August 4th, 1992 Introduction ============ This text file, "ReadMe!", contains last minute updates and other useful and important information. See the file called "Revisions" on disk 4 for additions and bug fixes to DynaCADD since 3.00.00. o CLI/Shell users need to use Stack 30000 before running DynaCADD. o Keyboard menu alternates use either [Alt] or [Amiga] key with the respective letter. o In order for the menus to drop down the mouse pointer needs to be in the menu bar area, otherwise the right-mouse button is used by DynaCADD for command completion or cancelation. o The Install utility can also be used to update DynaCADD in your system. Simply run Install and specify the destination. Install will copy only the files that have changed. This means that when you copy DynaCADD files, make sure that you use the CLONE option with the CLI/Shell Copy command. Additions to 3.00 ================= ********************** IMPORTANT ************************* **** Please convert all your old files into DEF format **** **** in order to transfer them into this new version!! **** ************************************************************ 1. The 3-D math has been rewritten using improved algorithms. As such, old 3-D planar entities converted over using DEF 2.0 may be improperly rotated. We do apologize for this but felt it was preferable to change now than at a future date, given the sudden rise in the use of the 3-D mode. To properly align the GCPs, DEF in the part from the previous version and save it out. Now create a new 3-D part, merge in the previous part and recreate your views. 2. A new entity type (3-D Face/Solid) has been added. All appropriate selection and transformation commands have been upgraded to work with the new entity type. Plotting, Printing and PostScript output have also been upgraded. 3. Entity Snap: End has been updated to allow snapping to 2-D solid corners and 3-D face corners. 4. Once selected, an entity may be deselected by clicking the mouse button while the entity selection cursor is positioned on the entity and the [Shift] key is held down. 5. Hidden line removal has been added. The command icon is found in the EDITVIEW sub icon pad. Clicking on the HIDEFACE command will remove the hidden lines from all selected views. A new Hidden Line Parameters dialog has been added to the Set menu. The options are: Generate Entities: Create 2-D lines from the edges of the 3-D Faces after the hidden portions of the edges have been removed. The entities are created with the following attributes: Layer: Active Weight: #1 Style: Continuous Color: If inheritance is active the line is created using the color of the face, otherwise the active color is used. Display Entities: Will display all other entities after the hidden lines have been generated. Blended Planes: If two or more Faces share a common edge and the two Faces are coplanar, the edge will be removed and the two Faces blended into one. Note that only the hidden line is changed, the defining entities remain unmodified. Hide Views 1-2-3-4: Only selected views will have hidden lines removed. 6. DXF import has been upgraded to include the layer color and style information. A new color transformation dialog appears during a DXF import requesting the color transformation preferred. The various transformations available are: Dark: Sets color palette to AutoCAD dark background. Light: Sets color palette to AutoCAD light background, None: No palette transformation. In order to set the colors properly without distorting the colors of the DynaCADD interface, a color translation table is employed. If no color index translation is desired, use the "None" option on the transformation dialog. 7. The DXF in translator has been enhanced and improved. These improvements include: - Support for 2 1/2-D entities. - Support for 3-D entities. - Proper evaluation of $Flatland header variable for 2 1/2-D. - Proper evalulation of $Fillmode header variable for Trace entities. - Elevations are supported. - 3-D Extrusion using 3-D Faces is supported. - All six AutoCAD text justification modes are supported. - UCS Tables are converted to DynaCADD GCP's. - Polyline line bulge factors are now converted to DynaCADD Arcs. - Translator upgraded to AutoCAD Release 10. - Insert Block repeat counts are supported. 8. The DXF out translator has also been enhanced and improved. These improves include: - Upgraded to compatibility with AutoCAD Release 10 - More detailed DXF Header file. - Passing of 3-D UCS Table mapped from DynaCADD GCP Table. - Layer color and style have been added to the Layer Table. - Bspline and Bézier curve are interpolated using spline fitting. 