Fix T44536: Add (limited!) normal import for STL.

Limited, because STL only stores face normals, so we can only fake this by setting
all clnors of a same face to that face normal... Guess use case are rather limited,
but does not hurt to have it either.

io_mesh_stl/__init__.py

@@ -112,6 +112,12 @@ class ImportSTL(Operator, ImportHelper, IOSTLOrientationHelper):
             default=True,
             )
 
+    use_facet_normal = BoolProperty(
+            name="Facet Normals",
+            description="Use (import) facet normals (note that this will still give flat shading)",
+            default=False,
+            )
+
     def execute(self, context):
         from . import stl_utils
         from . import blender_utils
@@ -142,8 +148,9 @@ class ImportSTL(Operator, ImportHelper, IOSTLOrientationHelper):
 
         for path in paths:
             objName = bpy.path.display_name(os.path.basename(path))
-            tris, pts = stl_utils.read_stl(path)
-            blender_utils.create_and_link_mesh(objName, tris, pts, global_matrix)
+            tris, tri_nors, pts = stl_utils.read_stl(path)
+            tri_nors = tri_nors if self.use_facet_normal else None
+            blender_utils.create_and_link_mesh(objName, tris, tri_nors, pts, global_matrix)
 
         return {'FINISHED'}
 

io_mesh_stl/blender_utils.py

@@ -19,9 +19,11 @@
 # <pep8 compliant>
 
 import bpy
+import array
+from itertools import chain
 
 
-def create_and_link_mesh(name, faces, points, global_matrix):
+def create_and_link_mesh(name, faces, face_nors, points, global_matrix):
     """
     Create a blender mesh and object called name from a list of
     *points* and *faces* and link it in the current scene.
@@ -29,10 +31,30 @@ def create_and_link_mesh(name, faces, points, global_matrix):
 
     mesh = bpy.data.meshes.new(name)
     mesh.from_pydata(points, [], faces)
+
+    if face_nors:
+        # Note: we store 'temp' normals in loops, since validate() may alter final mesh,
+        #       we can only set custom lnors *after* calling it.
+        mesh.create_normals_split()
+        lnors = tuple(chain(*chain(*zip(face_nors, face_nors, face_nors))))
+        mesh.loops.foreach_set("normal", lnors)
+
     mesh.transform(global_matrix)
 
     # update mesh to allow proper display
-    mesh.validate()
+    mesh.validate(clean_customdata=False)  # *Very* important to not remove lnors here!
+
+    if face_nors:
+        clnors = array.array('f', [0.0] * (len(mesh.loops) * 3))
+        mesh.loops.foreach_get("normal", clnors)
+
+        mesh.polygons.foreach_set("use_smooth", [True] * len(mesh.polygons))
+
+        mesh.normals_split_custom_set(tuple(zip(*(iter(clnors),) * 3)))
+        mesh.use_auto_smooth = True
+        mesh.show_edge_sharp = True
+        mesh.free_normals_split()
+
     mesh.update()
 
     scene = bpy.context.scene

io_mesh_stl/stl_utils.py

@@ -62,6 +62,15 @@ class ListDict(dict):
 
         return value
 
+
+# an stl binary file is
+# - 80 bytes of description
+# - 4 bytes of size (unsigned int)
+# - size triangles :
+#
+#   - 12 bytes of normal
+#   - 9 * 4 bytes of coordinate (3*3 floats)
+#   - 2 bytes of garbage (usually 0)
 BINARY_HEADER = 80
 BINARY_STRIDE = 12 * 4 + 2
 
@@ -96,19 +105,6 @@ def _is_ascii_file(data):
 
 
 def _binary_read(data):
-    # an stl binary file is
-    # - 80 bytes of description
-    # - 4 bytes of size (unsigned int)
-    # - size triangles :
-    #
-    #   - 12 bytes of normal
-    #   - 9 * 4 bytes of coordinate (3*3 floats)
-    #   - 2 bytes of garbage (usually 0)
-
-    # OFFSET is to skip normal bytes
-    # STRIDE between each triangle (first normal + coordinates + garbage)
-    OFFSET = 12
-
     # Skip header...
     data.seek(BINARY_HEADER)
     size = struct.unpack('<I', data.read(4))[0]
@@ -129,15 +125,15 @@ def _binary_read(data):
     chunks = [CHUNK_LEN] * (size // CHUNK_LEN)
     chunks.append(size % CHUNK_LEN)
 
-    unpack = struct.Struct('<9f').unpack_from
+    unpack = struct.Struct('<12f').unpack_from
     for chunk_len in chunks:
         if chunk_len == 0:
             continue
         buf = data.read(BINARY_STRIDE * chunk_len)
         for i in range(chunk_len):
-            # read the points coordinates of each triangle
-            pt = unpack(buf, OFFSET + BINARY_STRIDE * i)
-            yield pt[:3], pt[3:6], pt[6:]
+            # read the normal and points coordinates of each triangle
+            pt = unpack(buf, BINARY_STRIDE * i)
+            yield pt[:3], (pt[3:6], pt[6:9], pt[9:])
 
 
 def _ascii_read(data):
@@ -156,11 +152,15 @@ def _ascii_read(data):
     # strip header
     data.readline()
 
+    curr_nor = None
+
     for l in data:
-        # if we encounter a vertex, read next 2
         l = l.lstrip()
+        if l.startswith(b'facet'):
+            curr_nor = tuple(map(float, l_item.split()[2:]))
+        # if we encounter a vertex, read next 2
         if l.startswith(b'vertex'):
-            yield [tuple(map(float, l_item.split()[1:])) for l_item in (l, data.readline(), data.readline())]
+            yield curr_nor, [tuple(map(float, l_item.split()[1:])) for l_item in (l, data.readline(), data.readline())]
 
 
 def _binary_write(filepath, faces):
@@ -232,19 +232,22 @@ def read_stl(filepath):
     Please note that this process can take lot of time if the file is
     huge (~1m30 for a 1 Go stl file on an quad core i7).
 
-    - returns a tuple(triangles, points).
+    - returns a tuple(triangles, triangles' normals, points).
 
       triangles
           A list of triangles, each triangle as a tuple of 3 index of
           point in *points*.
 
+      triangles' normals
+          A list of vectors3 (tuples, xyz).
+
       points
           An indexed list of points, each point is a tuple of 3 float
           (xyz).
 
     Example of use:
 
-       >>> tris, pts = read_stl(filepath, lambda x:)
+       >>> tris, tri_nors, pts = read_stl(filepath)
        >>> pts = list(pts)
        >>>
        >>> # print the coordinate of the triangle n
@@ -253,22 +256,23 @@ def read_stl(filepath):
     import time
     start_time = time.process_time()
 
-    tris, pts = [], ListDict()
+    tris, tri_nors, pts = [], [], ListDict()
 
     with open(filepath, 'rb') as data:
         # check for ascii or binary
         gen = _ascii_read if _is_ascii_file(data) else _binary_read
 
-        for pt in gen(data):
+        for nor, pt in gen(data):
             # Add the triangle and the point.
             # If the point is allready in the list of points, the
             # index returned by pts.add() will be the one from the
             # first equal point inserted.
             tris.append([pts.add(p) for p in pt])
+            tri_nors.append(nor)
 
     print('Import finished in %.4f sec.' % (time.process_time() - start_time))
 
-    return tris, pts.list
+    return tris, tri_nors, pts.list
 
 
 if __name__ == '__main__':