8.1 The Power of Customization
Coreform has been working for years to make the underlying framework available to third parties so others can embed their own technology into Coreform Cubit™ in order to give end users a seamless experience from geometry creation, to meshing, to setting up and running analysis solutions. Companies who have successfully used Cubit as an integration platform include http://www.cae-fidesys.com/, http://fieldscale.com, and http://simetris.de, to name a few.
8.1.1 Customization Options
8.1.1.1 Cubit Software Development Kit (SDK) for C++
While the SDK used to require an additional license, beginning with the Coreform Cubit 2021.3 release we now package the Cubit-SDK with Coreform Cubit . You can find documentation for the SDK by opening the ./docs/Cubit-SDK/index.html file within your Coreform Cubit 2021.4 installation directory. With the SDK users can access the Cubit framework and core functionality via Python or C++. The SDK enables developers to:
Create components which can be integrated directly into Cubit . A component can take any form, from a dialog, wizard, report, or any other interaction. As a component it can be inserted into its own menu that will be displayed on the menu bar, giving end-users seamless access to new components.
Create new commands. At its core Cubit is a command-driven module. Developers can create their own commands using the SDK. All developer-created commands are exposed along with all existing Cubit commands making this command-focused interaction seamless to the end user. Developer commands are journaled as if they were original to Cubit .
Create a new mesh exporter. Cubit supports many export formats. The SDK enables developers to create new exporters for their own needs.
Create and manage materials. The SDK exposes a materials database that can be fully managed by the developer. Materials managed through the SDK are available in the Cubit GUI for end users and can be exported as desired.
Localize the GUI. Cubit is delivered in US English. Using free tools supplied by the Qt Company, the graphical user interface may be localized into any language. There is no need to recompile Cubit to localize the language. Cubit has been localized into Russian and Japanese by 3rd parties.
Gain access to low-level Cubit data. Using CubitInterface, developers have access to low-level data. In fact, the current Cubit GUI is a separate application that runs on top of Cubit . All interaction between the GUI application and Cubit is through CubitInterface. In other words, an industrious developer could replace the entire Cubit GUI with one of their own using CubitInterface.
8.1.1.2 Cubit-Python Interface
Python developers have complete access to CubitInterface. One other module, CubitInterfaceEx is also available to Python.
8.1.1.3 Cubit Style Sheets
The look and feel for the user interface can be modified using style sheets. Please refer to the documentation for details.
8.1.1.4 Extended Selection Dialog
Selecting multiple entities in a complex model can be challenging. The Extended Selection Dialog was created to help users create detailed and specific selection filters using Python and then reuse or share those filters with others. Refer to the documentation for details.
}8.1.1.5 Workflow Customization
Beginning with Cubit 16.3, users are able to create their own workflows that can be shared with other users. Workflows encapsulate the process required to complete a given task. Read here for details.
8.1.1.6 Adding Command Panels to the GUI
Beginning with Cubit 17 users are able to easily add command panels that are created using Qt Designer to the GUI. The panels will be organized and displayed in the same locations as the standard command panels. These new panels will launch python scripts when the user presses ’Apply’ or ’Preview’. Read here for details.