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RapidCompact CLI Setup Guide

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RapidPipeline 3D processor (CLI) is the successor of RapidCompact (CLI) - Phase out of active feature support for the RapidCompact CLI is scheduled for Q1 2025 (bug fixes and patches will still be applied).

Installation & Set-Up​

Download​

In order to obtain the RapidCompact CLI package for the OS of your choice, navigate to https://app.rapidcompact.com/cli.

In order to run RapidCompact, you will need an rpd_account.json file on your computer as well as an account with an Enterprise Plan on https://app.rapidcompact.com and a valid API token. Start with the account file first:

Account File Setup​

Please download the file here. It then can be put in a place of your choosing, we would recommend creating a “rapidcompact” folder in your root directory. For example on windows this would be:

C:\rapidcompact\rpd_account.json

Windows​

Here are the steps to set it up on Windows:

  1. Navigate to control panel / System&Security / System / Advanced System Settings / Environment Variables

Windows settings

  1. Click on “New…” and name the environment variable “RPD_ACCOUNTFILE”, then you can either simply browse the rpd_account.json file or type in the exact path; In this example that is: “C:\rapidcompact\rpd_account.json”. This is it. You are almost all set!

MacOS​

First of all the MacOS 10.15 Catalina Update introduced a change from the Commandline Tool "bash" to "zsh@.

To know which shell is being used, type this command in the terminal:

echo "$SHELL"

To switch to “zsh” type in the following command:

chsh -s /bin/zsh

To switch to “bash” type in the following command:

chsh -s /bin/bash

Similar to the windows setup you will need to save the rpd_account.json file somewhere on your system.

Let's assume your file is under /Users/YOUR_USER_NAME/Documents/ rpd_account.json

(replace the username, you can check what is your username in the terminal using the command "whoami").

To configure the environment variable, you can use the terminal:

For Catalina, if using "zsh" enter this command in the terminal (make sure the command is in one single line):

echo 'export RPD_ACCOUNTFILE=/Users/YOUR_USER_NAME/Documents/rpd_account.json' >> ~/.zshenv

When using the "bash" shell, use this instead:

echo 'export RPD_ACCOUNTFILE=/Users/YOUR_USER_NAME/Documents/rpd_account.json' >> ~/.bash_profile

After this, when you open a new terminal, rpdx should find the file. You can confirm the variable is set using this command:

echo $RPD_ACCOUNTFILE

Linux​

Again, similar to the windows setup you will need to save the rpd_account.json file somewhere on your system.

Let's assume your file is under /home/YOUR_USER_NAME/rpd_account.json

To configure the environment variable, use the following command:

export RPD_ACCOUNTFILE=/home/YOUR_USER_NAME/rpd_account.json

You can confirm the variable is set using this command:

echo $RPD_ACCOUNTFILE

API Token Generation​

Log in on https://app.rapidcompact.com and navigate to your account settings on the top right corner -> API Tokens. Now name your token to your liking and hit “Create API Token”: 'API'

You can then copy the token string once (it won’t be accessible through the Web interface later, for security reasons) and then insert it into your account file, which you did set up before:

{
    "host" : "api.rapidcompact.com",
    "token" : "YOUR API TOKEN HERE"
}

In order to track usage and receive data for technical support the CLI will share some information with DGG. HTTPS license authentication request uses end-to-end encryption.

Shared Data to the DGG License Server​

  • Your command line (commands and parameters)
  • Your optimization settings

Data which is not shared with the DGG License Server​

  • Any 3D model data
  • Any texture data
  • Any statistics about your 3D model
  • File names (obfuscated)
Mission Completed!

You should now be able to use the RapidCompact CLI by opening your systems’ command line and type “rpdx”.

If you are looking for commands and what configurable parameter settings RapidCompact CLI has to offer, please visit our getting started guide here

Hardware Requirements​

HardwareRecommendationDescription
Processorx86-64 CPU, 8vCPUs recommendedrpdx makes use of multiple cores/threads for the following operations: UV unwrapping, texture baking, rendering
RAM1GB minimum, 16GB recommendedThe amount of RAM required is highly dependent on the input models and operations performed.
Hard disk spaceUbuntu: 100MB, macOS: 85MB, Windows: 85MBExecutable and libraries only.
Graphics CardNot usedrpdx can run headless, it has no dependencies on OS graphics APIs. rpdx does not support GPU acceleration.

Memory Usage Estimation​

Basic estimation​

The following provides a conservative estimation on the amount of memory necessary to compact a 3D model using rpdx. In some cases, the estimate could be much higher than the actual number.

    inputMem = numInputTris * 36 + numInputVertices * 64 + numInputTexels * 3

    totalMem = 100MB + (inputMem + numOutputTexels * 3) *4

Note, that all of the values used in the calculation can be printed or written from any given input or output files using the following commands:

    rpdx -i foo.bar -p

    rpdx -i foo.bar --write_info

Precise estimation​

This estimation should be more accurate but may in some cases be under the target. The number of vertices can be approximated as 0.75* numTriangles for many models.

    inputEstimationGeo = inTris * 3 * 3 * 4 + inVerts * (3 + 3 + 2) * 8

    # assuming tangents are needed (baking normalmaps)

    outputEstimationGeo = outTris * 3 * 4 * 4 + outVerts * (3 + 3 + 6 + 2) * 8

    estimation = (100 * 1024 * 1024) + (inputEstimationGeo + inTexels * 3) * 2 + (outputEstimationGeo + outTexels * 3) * 2

CLI Release Provider​

Web Service​

releases.rapidcompact.link

This service allows RapidCompact users to download rpdx (the RapidCompact CLI) releases with their api token.

API Tokens

All API tokens are issued via the Cloud Platform. You can visit the following guide to create your token.

Overview of existing releases​

Fetch releases.rapidcompact.link/releases and set the header Authorization to just your api token.

Example in curl:

curl https://releases.rapidcompact.link/releases -H "Authorization: 15327|jxsPwchkwWd9ejfhqoskdlElfFI9e2430z92bLty"

Result:

{"message":"List of available releases. Use `/releases/{fileName}` to get a signed url of the given file name.",
"releases":["rapidcompact_5.4.3_ubuntu20.zip"]}%

Note, that all of the values used in the calculation can be printed or written from any given input or output files using the following commands:

Getting a signed url for a single release​

Fetch releases.rapidcompact.link/releases/[file-name] and set the header Authorization to just your api token.

Example in curl:

curl https://releases.rapidcompact.link/releases/rapidcompact_5.4.3_ubuntu20.zip -H "Authorization:
15327|jxsPwchkwWd9ejfhqoskdlElfFI9e2430z92bLty"

Result:

{"signedUrl":"signed-url-of-release"}%