Messages

1321

Show"N"Tell ( What you have made with your CNC machine.) / Re: Plaque of Neptune for above my stairwell. :)

« on: February 17, 2008, 10:24:55 AM »

cool.. Nice plaque eh?

Art

1322

LazyTurn / Re: LazyTurn

« on: February 16, 2008, 02:32:03 PM »

Before I go, heres the latest build.

Art

1323

LazyTurn / Re: LazyTurn

« on: February 16, 2008, 10:13:59 AM »

Hi Guys:

  The column.dxf also has those annoying lights in it. When removed, it loads fine. Im not sure how to sense those automatically, they are stored as lines and arcs, so the program see's them as normal entities. Ill study up on it. Ill try to release latest version today, Im off tomorrow for a weeks snowmobiling trip , and Ill give thought as to how to solve that one , if its solvable. I think your all seeing just how big a problem DXF's tend to be, there are many flavours, and many cad programs stick in all kinds of weird entities and such. LazyTurn will ignore many of them, but when they are simply lines and arcs added in to the rest it makes it very hard to tell what IS and what Isnt a real object. What I may do is just ignore the softest chains, delete them, and keep the longest chain, that should solve many of these kinds of errors. It cheating, but it sounds liek a way to get around all the bad dxf's..

  I still need a fix from leadtools for grahams example, you can see the lines are reported with no Y component for some reason.. We'll see what they come up with. Thay take abnout a month to fix most bug reports.

Thanks,
Art
 

1324

LazyTurn / Re: LazyTurn

« on: February 14, 2008, 01:49:00 PM »

By the way, as a diagnostic, that latest version also shows the raw profile layed over the spun object.. Id be interested in snaps of other failing dxfs.. might lead to the problem..

( Dont you hate the way dxf's vary. )

Art

1325

LazyTurn / Re: LazyTurn

« on: February 14, 2008, 01:47:57 PM »

Hi Guys:

  Interestnig that bobcad normals fix that, but I suspect its just bobcad resaving it thats doing it. QCad opens grahams profile fine, but lead doesnt.
Here is a new version with better rullers and more efficient in loading objects. Still working on elipitcal arcs, that turns out to be a leadtools bug as well. ( Reported).

Thanks
Art

1326

LazyTurn / Re: LazyTurn

« on: February 14, 2008, 01:41:14 PM »

Hi Guys:

  Grahams problem turns out to be a leadtools bug. ( Man that API is buggy as hell, Im really disappointed in how it resolves some files. Ive reported the bug to leadtools, now I need to wait for an update to fix that one. Heres a leadtools test application that shows what your profiles look like to them. If this application shows your file correctly, then LazyTurn should load it as well. Meanwhile we wait for them to fix it..

Art
 

1327

LazyTurn / Re: LazyTurn

« on: February 14, 2008, 09:10:05 AM »

Hi Guys:

 Thx for the comments. As I said earlier, I want the display as perfect as I can get it so Ill work on these troubles.
The DXF Cannon.dxf has an elipitical arc in it, I dont yet import those , but Ill look into it.

  the contrast boxes for the hovers Ill fix up today.

Clarification:

  A drawing has to be a connected series of entities. One series only, not a closed chain. Think of it as a drawing showing the profile.
The drawing should be in Radius , thought he program will display it in radisu or diamter. ( I have it set to diameter at the moment. A selection will come soon).
In other words , if you draw a profile, and the max Y is 10, then thats a diamter of 20 in the displayed object. So the drawing shoudl be drawn in units representing the proper Z coords, ( though they
are easily changed) and the Y of the drawing should be in proper radisu distances. Im using updated import code, and it rejects points automatically. ( ACad often adds points at knot locations..).

  I see a couple of "Wrong size" notes , if you have one the wrong size, please send it to me for testing, the imported size of the object should be exactly as specified in the drawing. The importer
reports to me each entities size in absolute terms so they shouldnt vary ..

  When you change a profiles diamter, the limitation you are shown is the minimum Y of the import drawing, you cant shrink a profile smaller than that, else the lowest Y will cross
the zero line. When drawing an nobject in future you wont be able to cross the zero line either. ( In theory hitting zero will cut off an object so zero is a logical minimum.


Cursor problem is noted and will be fixed today as well.

  Showing a chuck is somethign I tried early on, but fel it didnt add much to the system in reality, Im more in favour of exclusion zones to ensure a tool doesnt cross
into the spindles chuck. But Ill see whats possibel when we get there. Ill fix up the little niggleys first, and when we're all fairly happy with the display, we'll move forward.
There will be a tool table, as well as a graphical tool on the screen showing locations. What I envision is the toolpath eating the stock, and leaving a subprofile behind of uncut material
which can then be cut with another tool if necessary. But thats getting ahead of ourselves. Displayand setup first, then tools and paths..

Art

1328

LazyTurn / Re: LazyTurn

« on: February 13, 2008, 10:50:39 PM »

oh, and the pic..

1329

LazyTurn / Re: LazyTurn

« on: February 13, 2008, 10:48:55 PM »

HEres an updated program that is more suitable I think. The toolpaths will be generated on the bottom to emulate the lathe from the top. The arrows show the positions
of the stock, profile and bore, they are clickable. The MRU works, and the hovers have a contrast bhox behind them and work much better..

  Stock diamter will appear as highligted rings, click to select, or click on the stock arrow to set it manually. All settings are now autofocus as well so
you can enter easily a change..



 Good ideas..thx..

Art

1330

LazyTurn / Re: LazyTurn

« on: February 13, 2008, 04:24:17 PM »

Hi:

 Update your lcam to latest version. It uses that dll as well.

Art