Attached is a model that is about 1/20 scale. The model is a wire I bent that is only 1-1/2" in diameter. My milling machine has a bore scope for the chuck and Digital Readouts for x,y, and z. So I took a series of readings, about 20 to test the first time. I then plotted the 20 points as POINTS. What is so cool about ViaCAD is that I can connect these POINTS with the Interpolated Spline tool, and it will connect to all the points. Then the PIPE tool can make it look like the steel rod that is needed.

As you can see this is a twisty bendy part. I need to make a couple dozen, and attempting that by hand bending them out of hard steel rod & to be identical would be not a job I want.

So I found a machine shop that asked for a STL file and they could use a CNC wire bender. SO COOL!!

My question is, in ViaCAD Pro 9, am I only limited in entering these POINTS, one by one, entering X, Y, and Z. OR, is there a way I could use and Excel spreadsheet and then export in some kind of format, that ViaCAD Pro 9 could read and enter all the POINTS. (that would be the perfect world).

I would then gather more like 50 points to make a much smoother drawing.

What do you all think? Can I somehow import all these coordinates?

Here is the link to some documentation.

http://www.csi-concepts....rtingSplinesTutorial.pdf



Regards

Jason

WHAT NO "Z"?

I spoke too soon when I said "IT WORKS!". It works partially (only 2/3rds). It only imports X & Y, no Z. BTY, I updated VacCad Pro 9 to build 1166 today.

I carefully read the PDF called "ImportingSplinesTutorial.pdf" from http://www.csi-concepts....tingSplinesTutorial.pdf.

*****I think there is a TYPO on page 2. The word POINT should be POINTS.*****

I'm using an iMac and using BBEDIT to create the text files. This robust text application allows me to see the invisible characters.

I think everything was prepared correctly:
* The text file end with .spl, so one example file is called "test.spl".
* Each coordinate is separated by a space.
* End of each line has a RETURN

So let's look at top of page 4.

Example
// Example spline that goes through provided points
THROUGHSPLINE
10 10 0
11 11 0
12 11 0
13 10 0

This was successful, an example of X & Z only coordinates. Z coordinates are all ZERO.

Let me rewrite this as if you can see the invisible characters, because maybe I'm missing something very simple, or there is a bug, that ViaCAD can not imported Z coordinates from .spl files.

THROUGHSPLINE
10(space)10(space)0(return)
11(space)11(space)0(return)
12(space)11(space)0(return)
13(space)10(space)0(return)


This example works, however there is no Z for height.

So let's add some Z coordinates:
THROUGHSPLINE
10(space)10(space)0(return)
11(space)11(space)5(return)
12(space)11(space)0(return)
13(space)10(space)-5(return)

I would think something as simple as this would work, IT DOES NOT. NO Z.

So what is the missing ingredient? I've tried THROUGHSPLINE, VECTORSPLINE, POINT and POLYLINE, I can't get any Z!

Is this a bug? Is there special ENCODING that I must save this .spl file. I have lots of ENCODING options in BBEDIT.

No, you're 100% right. They've broken it in V9, it works as advertised in V8 and earlier. I think they owe you a copy of V8 until it's fixed, at least. Ouch. I'm willing to do it in V8 if you post a text list.

Edited by user Friday, August 14, 2015 7:55:48 PM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

Thanks for the heads up. This is now fixed. The correction will appear in 1167 builds.

Tim