Ticker 2.00 Beta

Information about latest Revision level of the software
and current Download Links.
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ArtF
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Ticker 2.00 Beta

Post by ArtF »

Hi All:

Firstly, I want to thank Bill Michael for his aid with Ticker 1.xx beta , his help was really instrumental in
allowing me to find several important force bugs and UI problems in handling the simulations. A new
version of Ticker will soon come out as Phase 2 (of 3)of Tickers development. The UI, while looking similar
has changed dramatically as a result of Bill's work and the problems developing escapements ( the
major part of most kinetic art ). I will be releasing a video in a week or two when beta 2.0 is ready.

In Version 2.00Beta.

1) Screen rotations are now unlimited, you can view from behind as easily as from the front.
2) A screen control widget similar to Fusion 360 is now on the modeling screen to allow for simple
clicks on the Box face to set the orientation of the screen. This is important due to #3.
3) The Ticker CAD screen will be available as the Third tab of the menu. When selected, a
Blueprint of the mechanism so far, drawn in Ortho on the new Cad screen is overlaid
on the Drawing surface so one can draw properly contextual drawings over top of the
Kinetic device. The Blueprint is in the Orientation of the View your using in Sim.
One can then draw shapes that match the device requirements and press extrude
to send them instantly to the Simulation screen for placement.

I include a couple of snapshots of what the above describes. The first ( sim) shows a
virge type escapent shown in perspective from the side, done by clicking the side
box on the top right. The second shows what you then see if you select the CAD button
and a drawing being added in context to the mechanism for rapid extrusion to that
plane for placement. The blueprint feature I am finding is very handy to quickly
describe a device. With Phase 2, Ticker becomes much close to the original 2d
simulator from Auggie. I've struggled to find a way to duplicate the ease with
which one could design a simulation in 2d in Auggie, but I suspect Blueprinting
this way is a good start. If anyone has used Ticker and has any suggestions as to
interface possibilities, let me know.

Just an update
art
Sim.jpg
Cad.jpg
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Re: Ticker 2.00 Beta

Post by BillM »

Art

I'm almost ready to go online again. It's good to see version 2.0B has been released. I haven't had a chance to download v17B or 2.0B.

I've had more ideas regarding features that will make setting up gear trains for clock designs. I'm working on a redesigned version of the verge escapement that I posted under the Ticker program section of the forum. The redesigned verge/pallets may allow me to attempt to recreate a chronometer gearotics model that I made a few years ago.

I'll have to experiment with springs some more to better understand how you've implemented springs within Ticker.exe.

Bill Michael ( BillM)
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Re: Ticker 2.00 Beta

Post by BillM »

Art

I just tried downloading the 2.0 versions of the software. When I start Ticker, it still shows v1.17B.

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Re: Ticker 2.00 Beta

Post by ArtF »

Hi Bill:

( Sorry for the last name screwup on my end. ( I've edited to proper suffix ( Michael), and the video
will properly credit your work. :) ).

Version 2.0B won't be out for another week or so, Im putting final touches to it.
It is quite a recode on many sections. I basically analysed the work you kindly did and reverse
engineered it to see the pain you went through in your design. Im attempting to mitigate
a lot of the things you evidently faught. I'll do a longer video to explain the changes I've made.

The CAD module is a recoded version of Vexx designed for extruding parts. The movement,
rotations and such are all much cleaner in general now.. The worktable can be resized on the fly. Parts can be
drawn so they extrude to the plane you wish easily without screwing about with Fusion 360 or its ilk.
You can see how a part your drawing fits into your design as you draw it, that makes it far easier
to draw something as complex as an escapement.

Fusion is a great way though to do more complex stl's a person may want to add, but I'd like to
have Ticker able to do most of its own extrusions. I will also add a lathe module for quickly spinning
out a "crown" gear for example. Most other complex 3d kinetic art type of shapes can be made by
fusing 2d slices of an object you draw. Shafts can be added to an drawing object simply by selecting any
drawn circle and pressing "Set as Shaft". Things such as this will hopefully remove pain and effort.

My concerns on this version were about ease of use. Jumping between STL generation
programs and importing assets is too much effort for every part one wants. It interferes with the
thought process of designing that interaction one is looking for. I wanted to get as close to the
way we did it in Auggie, and so I've morphed the process to try to make it more like the 2d version.
(Draw a shape, set a center of mass, and watch it come to life. )

In the process I did the crown verge so it works fine, I did redraw the Crown to an odd number
of teeth however, and all Crowns should be odd tooth count for clocks as far as I can tell.

This Beta will be phase 2, and Ill consider it successful if I can draw and animate a gravity
escapement using only the program itself. Phase 3.. once drawing isn't an issue, will be
some way to specify a gear train, much like Gearotic does.

There are many things that can be added. Elliptical gears would be a fine simulation item,
though quite complex to implement in a few ways, but their creation code is already installed
in Tickers base code now. (I'll leave that on my list for near the end.).

Give me a week or so before you attempt too much, I think you'll find it easier by an order of
magnitude in the next version, thanks primarily to your Crown/Virge work and failed gravity
escapement. If I can fix the gravity escapement capability you attempted, than much more becomes
possible.

Thanks,
Art
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Re: Ticker 2.00 Beta

Post by BillM »

Art

You are correct about the number of teeth in a crown gear. I misinterpreted the description of John Harrison's H4 clock where it mentioned 24ths of a circle. https://cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/view/PR-PBA-01740/38 This is from: The principles of Mr. Harrison's time keeper (PBA1740). (https://cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/view/PR-PBA-01740/6).

I got to see Derek Pratt's replica of H4 during the 2015 Ships, Clocks and Stars (SCS) exhibit when SCS was at Mystic Seaport Museum in Mystic, CT. Quite a complicated mechanism. H4, despite having the crown-verge escapement, was the most precise marine chronometer of its day.

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Re: Ticker 2.00 Beta

Post by ArtF »

Wow, quite a job just translating the patent...


Art
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