3-D Primitive Shapes

The shape builtins are Ling’s “Inkscape for 3-D” — a library of parametric solids (boxes, spheres, dice, cogs, gyros…) that render as lit filled triangles, wireframe, or both. Every shape shares one uniform call signature, so once you know one you know them all.

name(cx,cy,cz,  sx,sy,sz,  rx,ry,rz,  mode,  e0, e1, e2)

The current pen colour (set_color / สีดินสอ / 设色 …) drives both the fill lighting (cel-shaded against the active lights) and the wireframe colour. Shapes are depth-sorted with the rest of the scene and flushed on present().

Camera note: like all 3-D draws, shapes are projected through the camera set with set_camera(...). Keep the camera at the origin and place shapes in front at positive Z (the same convention the room demos use).

Quick start

bind start = do {
    open_fullscreen("shapes")
    set_ambient(0.25)
    add_light(4, 4, 8, 4.0, 255, 240, 220)

    bind FR = 0
    while window_is_open() {
        fill(4, 5, 12)
        set_camera(1, 0, 1, 0)
        bind a = FR * 0.02

        set_color(230, 120, 90)
        cube(-2, 0, 9,  0.8,0.8,0.8,  a, a*0.7, 0,  0)        # filled cube

        set_color(120, 200, 255)
        icosahedron(0, 0, 9,  0.9,0.9,0.9,  a, a, 0,  2)      # d20, fill+wire

        set_color(190, 190, 200)
        gear(2, 0, 9,  0.8,0.3,0.8,  1.57, a*2, 0,  0,  14, 0.3)  # spinning cog

        present()
        bind FR = FR + 1
    }
}

Draw modes

Rendering & lighting modes (holographic cel)

Shape fills use an anime / holographic cel model by default: surfaces are lit with smooth (averaged) vertex normals, the lit colour is interpolated across each triangle, then posterised per pixel into crisp luminance bands. The result is smooth shading with no faceted triangle edges, but clean toon bands that curve over the surface — plus coloured lights, coloured shadows, and a Fresnel rim glow.

set_shade_mode(2)            # holographic cel (default)
set_cel_bands(4)             # 4 bands
set_shadow_color(28,36,90)   # cool indigo shadows
set_rim(0.7, 120,220,255)    # cyan holographic edge

• Mode 0 (flat): legacy per-face cel — every triangle one flat band (faceted).
• Mode 1 (cel): smooth bands, no rim/sheen — clean toon.
• Mode 2 (holo): smooth bands + Fresnel rim + a subtle normal-gradient sheen.

Lighting comes from add_light(x,y,z, intensity, r,g,b) (each light contributes its own colour) and set_ambient(level). The lighting math lives in the ling-graphics crate (ling_graphics::shading).

Round & swept solids

cube · box — 立方体 · 方块 · 정육면체 · ลูกบาศก์ (box: 方块/箱/상자/กล่อง)

Axis-aligned box. Non-uniform sx,sy,sz make any rectangular block.

cube(cx,cy,cz, sx,sy,sz, rx,ry,rz, mode)

sphere — 球体 · 球 · 구 · ทรงกลม

UV sphere. Scale axes independently for an ellipsoid.

sphere(cx,cy,cz, sx,sy,sz, rx,ry,rz, mode,  segments=16, rings=12)

icosphere — 二十面球 · アイコ球 · 아이코구체 · ทรงกลมเหลี่ยม

Geodesic sphere from a subdivided icosahedron (more even than a UV sphere).

icosphere(cx,cy,cz, sx,sy,sz, rx,ry,rz, mode,  subdivisions=1)   # 0..4

dome — 穹顶 · ドーム · 돔 · โดม

Hemisphere with a closing base — useful for cupolas and skies.

dome(cx,cy,cz, sx,sy,sz, rx,ry,rz, mode,  segments=24, rings=8)

cylinder — 圆柱 · 円柱 · 원기둥 · ทรงกระบอก

Capped tube (height runs along local Y, scaled by sy).

cylinder(cx,cy,cz, sx,sy,sz, rx,ry,rz, mode,  segments=24)

cone — 圆锥 · 円錐 · 원뿔 · กรวย

Capped cone, apex at +Y.

cone(cx,cy,cz, sx,sy,sz, rx,ry,rz, mode,  segments=24)

capsule — 胶囊 · カプセル · 캡슐 · แคปซูล

Cylinder with hemispherical caps (a “pill”).

