Vexx version 1.21 released with Guilloche wizard

[ArtF]

Hi All:

  Happy New Year 2018.

  Ive put a new release online with a version of Vexx with a guilloche wizard
I designed to decorate a faceplate with. This module was a suggestio n from a user
and I found it a fun thing to add. I use it for laser engraving but it can
be used for VBit engraving as well.

  A video is available at https://youtu.be/CV0rK64cas0 to show how it works.

Notes:

   Vexx's database has been rewritten because it was unable to handle the too
numerous entries all of the reference s I was creating for the trimming and
snapping routines. This update has made it orders of magnitude faster, but
it is possible bugs exist and crashes can happen while I get it sorted and more
use shows its bugs. The menu item for reset/reset all will rebuild a database
if you find snapping is acting up, save often and it should be fine.

   Radius fillet is also a new tool on the bar.

When you generate a guilloche, it is converted to arcs and/or beziers where it can, this is a work in progress, ensure your arc tolerance in settings is .05 or less else arcs may appear that do not seem to smoothly connect in the drawing. I leave beziers turned off
in the settings as the fastpath works better with line segments . You may use bezier
conversio n though, but it takes a few seconds to compute them on each step
and your cad may or may not have issues with Vexx's beziers. The settings for
allow bezier/arc are also in the config settings under polylines .

Thx,
Art

[tweakie]

Excellent .   

Tweakie.

[ArtF]

Tweaky:

  Ill have to post a video of my galvo laser buring a guiloche,
their amusing to watch burn at 25000mm/min, something
about the nature of sine curves running fast..

Art

[tweakie]

Hi Art,

I look forward to seeing that.
Hopefully I can get back to using Auggie again soon.
(For the last few months I have been so busy with other stuff my laser has just not been used).

Tweakie.

[Dan Mauch]

Really cool Art!. It was pretty easy to learn after watching the video. Looks like we have a new toy to play with.
Dan Mauch

[ArtF]

A newer version of vexx was uploaded today to try to eliinate several crashes I experienc ed while
designing a new project. This version should be much more crash resistant .

Art

[BobL]

Thanks Art..

[Hessel Oosten]

Magnifice nt !!!

Thanks a lot Art.

Hessel

[BillM]

Art

I've just gotten back to experimen ting with the Gearotics (v3.06000) and Vexx (v2.21). Running on a dell notebook with Win10.   I tried to follow your intro video to Vexx but have run into some problems.

You show an example where you take a golden spiral, offset it, remove the initial spiral and then use circular array to create a rather messy looking vane.  To clean it up you use the "weld" function which in your video cleans up the center of the vane.  When I try the weld function the center is not cleaned up.  When I select the entire messy vane and try to replace a gear in Gearotics I get an error message saying More that one enclosing contour.    After I use the trim tool to clean up the center of the vane, I can then replace the gear in Gearotics .   It would seem that the weld creates the desired cleaned up vane but leaves the original circular array. Am I missing something or did you skip a step in your video?

I've run into a couple of other curious things using Vexx but until I convince myself that it's not operator error I won't post anything about it.. 

Bill Michael

[ArtF]

Hi Bill:

   Nope, not your imaginati on, a bug has crept in there. When you weld, the original contours should delete, but I notice now they dont. This makes it hard to select
the new ones. If you use Add or Subtract, the new contours are selected up to blue
status meaning you can grab and move them immediate ly, but in weld they are
all selected.
  This crept in as I redid other sections. I will fix it up and let you know when a new
version is online to correct that.

Thx
Art

[ArtF]

Hi Bill:

  If you redownloa d as of now, there is a new Vexx version that cleans up
the weld if successfu l. Thanks for mentionin g it, youll find a few bugs
in Vexx as you go, I use it quite a bit and keep fixing new ones.
  The latest version have a the database for objects rewritten for speed
but a bug has crept in somewhere that causes the occasiona l crash, so save
often as I do.
  Feel free to note when it acts up or does not what you expect, I fix up
the bugs and annoyance s as I go.

Art

[BillM]

Art

I installed the new version and the weld works properly. .. Thanks for the quick fix.


I now know something not to do with Vexx spiral tool.   I was curious how tight of a spiral I could create.  I created a very tight spiral with a 1.01 spiral ratio.  When I tried 1.0 the system ran out of memory (4Gb memory).   Well so much for that experimen t.

Bill

[BillM]

Art

I am retrying the example of taking a spur gear from Gearotics, deleting the spokes, inserting slots and then replacing the spur gear in Gearotics .

In Gearotics I created a 100mm, 20 tooth, 7 spoke spur gear.   In Vexx, I deleted the spokes and then created 6 slots using the Vexx slotting tool.

When I try to select the slotted spur gear the gear and only one of the slots get selected.  The replace gear function shows that only one of the slots gets sent to Gearotics .   I've varied different settings including snap distance to no avail.  The slots were not selectabl e.

The one last thing I tried was to cut the gear out.  At that point the slots were selectabl e.  When I pasted the gear back in, then the gear and the slots were selectabl e and able to be sent to Gearotics .

Bill

[ArtF]

Bill:

   Thats another of the bugs Im looking for, at times the database corrupts
and some objects cant be selected. It autocorre cts in many instances which
is why they suddenly were selectabl e.
  If you find you cannot select something, use the menu item debug database
on the menu bar and select reset all. It makes the items selectabl e. Its a workaroun d
till I manage to find that particula r gremlin.

Thx
Art

[BillM]

Art

Thanks for the info.  I'm glad that it is a known issue and not a Windows10 issue & I like your work around.

Bill