9. A DXF out 3-D option has been added. When DXF out 3-D has been selected, all DynaCADD 3-D entities, including the new 3-D face, will be output. Planar entities such as arcs and text have their coordinate planes converted from DynaCADD GCP to AutoCAD UCS. 10. DEF export has been upgraded to version 4.00. A quick summary of enhancements include: Global Variables: Version ColorByLayer StyleByLayer WeightByLayer Mask Unmask Viewmask 3-D View Tables Color Tables GCP Tables Image Tables Layer Tables have been extended to include color, weight and style information. Layer Tables output unnamed layers. Bsplines and Béziers no longer add an extraneous point. Note: The inclusion of the Version global in DEF 3.00+ files is mandatory and is now required for the proper importation of DEF. 11. DEF 3.00 documention is in a file called DEF300 in the DynaCADD drawer on disk "DynaCADD 4". 12. A color PostScript option has been added to the PostScript parameters dialog. When this button is selected, color information for each entity is included in the PostScript file, otherwise a monochromatic file is generated. 13. A page counter has been added to the set PostScript parameters dialog. The number of pages (1..99) is displayed in the page size area of the dialog. 14. When trying to exit DynaCADD or cancel background output, a dialog has been added requesting confirmation. 15. Inserting figures now uses the inheritance flag to determine the color and layer information the figure will use. If inheritance is turned on, the figure will have the same color and layer as the parent figure had when it was created, otherwise the figure will be inserted on the currently active layer using the current color. 16. A new Layer Attributes dialog has been added to provide quicker access to all layering information. The dialog is accessed through the Layer menu item found under the Set menu title. 17. Color, Style and Weight By Layer toggles have been added in the layer icon pad. When these switches are turned on, entities are drawn in the color/style/weight associated with the entity's layer, otherwise the entity is drawn using the color/style/weight with which it was created. Plotting, Printing and PostScript routines have also been modified to work with the new flags. 18. A Transform: Copy icon has been placed in the top icon bar The icon and help message toggle with the state of the global flag. Duplicate entities are created when Transform: Copy is active, while only one set of entities is shown on the icon when the flag is deactivated. The command to toggle the Transform: Copy flag is TRANCOPY. 19. The maximum number of rotation copies has been increased from 360 to 3600. 20. The maximum number of revolution copies has been increased from 360 to 3600. 21. Coordinate tracking has been extended from 5 to 6 digits on the left side of the decimal providing a tracking range of +/- 999999.99999. 22. The TRIMINTOF command has been changed to TRIMCORNR. The functionality remains the same. 23. A new command TRIMINTOF has been added. This command is functionally identical to Trim Corner with one exception. The second entity selected is used only to determine the intersection location and is not trimmed or modified in any manner. 24. The POINTFILE command has been moved from under the CREATE icon submenu to the OUTPUT icon submenu. 25. The Translate command has had an icon submenu added to it with 3 entries. Move, Copy and Copy Multiple. The Transform: Copy flag is no longer evaluated for translations. 26. The TRANMOVE command functions identical to the TRANSLATE command with the Transform: Copy flag disabled. 27. The TRANCOPY command functions identical to the TRANSLATE command with the Transform: Copy flag enabled. 28. The TRANMCOPY flag is similar to the TRANCOPY command except the original entities selected to be copied are not deselected once the translation is performed. The first translation location (the "from" location) is retained. To deselect the current group of entities, press the right mouse button before selecting the second translation location (the "to" location). 29. The TRANSLATE command now has a Translate with 3-D Faces option. When the 3-D Faces options (found under the TRANSLATE icon) is selected, all Translated entities are joined with 3-D Faces. Faces are created only when copies are done. 30. The PROJECT command now has a Project with 3-D Faces option. When the 3-D Faces options (found under the PROJECT icon) is selected, all projected entities are joined with 3-D Faces, otherwise projection lines are used. 31. The PROJECT command now honours the "inheritance" flag when constructing projection lines or 3-D Faces. 32. The REVOLVE command now has a Revolve with 3-D Faces option. When the 3-D Faces options (found under the REVOLVE icon) is selected, all revolved entities are joined with 3-D Faces. 33. The SWEEP command now has a Sweep with 3-D Faces option. When the 3-D Faces options (found under the SWEEP icon) is selected, all swept entities are joined with 3-D Faces. 34. A new dialog showing the last active part and drawing has replaced the old AutoStart dialog. In addition, an "Exit" button has been added. This button will exit DynaCADD and return you to the WorkBench. 