capsule(cx,cy,cz, sx,sy,sz, rx,ry,rz, mode,  segments=16, rings=6)

torus · ring — 圆环 · トーラス · 토러스 · ทอรัส

Donut. tube is the tube radius as a fraction of the outer radius.

torus(cx,cy,cz, sx,sy,sz, rx,ry,rz, mode,  segments=32, sides=12, tube=0.35)

Prisms & pyramids

pyramid — 金字塔 · ピラミッド · 피라미드 · พีระมิด

N-sided pyramid. sides=4 is the classic square pyramid.

pyramid(cx,cy,cz, sx,sy,sz, rx,ry,rz, mode,  sides=4)

prism — 棱柱 · 角柱 · 각기둥 · ปริซึม

N-sided prism (extruded polygon). sides=3 → triangular prism, 6 → hex column.

prism(cx,cy,cz, sx,sy,sz, rx,ry,rz, mode,  sides=6)

frustum — 棱台 · 錐台 · 원뿔대 · กรวยตัด

Truncated cone/pyramid. top_ratio is the top radius as a fraction of the base (0 → cone, 1 → cylinder).

frustum(cx,cy,cz, sx,sy,sz, rx,ry,rz, mode,  sides=24, top_ratio=0.5)

Dice (Platonic solids)

Perfect for dice, gems, and crystal shapes — all take no extra params.

icosahedron(cx,cy,cz, sx,sy,sz, rx,ry,rz, mode)
d20(cx,cy,cz, sx,sy,sz, rx,ry,rz, mode)          # same thing

Mechanical & architectural

gear · cog — 齿轮 · 歯車 · 톱니바퀴 · เฟือง

Extruded spur gear in the XZ plane. teeth count and tooth depth are configurable; thickness comes from sy.

gear(cx,cy,cz, sx,sy,sz, rx,ry,rz, mode,  teeth=12, tooth=0.25)

gyro — 陀螺 · ジャイロ · 자이로 · ไจโร

Nested gimbal: rings concentric tori on alternating axes — a gyroscope / armillary.

gyro(cx,cy,cz, sx,sy,sz, rx,ry,rz, mode,  rings=3)

arch — 拱门 · アーチ · 아치 · ซุ้มโค้ง

Semicircular archway (tube swept over 180°).

arch(cx,cy,cz, sx,sy,sz, rx,ry,rz, mode,  segments=24, tube=0.18)

stairs — 楼梯 · 階段 · 계단 · บันได

Staircase of steps cuboid steps rising along +Y/+Z.

stairs(cx,cy,cz, sx,sy,sz, rx,ry,rz, mode,  steps=5)

Curves & surfaces

helix — 螺旋线 · らせん · 나선 · เกลียว

Tube swept along a helix around Y.

helix(cx,cy,cz, sx,sy,sz, rx,ry,rz, mode,  turns=3, tube=0.15, sides=8)

spring — 弹簧 · ばね · 스프링 · สปริง

A tighter, thinner helix (coil). Same params as helix.

spring(cx,cy,cz, sx,sy,sz, rx,ry,rz, mode,  turns=6, tube=0.12, sides=8)

star_prism · star — 星柱 · 별기둥 · แท่งดาว

An N-point star cross-section extruded along Y.

star_prism(cx,cy,cz, sx,sy,sz, rx,ry,rz, mode,  points=5, inner_ratio=0.5)

capsule_chain · chain — 胶囊链 · カプセル鎖 · 캡슐체인 · โซ่แคปซูล

A row of count capsule beads along X — a chain / caterpillar.

capsule_chain(cx,cy,cz, sx,sy,sz, rx,ry,rz, mode,  count=3)

mobius — 莫比乌斯 · メビウス · 뫼비우스 · เมอบีอุส

A half-twisted Möbius band.

mobius(cx,cy,cz, sx,sy,sz, rx,ry,rz, mode,  segments=60, width=0.3)

Tips

• Flat disc / plate: cylinder with a small sy (e.g. 0.05).
• Ellipsoid: sphere with unequal sx,sy,sz.
• Obelisk: frustum with a small top_ratio and tall sy.
• Animate by feeding the frame counter into rx,ry,rz each frame.
• Outlined solid: use mode = 2 and a bright pen colour for a crisp cel-look with ink edges.

All shape names are available in every Ling language; see Builtin Aliases by Language.