DirectGeometry: remove boundingBox & boundingSphere properties

[WJsjtu]

three.js/src/core/DirectGeometry.js

Lines 25 to 26 in 4966686

	this.boundingBox = null;
	this.boundingSphere = null;

Are these two properties ever used?

three.js/docs/api/core/DirectGeometry.html

Lines 68 to 77 in 4966686

	<div>
	Bounding box for the bufferGeometry, which can be calculated with
	[page:.computeBoundingBox](). Default is *null*.
	</div>
	<h3>[property:Sphere boundingSphere]</h3>
	<div>
	Bounding sphere for the bufferGeometry, which can be calculated with
	[page:.computeBoundingSphere](). Default is *null*.
	</div>

The doc says they can be calculated, but no such functions are found for DirectGeometry.

three.js/docs/api/core/DirectGeometry.html

Lines 99 to 107 in 4966686

	<h3>[property:null computeBoundingBox]( )</h3>
	<div>
	See [page:Geometry.computeBoundingBox].
	</div>
	<h3>[property:null computeBoundingSphere]( )</h3>
	<div>
	See [page:Geometry.computeBoundingSphere].
	</div>

Here too.

three.js/docs/api/core/DirectGeometry.html

Line 97 in 4966686

<h3>[page:EventDispatcher EventDispatcher] methods are available on this class.</h3>

And this is not true.

[Mugen87]

Instead of removing the code, i think i would clone the bounding volumes from a geometry object in DirectGeometry.fromGeometry() if present.

if ( geometry.boundingSphere !== null ) {

   this.boundingSphere = geometry.boundingSphere.clone();

}

if ( geometry.boundingBox !== null ) {

   this.boundingBox = geometry.boundingBox.clone();

}

[WJsjtu]

@Mugen87 Yes, maybe you are right.
Up to now, I haven't found any usage of these two properties.
As the doc writes, DirectGeometry is only used internally to convert from Geometry to BufferGeometry (as my understanding, the main usage is in updateFromObject, fromGeometry and fromDirectGeometry methods of BufferGeometry). Currently, the only use of BufferGeometry.fromDirectGeometry method is in this repo is BufferGeometry.fromGeometry, and BufferGeometry.fromGeometry is only used in BufferGeometry.updateFromObject and BufferGeometry.setFromObject.
The BufferGeometry.setFromObject which receives an object with geometry instance of Geometry as argument will clone the bounding volumes for Points and Line, but call BufferGeometry.fromGeometry for Mesh.
BufferGeometry.fromGeometry will create a DirectGeometry instance as __directGeometry property of the geometry, then DirectGeometry.fromGeometry is immediately called,.
However, DirectGeometry.fromGeometry doesn't clone the bounding volumes, as a result, the bounding volumes of Mesh's geometry won't be cloned in BufferGeometry.setFromObject as Points's or Line's (if bounding volumes is not null). And this is a little inconsistent in logic.
The BufferGeometry.updateFromObject won't copy the bounding volumes as well.
Maybe the cloning could be added either in BufferGeometry.fromGeometry (my opinion) or DirectGeometry.fromGeometry as your suggestion.

three.js/src/core/BufferGeometry.js

Lines 483 to 490 in 4966686

	fromGeometry: function ( geometry ) {
	geometry.__directGeometry = new DirectGeometry().fromGeometry( geometry );
	return this.fromDirectGeometry( geometry.__directGeometry );
	},

However both ways will affect BufferGeometry.updateFromObject, it will clone the bounding volumes only for Mesh?

[Mugen87]

However both ways will affect BufferGeometry.updateFromObject, it will clone the bounding volumes only for Mesh?

The conversion from Geometry to BufferGeometry is only supported for meshes.

Maybe the cloning could be added either in BufferGeometry.fromGeometry (my opinion)

I would not do this since the real conversion is delegated to DirectGeometry.fromGeometry() and BufferGeometry.fromDirectGeometry().

[WJsjtu]

@Mugen87 Thanks for explanation. I'll close this pull request and make a new one as you suggested.

Instead of removing the code, i think i would clone the bounding volumes from a geometry object in DirectGeometry.fromGeometry() if present.

The conversion from Geometry to BufferGeometry is only supported for meshes.

You are right. What I mean is it doesn't matter which method to clone bounding volumes, but if BufferGeometry.fromGeometry copy the bounding volumes for Mesh, then BufferGeometry.setFromObject will be able to clone bounding volumes for objects, while BufferGeometry.updateFromObject will only clone copy the bounding volumes for Mesh not for Line or Points. And this is inconsistent.

To make it clear:

• Currently, BufferGeometry.updateFromObject won't clone bounding volumes for any objects, BufferGeometry.setFromObject will only clone bounding volumes for Line and Points.
• After modified, BufferGeometry.setFromObject will be fixed to clone bounding volumes for any object, however, BufferGeometry.updateFromObject will only clone copy the bounding volumes for Mesh not for Line or Points.

And BufferGeometry.updateFromObject is called by WebGLObjects for any object in WebGLRenderer.js.