How about letting us specify stock size? The default stock doesn't really show what I'm doing.

Also, it doesn't use the correct tool. G Code tool # stays on tool 0, so I have to use "what if" tools and toggle to the correct tool.
My code has a T2 M6 in it, and Mach4 is showing tool #2 is in use.

A resizable window would be nice for those with 1920x1080 monitors.

Gerry:

   It chooses the stock to be the size of the job, but it does always start it at zero Z height. I do think a resizable window
woudl be more usefull and I do have that in planning, but Ill wait to see if its really a usefull utitllity via the download
counters and feedback to see if it reaches a level of attraction that justfies the development time.  It does sound like a bug for
the tool though, Ill run some tests to see why its not properly switching.. Im pretty sure I missed something in there now that
I consider that.. A new version will be released to fix that up.. Preciate the bug report..

Thx
Art

It chooses the stock to be the size of the job,

Say I'm cutting something like a board with box joints, with the board laying flat on the table. So I'm making a series of grooves in the end of the board.
Currently, the displayed stock starts outside of my actual stock, and stops at the point that my toolpath extends into the stock. If you need a visual, I can draw something up tomorrow. But right now, it doesn't give an accurate representation of what I'm cutting, because it's not showing my actual parts, but rather my toolpaths in an arbitrary piece of stock.

Without being able to specify stock size, I think it's usefulness is greatly diminished. But then what do you want for free. 

Just my two cents (nickel in Canada, no more pennies). To be honest, in my 20 years of programming routers, I've almost never used a simulator. But some people can't work without them.

Hi All:

 Version 1.016..

 Fixes tool selections..

Ger:

    Im having trouble picturing it.. drawa quick skecth if you like, Id be interested to see. I guess I can imagine circumstances where itd be necessary.. but it sounds like a lot of work,
Ill wait fer a bit.. 

Art

Something like this. After simulating, your left with an array of small rectangles, which is nothing like the actual part.

You don't have to add it for me, as I probably wouldn't use it anyway, once the novelty wore off.
But it would be beneficial in some instances.

Perhaps you could do it similar to how CutViewer works, where the stock is defined in comments in the g-code?

Gerry:

  Ahh, yes, now I understand. Unfortunatley, GCode comments couldnt work, GSim gets its data from m4, so m4'd have to understand them, the plugin has
no way to get them. Ill keep it in mind though for when a tim ecomes I may want to switch to an app window for it. GSim was written for Gearotic, which has no heavy
need for complexities, most gears are more easily done with auto stock size , its easy to see what a gear woudl look like. The more artistic the job the more usefull a
simulator is to my mind.. its more of an artistic theing than an engineering one..


Art

Have you tried just setting the Softlimits(turned off)  to the stock size. Then use table view.  It gives you a semi 3d look to the Toolpathing.

Just a thought, (;-) TP

Terry:

  Actually, the stock size has great effect on overall resolution. The resolution of GSim in "medium res" is width or height ( whichever is larger) / 1024. So if a job is 6" x 6"
in size, the resolution of Gsims model is .005" , in extreme res its .0029" per triangle vertex. SO having the stock larger than the model has a detrimental effect on resolution.
  Since a sim is usually just to allow one to either play with various tools in an artitistic sense, or verify clearance of a tool, I dont think trying to make it too realistic
is high on the agenda.. but yanvrno....

Art

You could define the stock with #var in the preamble of the file.

#500 =3.5 #501 =.750 #502 =24

Part defined as 3.5 W 24" L  .750 tall  a basic 1x4 24" long

Just a thought

If you define stock size, you also have to define the home datum relative to the lower left (or some point) on the stock.  It would require 6 variables, length, width and height, and X,Y,Z to home.

One could also make an initial cut from lower left to upper right of stock. before cutting the actual program.  This would have to be remarked out before actually cutting, come up with some other way make sure it wasn't actually cut.

Or you could have another window that stored the current 6 values, like the tool table that was save and trayed the same until changed.

Just ideas.

I always like to simulate a cut before making it, to me it is a very valuable tool for students to visualize their path before a program is tried in a real machine with real material.