What's new in D2nc 2.10.6
Jul 1, 2014
- Fixed offset where offset decomposes into more than two disjointed chains.
- Fixed display of shape geometry options on the contour screen which were incorrect on some systems.
- Fixed ramp distance calculation where shortest chain length was less that 8 times the tool diameter.
- Fixed error produced using a contour of zero depth and zero step.
- Added option to ramping to allow click on shortest chain length to set that value as the input ramp distance.
- Added wizard - MILL - CL - Spiral clearing.
- Fixed Engine Beam Wizard to use the new form of the SDL tangent option modifier.
New in D2nc 2.10.5 (Feb 11, 2014)
- Fixed long standing offset issues since the introduction in v2.9.0, where several consecutive short segments with low departure angles relative to each other produced unexpected results.
- Added new function in cam Modify->Close to allow the closing of all or selected open chains. Closed chains appear yellow while open chains appear white.
- Added separate Left/Right and Out/In buttons along with Pocket in offset. the L/R operations are performed only on open chains, while the O/I/P operations are performed only on closed chains.
- Added validation for presence of chains for offset operation selected
- Fixed left and right offset to always select the side of the chain based on the direction of the first element of the chain.
- Fixed pocket operations where chain decomposes into more that two disjointed chains.
- Added progress indicator in offset for chains with more than 100 elements.
- Improved performance of offset to run in O(n log n) time.
- Changed Wizard - DRILL - Engine Turn Pattern, to support both a unidirectional and bidirectional mode which changes the appearance of the engine turning.
- Removed redundant Feed/Speed tab in options while feature is being reworked.
New in D2nc 2.10.4 (Jan 7, 2014)
- Added version check item to the help menu. Allows the user to, on demand, check if a newer version of D2nc is available for download.
- Added author tag to wizard XML file which, if it exists, is displayed at the bottom of the wizard screen.
- Added up to four link tags and associated caption tags to the wizard XML file. For each link defined in the wizard to either a local file or a web site, a link button with associated caption will be shown in the wizard screen if present.
- Added initial SDL comment 'sdlcomment' tag to wizard XML file which is inserted as the first line in the wizards output.
- Added optional override tags mshape and mclist in the wizard XML. Used for overriding the standard shape or clist tags for the case where different handling may be required for the metric options.
- Changed wizard graphic tag to allow multiple images per wizard. The images are defined as a comma separated list of jpg file names. The user can page through the available images on the wizard entry screen.
- Changed mvalue to be an override to value. If mvalue is not present then the value tag is used for both metric and non-metric output.
- Added warning that license installation needs 'Run as Administrator' privilege.
- Added Wizard - MILL - Off - Roller Chain Sprocket.
- Added Wizard - MILL - CL - Precision Slot.
- Added Wizard - MILL - CL - Shape - Duplex US 5-15R Oval.
- Added Wizard - MILL - CL - Shape - Duplex US 5-15R Square.
- Added Wizard - MILL - CL - Shape - DB9.
- Added Wizard - MILL - CL - Shape - DB15.
- Added Wizard - MILL - CL - Shape - DB25.
- Added Wizard - MILL - CL - Shape - Centronics 36.
- Added Wizard - MILL - Off - D-Rectangle.
- Added Wizard - MILL - Off - Shape - Ellipse.
- Added Wizard - MILL - Off - Shape - Superformula.
- Added Wizard - DRILL - Engine Turn Pattern.
- Fixed arc reversal on flip horizontal or vertical.
- Fixed errors regarding missing tool table entries on shared .d2c files.
- Fixed incorrect font sizes when working in metric.
New in D2nc 2.10.3 (Mar 21, 2013)
- Added ability to click any segment in back plot to highlight associated gcode line.
- Added re-center of the model to the double click to change perspective view.
- Added user defined back plot colors on a new option settings tab.
- Added resize support to back plot screen to maximize display of the model.
- Added initial scaling to fit the complete model on the screen.
- Fixed back plot G02, G03 bug with arcs greater than 180 degrees.
- Fixed connection between arc and subsequent segment that was occasionally missing.
- Fixed highlight of first move on initial display.
- Changed move to be at same scale as model.
- Changed rotate to increase sensitivity.
- Changed installer to try address issues with support files that already exist.
- Changed mouse and keyboard mapping to the following:
- left mouse = rotate
- left mouse + shift = zoom
- right mouse = move
- right click + shift = select
- double click = cycle view + re-center
New in D2nc 2.10.2 (Mar 18, 2013)
- Added back plot function to the machine queue panel. The back plot function displays the generated gcode alongside a positionalbe 3D representation of the gcode. The gcode can be scrolled with the current segment highlighted.
