Better Step API Overview

The Better Step API is organized into a small set of core modules that cover the full CAD processing workflow: load CAD parts from HDF5, inspect geometry and topology, and sample data for downstream applications such as machine learning, feature detection, and large-scale analysis.

Modules

• Utilities (abs.utils)
  Entry points for loading data from HDF5, including helpers such as read_parts (and read_mesh when mesh data is available).

• Geometry (abs.curve, surfaces)
  Classes and methods to represent and evaluate geometric primitives such as curves and surfaces (e.g., B-splines), including sampling and derivatives.

• Topology (abs.topology)
  B-Rep connectivity and structure: Edge, Halfedge, Loop, Face, Shell, and Solid. Provides traversal and queries such as face adjacency and trimming-aware filtering.

• Sampling ( abs.part_processor)
  Tools to extract point samples and derived attributes (e.g., normals, sharp features). Includes batch-friendly routines like sample_parts, where a user-defined lambda_func can compute arbitrary per-sample outputs alongside points.

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Typical workflow

1. Load parts from an HDF5 file (read_parts)
2. Traverse topology (solids → shells → faces → loops → halfedges)
3. Evaluate geometry (curves/surfaces) and sample points and attributes
4. Scale up using the CLI or batch scripts for dataset processing