PyPos3DLO: Python 3D App based on LibreOffice

Today we’re talking to Olivier Dufailly, who’s working on PyPos3DLO, an app based on LibreOffice to create mechanical characters, edit and optimize Poser files, and manipulate WaveFront files:

Tell us a bit about yourself!

I live in Toulouse (France) and for around 30 years I’ve mainly worked in the space and aeronautical domain (from software to system engineering), although I was also a business manager for a few years, and the first CIO of a mid-size engineering company. But now, I’m back in my preferred domain: space systems engineering and development. It’s a so exciting environment.

On a personal side, I like and practice sports (swimming, biking, running) and 3D modeling. I remember, when I bought my first Casio graphic tracer in 1985, I immediately ported some Apple BASIC 3D curves programs to Casio BASIC!

And now, I always like to produce some airplanes models for 3D rendering (unfortunately, the former free site ShareCG.com has disappeared so I need to find a way to publish my work elsewhere). Additionally, I think that we – all of us – are responsible of our children’s planet, and open source software is sustainable and so is vital to help us in the future.

What are you working on right now?

I’ve produced a LibreOffice-based application to help 3D mechanical characters development. I’d would be proud to present it in more detail later, but for now: PoJamas aims to provide a Python library and tools for loading, processing, and producing .cr2, pz3 (crz, pzz) files compatible with the SmithMicro (e-Frontier) Poser character animation application. It includes PyPos3DLO, an app based on LibreOffice to create mechanical characters, and edit and optimize Poser files.

Why did you choose to become a member of The Document Foundation?

LibreOffice is a great project and I’d like to try to contribute to its development. It’s just the beginning, but I feel welcome in the project already.

Anything else you plan to do in the future? What does LibreOffice really need?

I have a strategic approach concerning LibreOffice and general engineering usage.

In my professional and personal domains, engineers, PhD, techs guys produce studies and data for testing and running large and complex systems. To do this, they usually use Microsoft Office with a huge amount of BASIC macros. Moreover, they also use MATLAB and try to integrate or automatize things.

They usually have a lot of “integration” problems and the result is frequently a mess: hard to use, and more or less impossible to maintain or transfer. It’s a lack of experts’ time, when they spend too much time o “silly” development instead of doing their own business.

Our main problems are testing, maintainability and costs.

Finally, I’m convinced that we should promote a new maintainable approach for engineering studies with a better integration of Python (or other, if any languages) in LibreOffice. (Financial studies may be also greatly enhanced with an easy integration between Python libraries and Calc/Excel sheets).

At the end of the journey, BASIC should naturally become extinct.

To achieve this goal, we will need to enhance LibreOffice, ease the development of LibreOffice macros, and teach our users with many tutorials.

I’d be happy to help with testing, writing tutorials, or anything else.