35. For users of the Calcomp PCI and 907 format drivers the following settings must be active on the plotter's intelligent controller: Sync char: 1 sync char = 2 End of Message: 13 Checksum: disabled Flow Control: XON/XOFF Note: The Calcomp 907 format plotter must be using an intelligent controller or rotation of a plot will generate a plotter logic error. Serial port configurations for most plot drivers are as follows: 8 bits / character Stop bit(s): 1 Parity: None Baud: computer and plotter must match Flow Control: XON/XOFF Exception: Users of the Calcomp 960 Extended driver must set Flow Control to RTS/CTS 36. 3-D Text can be revolved, swept, projected and copied to create 3-D Faces. 37. Export of 3-D Faces to rendering packages has been added to the File Transfer dialog. Imagine, Sculpt, LightWave and VideoScape are currently supported. 3-D Faces are converted to triangles for Imagine and Sculpt. Grouped Faces are maintained as an object in Imagine files. If rendering of an object in LightWave does not quite come out the way it should, check for surface normals pointing in the proper direction. 38. And minor bug fixes and enhancements too numerous to list... Additions to 1.84 ================= Network Support See the file "Networks" on disk "DynaCADD 4" for details. New Commands Since the printing of the DynaCADD manual, four new commands have been added. For more information on these commands, point to the appropriate icon and press [Help]. o Under the INSERT CIRCLE command: - CIRRADLOC has been added. o Under the INSERT ARC command: - ARCRADLOC has been added. o Under the OUTPUT icon: - POINTFILE has been added. o Under TRANSFORM: - ALIGN has been added. Printer and Plotter Support .. Appendix D The following new plotter driver has been added: GRX-400.PLT - Roland GRX-400 The following new printer drivers have been added: ILBM072.PNT - IFF ILBM 72 DPI ILBM150.PNT - IFF ILBM 150 DPI ILBM300.PNT - IFF ILBM 300 DPI IMG072.PNT - GEM image 72 DPI IMG300.PNT - GEM image 300 DPI LASRJETF.PNT - HP LaserJet 300 DPI LQ-510.PNT - Epson LQ-510 New DEF Commands The following four new commands have been added to the DynaCADD Exchange Format (DEF): Origin_X - set X co-ordinate of page origin Origin_Y - set Y co-ordinate of page origin 2D_Figure - load a 2-D figure 3D_Figure - load a 3-D figure Examples: In the DEF file header: Origin_X 5.50000000 Origin_Y 4.00000000 In the body of the DEF file 2D_Figure filename X location Y location X scale Y scale rotation End 3D_Figure filename X location Y location Z location X scale Y scale Z scale plane rotation about X axis plane rotation about Y axis plane rotation about Z axis rotation End Set buttons in Pen Indexes Dialog The "Set" buttons are only active during TRANSFORM MODIFY CHAPEN. They enable selective transformation of pen color, line weight, or line style depending on their selected states. For example, if the Set buttons beside pen color and line weight are selected, only the color and weight attributes will be changed while retaining the previous line style. New UNDO Capabilities You can now UNDO layer, pen color, line style and line weight changes, as well as other TRANSFORM MODIFY commands. Command History It is possible to clear the command history buffer. Press the [Del] key while the Command History window is visible. DynaCADD Font Support ===================== We are very pleased to announce that through an agreement with AGFA Compugraphic, we have included at NO CHARGE the following Compugraphic fonts with DynaCADD: o CG Times, CG Triumvirate, Park Avenue, Revue Light, Brush, Zapf Chancery, Architecture 1 & 2, Dom Casual and Old English. We have also included four of our own fonts and over ten hatch styles. New hatch styles can be created with the Vector Font Editor. Special CAMM-1 versions of these fonts are available to registered owners upon request. Changes to the Manual ===================== Page 10 in the 2-D Tutorial Change LOC IX 1.20 to LOC IX 3.00 Page 51 in the 2-D Tutorial Use DZWINDOW to zoom in on the area to be dimensioned, before performing step 55. Page 7 in the 3-D Tutorial Last line of the page, change it to read: Set the Pen Indexes to Weight 1 and Style CONTINUOUS. Although pen color was not specified in the tutorial steps, the supplied parts and drawings, which are the results of the tutorial steps, have had color added. Feel free to experiment with pen and system colors while doing the tutorials. Bug Reports =========== We have tested DynaCADD 3.00 and its functions very thoroughly, although it is impossible, in this kind of application, to cover all possibilities. In the event that you discover functions that are not working as they should, please advise us as soon as possible. When you call or write, please give as much detail as possible and the steps that led to the problem. This will greatly assist our development team in tracking down and fixing any remaining oversights. Bug reports and any other feedback can also be sent electronically via CompuServe, GEnie and BIX to the following accounts: BIX j.oklamcak CompuServe 76004,2246 GEnie ISD Good luck and thank you for your support! ******************************************************************* Company and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. *******************************************************************