The database stores objects regardless of whether they are combination nodes or leaf nodes. All objects share certain common properties, as part of a standardized object wrapper . Every object has an object length which indicates the total number of bytes required for this object including the magic number. Every object has an object type , which is always 16 bits wide. There are reserved values for database headers and free storage objects.
Every object has an object body which contains a contiguous block of data.
When the object contains a BRL-CAD solid or combination the precise structure of this block of data will be as specified further along in this document. Every object has an object comment which contains a string of an arbitrary number of newline terminated lines of text. None of the BRL-CAD software will interpret these strings in any way, they are provided for the modeler to place notes in. These are strings for use by humans only. These attributes are intended for direct use by programs.