.
COPYRIGHT AND LICENSE
The "Math::Clipper" module is
Copyright (C) 2010, 2011, 2014 by Steffen Mueller
Copyright (C) 2011 by Mike Sheldrake
Copyright (C) 2012, 2013 by Alessandro Ranellucci and Mike Sheldrake
but we are shipping a copy of the "Clipper" C++ library, which is
Copyright (C) 2010, 2011, 2012 by Angus Johnson.
"Math::Clipper" is available under the same license as "Clipper" itself. This is the
"boost" license:
Boost Software License - Version 1.0 - August 17th, 2003
http://www.boost.org/LICENSE_1_0.txt
Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person or organization
obtaining a copy of the software and accompanying documentation covered by
this license (the "Software") to use, reproduce, display, distribute,
execute, and transmit the Software, and to prepare derivative works of the
Software, and to permit third-parties to whom the Software is furnished to
do so, all subject to the following:
The copyright notices in the Software and this entire statement, including
the above license grant, this restriction and the following disclaimer,
must be included in all copies of the Software, in whole or in part, and
all derivative works of the Software, unless such copies or derivative
works are solely in the form of machine-executable object code generated by
a source language processor.
THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
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SHALL THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS OR ANYONE DISTRIBUTING THE SOFTWARE BE LIABLE
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