Warehouse 3D: project description

**ErosOlmi** · 10-10-2008, 21:17

Hi all.

At work I'm starting to automate a wharehouse where we handle row chemical materials.
We have a classical grid layout and a logistic system that indicates where materials are held.

So, there are lanes, every lane have a grid layout face with X (the horizontal position) and Y (the floor)
I have a mad idea to creare a 3D application layout in charge to visually drow current warehouse showing where materials are located. Something like the following pictures:
http://recoker.com/images/config1.bmp
http://recoker.com/images/config2.bmp
http://recoker.com/images/config3.bmp
http://recoker.com/images/config4.bmp

The application not only have to show where goods are but should connect to out DBMS, checking materials, stocks, position in the warehouse and visually show on the 3D layout where stock is located.

I think this can be an opportunity for thinBasic but ... but I'm first searching around and see if something like that already exists.

If you have any idea, please let me know.

Ciao
Eros

**Petr Schreiber** · 10-10-2008, 22:38

Hi Eros,

very interesting task, I do not know many "information system" type applications, so cannot advice any concrete product.
From the basic characterization it seems doable in ThinBasic ( ODBC + UI + TBGL ), but I guess it might not be so simple ( ok, "simple" is not the best word here ) as it looks.

Petr

**kryton9** · 10-10-2008, 22:50

Too me it seems quite doable. Just assign one field to your database that would contain the "storage cell location in the warehouse grid". Then in the 3D display, the info from the database could be shown in the appropriate "Cell", item type and quantity by text and the location highlighted with the text on or nearby.

**Michael Clease** · 10-10-2008, 22:55

Provided the odbc stuff works the 3d stuff seems quite easy.

So if :

each rack is an entity
each item is an entity

you could click on an items image (entity) and find it by nearest.
that entities data could hold the reference for your db lookup.

sounds ok but you wouldnt have enough entities possibly.

**Petr Schreiber** · 10-10-2008, 23:11

Michael,

I did entity system in quite not so limited way, I think with enough RAM you can go pretty high with them.
To make it simple, scene could be used as "group" - for example 1 scene per lane.
Scenes would not need to have camera inside, so they would really work just like stack of objects.

I do not know how many items the stock contains, but it should be possible to store and visualize it as long as we will fit to 4GB of data per scene

Petr

**Michael Hartlef** · 10-10-2008, 23:50

I think it could be quite doable with thinBasic. And if things are missing in thinBasic, it would push its development. For also be a great showcase for thinBasic.

**Michael Clease** · 11-10-2008, 00:01

Sorry Petr for some reason I thought that entities were limited to 1024 ???

But I now see (just read the help again) that I should always check the facts before posting.

I do think its all there but its having the time to do it.

**Petr Schreiber** · 11-10-2008, 00:06

No problem,

you were almost right, as it is fact there is limit for 1024 unique textures and unique display lists now ( but not for number of their instances).
I will free the module from this as soon as possible too.

But as there could be just few models for boxes ( +different color for different goods for example ), constructions like the ones on pictures Eros posted ... it should be doable.

Petr

P.S. Using white fog is smaaart - it makes the hard shadow look to fade away. Looks good on 4th image.