New in D2nc 2.10.1 (Mar 12, 2013)
- Added support for legacy .d2c file formats from V2.3.0 to allow them to be opened and geometry loaded. Any machine queue defined in the file is discarded.
- Added check in the offset code to remove segments of zero length (points) contained within a closed chain of segments before the offset operation.
- Fixed winding algorithm bug introduced in last release.
- Fixed minor program flow bug when switching between SDL and CAM modes.
New in D2nc 2.10.0 (Mar 12, 2013)
- Added text generator which uses the systems truetype fonts to generate text. You can extract font geometry from any truetype font installed on your system. Single stroke or stick fonts in truetype format are also supported.
- Added moveable tabs in the tabs panel and allow the moving of all tabs globally or any individual tab.
- Added 4th axis support with rotary in C position, stock parallel to Z axis, and with mill head in a horizontal configuration.
- Added SDL (T)angent command option 2 (@) which extends the arc to the quadrant point as for option 1 but adjusted by the relative heading from parameter 3 of the command.
- Added validation on constraint tab so only numeric values are accepted for numeric fields.
- Added ctl-n shortcut to initialize SDL input area when it has the focus.
- Added ctl-a shortcut to select all text in the input area.
- Added wizard - MILL - CL - Cam Profile.
- Added wizard - MILL - CL - Corner or End Rounding.
- Added wizard - DRILL - Vent Pattern.
- Added support for bulge, group code 42, to DXF LWPOLYLINE entity.
- Added warning message on DXF import if the file contains splines that need to be saved either to DXF R12 format or have the splines converted to polylines.
- Changed SDL (T)angent command extend (?) to use standardized option 1 (!) notation.
- Improved DXF export which now writes DXF's compliant with the R12 definition. This allows exported DXF's to be imported into other programs and not just back into D2nc.
- Fixed winding algorithm origin that caused offset to the incorrect side in some cases
- Fixed retract/plunge height problem when using the 'number of steps' to calculate step size.
- Fixed wizards that have a empty relative shape list parameter to default to current relative shape of 0.
- Fixed error in cad caused by erasing all elements in the shape.
- Fixed CAM modify scale option where a factor of 1 reduced the shape to a point.
- Fixed SDL convert to line option for single instance of jump or warp.
- Fixed the missing move to x0 y0 if in the gcode settings menu, the move to x0 y0 at start of queue entry was unchecked and the first position in the shape started at x0 y0.
- Fixed using the keyboard tab key for moving between fields in contour screen.
- Fixed missing cutter compensation moves when ending comp (G40) in some cases.
- Removed Speed and Feed adjustments from CAM in preparation for moving them to path contour in a future release
- Known issues:
- Offset of shapes containing three consecutive segments whose combined length is less than the offset distance (tool radius) may produce inconsistent results.
- DXF entities not in the WCS (World Coordinate System) using group codes 210,220 and 230 are currently not supported.
New in D2nc 2.9.9 Beta (Oct 11, 2012)
- Note! V2.9.9 includes a major rework of the internal data structures and large parts of the program have been rewritten. These changes allow for more advanced features like tabs and ramping which have been implemented in this release. The data file format has changed and while previous formats can be read, once saved in the new format, cannot be opened by earlier versions.
- Check the D2nc yahoo group for bug reports and release status! Thanks to a small group of beta testers, this version has had one of the longest and thorough test cycles before release.
- Added pocketing of any arbitrary shape. The step over can be set as a percentage of the tool diameter. If a closed chain or chains are selected then only the selected chains will be pocketed. If nothing is selected all closed chains will be pocketed. Nested pockets and islands are not supported. Current support is for monolithic pockets only.
- Added new panel for contour operation in the Path tab which replaces the centerline operation. This panel contains a separate opengl graphics window for managing local shapes.
- Added ability to set the contour step to represent; 1) the size of the step is the default setting where each step is the entered size with a final step any remainder required for full depth. 2) the max size of the step where all steps will be equal in size but will not exceed the entered value, and 3) the number of steps where the step value equals the full depth / nr of steps.
- Added step narration below the step type which details how the cut will be made. The narration describes how the cut will be performed.
- Added global and local shapes to the new contour panel. Global shapes are effectively pass thru geometry where the whole source shape is used to perform the machining operation. Local shapes allow for sub-shapes or selected geometry from within a shape to be added to the machine queue. No longer is it be necessary to separate out operations into different source shapes to create a machine queue entry.
