tutorials

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Stojan
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tutorials

Post by Stojan »

Hey Art G'day,

Any new tutorials on ticker or whats coming secret easter eggs etc?

avagreatday and greetings from the colonies downunder.
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ArtF
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Re: tutorials

Post by ArtF »

Hi Stojan:

Yes, its about time for an update.

I am finalizing Ticker at the moment for a Beta release. I will likely have to do a series of videos
on how exactly to work it. I can build a contraption with it in minutes, but realize that I have a lot
of intuitive knowledge having developed it. I have to explain how physics is bent about a bit in Ticker
and what to expect from various actions.
Ticker will be an ongoing development with me adding toys and capabilities, while hopefully
collecting some from the user base. I have designed it so the user can add virtual objects and this will
in the end allow new features based on those objects.
Ticker is a black hole into which I can throw time. Luckily the hole throws out results occasionally and I
focus on those. Not all built into Ticker will release at once. The material designer will be hidden until
I rebuild an interface others can understand. Elliptical gears, while built in , will be turned on at a later
date. Bolts and Shafting from the old program remain, but cannot be used in simulations.

At the moment the program will include the usual types of gears, Spur, helical, bevel, worm . Any planar
shape drawn in Vexx can be imported as a solid. STL's of any shape can be imported from Fusion , Blender
or any STL production software. This depends on how well it can be Convex Hulled, which is automatically
done as you import an STL by the importer that guides you on producing a convex hull appropriate to the
use you plan for that STL part. This allows for a very wide range of possible devices to be made. That's likely
most of one video right there. I have tonight finished adding harmonic oscillators ( Springs ) on shafts
and that's an example of what will be the future progression, adding such things for each subsequent
release.

There is nothing Ticker can do, that cannot be done in Blender or Solidworks, etc.. the Thrust is to
allow people who know nothing about such software to make and simulate tickers. There is no mention
of constraints, Jacobeans, Vector math or complex placement options. It is 99% point and click, drag
and move. The objects right down to the belts are drawn and made to proper specifications. I am really
trying to make it like you simply have a workbench in front of you and you wish to play with a bunch
of gears and shapes you may have. You may have unlimited motors, springs, ball bearing, whatever in your
devices. You may move and reposition most items, though in a weird way, using physics to determine
what will happen to the rest of the machine as you reposition a single part. To balance a machine to see
what happens you have little weights you can add to any solid to influence what gravity or torque
will do. ( Just like we all do in real life to balance a machine ). You can , for example, add Vanes, and set a
center of gravity weight to any point on it so it swings as you wish.

Ticker would make a great VR program, grabbing and moving gears and shafts around to create a
device in space...hmm, maybe some day..lol

The one thing I'm sure of is that there will be lots of requests for capability, and lots of surprising
capabilities added by users. I aim for various things as I go, the gravity escapement you saw was
a milestone point. My next is the ability to have a chrono escapement that can run properly. I'm
not quite there but may release before that as I finally think its now fun to play with, and
most definitely instructional. There will be bugs I cannot yet see as you use it in ways
I never have.

I have a few last toys to add before I let it out the door, and a few known bugs to clean up
in the interface. I'm hoping for a December release at this point. If you picture the old Algodoo
program of 2d physics and upgrade it to 3d in your mind your close to what Ticker strives to
be, only more focused on mechanisms.

I will release a video as an intro probably in a month or so.

Thanks
Art
BMeyers
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Re: tutorials

Post by BMeyers »

Like: "simply have a workbench in front of you and you wish to play with a bunch
of gears and shapes you may have"
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