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  #1  
Old 10-20-2005, 05:42 AM
hoverhans hoverhans is offline
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Default Rocksim question

I have been playing around with the demo version and have a question about exporting parts to cad.
I want to export the centering rings and fins so I can cut them on my laser cutter. I can print the parts, but can't seem to find a way to export them into cad.
Any help?

Thanks much,
Hans
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  #2  
Old 10-22-2005, 07:47 AM
hoverhans hoverhans is offline
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No one knows how to do this? Well I guess I'll just have to print them out and scan them back in. There has to be a way as it says right in the add that you can send the files to BMS and they can laser cut the parts for you. I have a laser so I can do it myself.
If anyone has an idea how to export these files, please chime in.
Thanks much,
Hans
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  #3  
Old 10-22-2005, 09:25 AM
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kurtschachner kurtschachner is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hoverhans
No one knows how to do this? Well I guess I'll just have to print them out and scan them back in. There has to be a way as it says right in the add that you can send the files to BMS and they can laser cut the parts for you. I have a laser so I can do it myself.
If anyone has an idea how to export these files, please chime in.
Thanks much,
Hans


I am disapointed in the drawing capabilities of Rocksim. I have redrawn most all the early Estes fin patterns and decals in Illustrator, and apparently there is no way to import any other type of vector drawing into Rocksim (nor a bitmap for that matter). Trying to draw anything with Rocksim is an exercise in frustration IMHO.

But more to your question, I think that Bill at BMS must have some sort of conversion program that takes a Rocksim file and churns out a vector file that works with his laser cutter. You might email him and ask.

It is unfortunate because I would give Bill a lot of business if he would accept EPS or AI files along with the Rocksim ones. I am just not willing to try and redraw everything in Rocksim given its limitations but at the same time I'd really like to find a place that will cut fins for a reasonable price.
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  #4  
Old 10-22-2005, 04:05 PM
Ltvscout Ltvscout is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kurtschachner
It is unfortunate because I would give Bill a lot of business if he would accept EPS or AI files along with the Rocksim ones. I am just not willing to try and redraw everything in Rocksim given its limitations but at the same time I'd really like to find a place that will cut fins for a reasonable price.

Have you talked to Carl at Semroc?
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  #5  
Old 10-22-2005, 05:01 PM
hoverhans hoverhans is offline
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I just got an email from Tim and the rocksim programer. He said that they are working on a .dxf export feature, but are not sure when it will be ready for release.

Very nice people to deal with for sure. The programer explained a way that I might be able to get a usable image and I'll give it a try soon as I am working in Japan right now and of course can't use my home system.
Thanks for the info gents!
Hans
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  #6  
Old 10-22-2005, 06:34 PM
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kurtschachner kurtschachner is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ltvscout
Have you talked to Carl at Semroc?


Well, yeah I e-mailed him a while back. He asked for me to send him a few patterns (which I did) but then I never heard back. I figured it was either too little to bother with or he got busy.

He doesn't explicitly sell custom laser cut fins, but he should.
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  #7  
Old 10-22-2005, 06:35 PM
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kurtschachner kurtschachner is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hoverhans
I just got an email from Tim and the rocksim programer. He said that they are working on a .dxf export feature, but are not sure when it will be ready for release.

Very nice people to deal with for sure. The programer explained a way that I might be able to get a usable image and I'll give it a try soon as I am working in Japan right now and of course can't use my home system.
Thanks for the info gents!
Hans


That is more than I got. I asked about importing a scan to trace over, but never heard back.
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  #8  
Old 10-22-2005, 09:46 PM
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Doug Sams Doug Sams is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kurtschachner
I asked about importing a scan to trace over, but never heard back.
That would be real handy. My current method for entering fins is to either trace them on grid paper or trace them in Autocad. Either way, I can read the coordinates and enter them into a spreadsheet, then paste that into the Rocksim data file. Sometimes, I'll manually draw the fin trying to put the vertices on the ascertained coordinates, but the Rocksim fin drawing tool is pretty crappy. The format for entering the coordinates in the data file is pretty crappy, too. Ugh!

A totally awesome helper would be a fin scaling command. In theory, that shouldn't be too difficult in the spreadsheet, but because of the aforementioned crappy data file format, it's not so simple. Plus, you still have to get out of Rocksim, futz around in Excel, then reopen Rocksim (or at least reload the data file). It'd be much better to just open the fin editor in Rocksim and then type in the scale factor.

For that matter, a trace tool would be totally awesome in the engine editor, too (assuming you can get a scan of the burn graph from TMT that isn't keystoned). But Apogee would also need to update the way the engine editor works. When you save from the editor, it wipes out all the comments in your .eng file. F@#$%! I wiped out a painstakingly assembled set of comments (with info such as data source and date) because of futzing with this POS tool. Now I just use it as a viewer.

Doug
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  #9  
Old 10-22-2005, 10:09 PM
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Carl@Semroc Carl@Semroc is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kurtschachner
Well, yeah I e-mailed him a while back. He asked for me to send him a few patterns (which I did) but then I never heard back. I figured it was either too little to bother with or he got busy.

He doesn't explicitly sell custom laser cut fins, but he should.
Was that you, Kurt?
I have some Mercury Redstone fins in AI format. I lost your original email and just had the file. I think I was wating for a particular thickness of plywood or something.

If you resend the body of your email (if you have it), I will finish this project. I do remember that the AI format worked very well with the laser cutter since it is vector format. A tif or jpg file takes 10-20 minutes to prepare for the laser cutter.

And, nothing is too little to bother with (since we are little) and we have been busy! (but not too busy to work in some custom work for our friends.)

If you don't see it online, ask.
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  #10  
Old 10-22-2005, 10:29 PM
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Tau Zero Tau Zero is offline
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Thumbs up Three Cheers for Carl and Co.!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Carl@Semroc
And, nothing is too little to bother with (since we are little) and we have been busy! (but not too busy to work in some custom work for our friends.)

If you don't see it online, ask.

Carl and Sheryl have *always* been willing to go "above and beyond" for me and other rocketeers here on YORF (as well as other forums), and *that's* why I make it a point to order Semroc products directly from the company... so I can contribute as much $$$ as possible to Semroc!


Cheers,

--Jay
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