- Added ramping which allows the plunge to occur while contouring. For closed chains the ramped area is removed as part of the last pass. For open shapes the ramp cut is bidirectional with the tool retracing back to the start point after the ramp and then continuing the normal contour forwards.
- Added tabs to allow the retention of parts in the base stock material after cutout. The number, width and height of the tabs can be specified. The tab height is independent of the step size and can be a fraction of the step or cover multiple steps. The position of the tabs are automatic distributed evenly along the chain. A future enhance may allow for manual repositioning of individual tabs.
- Added DXF import progress bar to indicate elapsed and remaining import time.
- Added a SDL variable value trace dialog which is invoked with a Control-t in SDL entry.
- Added additional support for comma delimited decimal locales.
- Added reflow option to modify panel which allows for the re-optimization of shapes.
- Added default button to Option -> Settings -> DXF panel for tolerance value.
- Changed action when missing tool table entry found from deleting a machine queue entry to converting it to use tool 0 using the missing tools diameter
- Changed all single element circle geometry to be represented by two semi circles.
- Changed path tab to preselect the last shape being worked on, if its a valid shape.
- Changed the source selection of CAM to read CAD which better describes the source of DXF files and other file types in the future.
- Changed G41/G42 to legacy support as native offsetting is preferred over these options.
- Improved DXF file import time. At least twice as fast as before.
- Fixed DXF import of polylines with a single vertex representing a point which caused subscript out of range errors. The single vertex polyline is ignored.
- Fixed DXF import of closed polylines that are seen as open in some cases. Group code 70 = 1.
- Fixed DXF import of ARC entities that were specified with a non-default extrusion direction.
- Fixed mirror and reflect to include lines created with option 1 of the J and W commands.
- Fixed PI() function producing "Non numeric value in formula" error.
- Fixed bug in optimization where the next open point was not selected correctly causing unnecessary tool lifts in some cases.
- Fixed the mouse move drag to be closer to a 1:1 ratio.
- Fixed problem with marquee select activating while zooming.
- Fixed marquee select to work in all directions and not just top left to bottom right.
- Fixed marquee select while dragging rotation point.
- Fixed the problem in comma decimal locales of the dropped fraction that was previously fixed and reintroduced in the last version 2.9.8
- Known issues:
- Offset of shapes containing three consecutive segments whose combined length is less than the offset distance (tool radius) may produce inconsistent results.
- DXF entities not in the WCS (World Coordinate System) using group codes 210,220 and 230 are currently not supported.
New in D2nc 2.9.8 Beta (Oct 11, 2012)
- Fixed the screen cutoff problem experienced on some systems. Increased the mouse pointer selection hotspot for easier selection of screen elements. Re-enabled the ability to use the arrow keys for selection. Other minor enhancements.
New in D2nc 2.9.7 Beta (Oct 11, 2012)
- Added persistent windows size and fixes SDL parser bug when using math functions along with other minor enhancements.
New in D2nc 2.9.6 Beta (Oct 11, 2012)
- A stability release which corrects several bugs that have been reported recently and fixes some of the quirks that were introduced with resizing in the last release
New in D2nc 2.9.5 Beta (Oct 11, 2012)
- Adds the ability to resize and maximize and minimize the D2nc screen. Also included is a new path parameter to allow starting the cut below the top of the material, as at the bottom of a previously milled feature. A significant bug regarding the import of circles has been fixed along with some other minor fixes.
New in D2nc 2.9.4 Beta (Oct 11, 2012)
- Fixes an urgent bug introduced in V2.9.3. The bug caused missing elements during DXF import if the elements were very small or were points. Other new features have been added and several minor bugs fixed.
New in D2nc 2.9.3 Beta (Oct 11, 2012)
- Several new features including a centerline cut indexed around the 4th axis. This has many uses such as spoke cutting flywheels twice as large as your machines working envelope, performing the same operation on a rotary fixture, indexing a pattern around a part and many more. A new experimental wizard for cutting involute gears in the module system is included. The selection tools have been improved with the addition of a marquee select and you may now specify user defined blocks of gcode that is included in the final output.
New in D2nc 2.9.2 Beta (Oct 11, 2012)
- Adds more SDL enhancements along with scaling and speed/feed overrides.
New in D2nc 2.9.1 Beta (Oct 11, 2012)
- Adds additions to the Shape Description language.