[Big Chips]

anyone know or is anyone using BobCad with a Microsribe digitizing arm?

i found information that said and showed V18 working...it seems that V25 should but i am just wondering....

Remtech...says it is compatible with Bobcad...but list V18... so IS V25 able to work with this????

http://www.remtek.com/remtek/microscribe_bobcad18.htm

[Sowen]

No. BobCAD-CAM currently does not work directly with digitizing equipment.

A long time ago in older versions of software there were some customer scripts written to work with certain equipment. I can suggest to enter a feature request with us at support.bobcad.com. Any data or references that you could provide on the technical details would be useful.

We currently depend on digitizers outputting surface files such as Iges or Step. Many newer digitizers now come with their own software that will output surfaces.

[jmullett]

It's pretty easy to make a .dxf file from the point data which can be read into BobCAD. Attached is a AutoCAD 12 .dxf file with points located at 1,1,1; 2,2,2; 3,3,3; 4,4,4; 5,5,5. You just have to open in a text editor and add the header/wrapper around your point data for it to work. For a large number of points you will want to automate using a spreadsheet or your choice of programming language. This is a common thing that is being done by others as well. You can Google .csv to .dxf and find a number of utilities for sale that do what you want. Maybe theres a freebie out there somewhere.

[jmullett]

I was able to simplify the header/wrapper required in the above .dxf file example. I doubt that it is compliant with the .dxf standard but the resulting file opens fine in Autocad and BobCAD v23 and should in v25 as well.

[Big Chips]

Thanks.. and we all need to put in a request for this to work with bobcad...

it is unreal that a $48 dollar decal program works with microscribe...but a V25 does not and it cost thousands.

sowen,

bobcad should contact revware.net and see what is needed on your end to be compatible. You guys could be losing out on sales because you are not compatible. had i owned a microscribe before purchasing Bobcad....i would not have purchased bobcad....just saying/showing how buying decisions can be made simply because bobcad is no longer compatible.

your competition works like a charm...it is something worth doing on v25 and future versions.

I am okay since i have other software that is compatible...but damn...I should not have to use a competitors software to do this and then switch over to V25 after the drawing is complete

[jrmach]

Chips,I want one,Envy,Jealousy,here.

[Trotline]

The Leap motion devices are supposed to have 0.01mm accuracy. I think, (and sincerely hope) that microscribe compatibility is going to be irrelevant before much longer.

https://www.leapmotion.com/

Fingers crossed.

Luke

[jrmach]

Luke,that might game changer.Are they even suggesting apps for reverse engineering now?

[Trotline]

Right now, they're in late beta. They've shipped 10,000 developer kits, (prototype hardware), and the API is basically public. Using it as a 3D scanner will involve some re-purposing, of course, since it's primarily built as a motion input device. They do claim a resolution that's easily good enough, though. It's basically a matter of some developer writing the app for scanning. Someone may well be on it already.

For a long while, I was cautiously optimistic, because the company has been pretty low-key since their initial announcement. They've been making lots of big noise lately, though, and I'm really getting excited. I could easily see an app that specified mounting distances and alignments, then provided calibration for that basic geometry. Given that the USB sensors are going to be below $100 each, I could see using more than one at a time. The possibilities are endless.

I'd happily pay well for such an app. The systems that are out there today are insanely expensive. There's no reason why they can't be replicated, given this new hardware and the API hooks for developers.

Luke

[jrmach]

That would open the possibilities like crazy for us shops that cannot afford what is out there now.My mind is already going with ideas.If I understand this right you would need an app to digitize,then a separate software to model it?Then of course a CAM system?
I have done quite a bit 2D reverse engineering.Even have done some 3D with surfaces.Very slow and have to be very creative.This would be the difference between horse and buggy days vs. space ship for me.Thanks for sharing.

[Big Chips]

looks good but i say it will be yearz before that is developed for cad...maybe never...

be aware of this for a few years now... lets hope.. but in the meantime it is microscribe...

[BurrMan]

looks good but i say it will be yearz before that is developed for cad...maybe never......

Nah..... This year easy..... The scanner part would be 3rd party though..

[Big Chips]

and that is where the money is going to be at...they will sell it at what the market will dictate and prolly about the 2000-2500 dollar range...i would guess...

there are plenty of other ways to get 2d scans and create dxf files and then move into in bobcad and then move forward ...do it all the time... cost about $30 a month

cant seem to understand why the Chinese have not knocked off the digitizing arms yet...

[Big Chips]

feature request sent in and filed...i got my fingers crossed....

[jrmach]

Chips,you got it now

[Big Chips]

huh????what do you mean..the scribe..yes....

[Big Chips]

Sowen,

here is some info that may be useful...this could be easy to implement..

MicroScribe Utility Software v5.0

Writing a Custom Format String
There may be times when it is necessary to write a custom Format String for use with MUS. If you do not see the name of the your application listed in the Select Format portion of the Format Strings tab you will most likely need to create a custom Format String. The following steps will guide you through this simple process.




Determining information needed to write a Format String

1. Figure out how the application you are using accepts 2D or 3D data.

If you were to manually type in XYZ values at the command line or another appropriate area of the application, how do the values need to be formatted? The technical term for this is delineation. There are four standard types of delineation in MUS - space, comma, tab, and enter.

Consult the users guide for your software if you are not sure how to delineate your values. This determination is the integral key to successfully writing a format string.

2. Determine additional keys needed before or after XYZ values are typed in.

Some programs require an Enter or tab key to "send" values to the application. Or, tab keys to correctly change focus between fields for entering XYZ values.

3. Decide how many decimal points of precision you would like recorded.

You have the option of specifying to MUS how many numbers past the decimal point you would like to record. Choosing two would mean that values such as 1.23 would be recorded. Choosing three means data would be formatted like this: 1.234.


How to write a Custom Format String

After determining the above you will be ready to write your Custom Format String.

Anatomy of a Format String:



How data is formatted:

Spaces = spacebar key here
Commas = ,
Tabs = \t

Adding keys to the beginning or ending of the string:

Enter = \n
Enter on the numeric portion of the keyboard = \M
Tab = \t

Specifying how many decimal points:
One decimal point of precision = .1f
Two decimal points of precision = .2f
Three decimal points of precision = .3f
And so on…

[Big Chips]

more info...all this info can be found out by downloading the MUS software in the link halfway down...below and reading the help files.

MicroScribe G2 with BobCAD-CAM 18

Sample Format Strings
Here are some sample Format Strings to use as reference when writing your own:

%.2f,%.2f,%.2f
Enters XYZ values using 2 decimal points of precision and separates the values with commas.

%.3f,%.3f,%.3f
Enters XYZ values using 3 decimal points of precision and separates the values with commas.

%.4f,%.4f,%.4f
Enters XYZ values using 4 decimal points of precision and separates the values with commas.

%.4f %.4f %.4f \n
Enters XYZ values using 4 decimal points of precision, separates the values with spaces, and sends a carriage return at the end of the string.

%.3f,%.3f
Enters X and Y values (omits Z) using 3 decimal points of precision and separates the values with commas.

%.4f,%.4f,0.0
Enters X and Y values (enter "0.0" for Z) using 4 decimal points of precision, separates the values with commas.

%.4f\t%.4f\t%.4f
Enters XYZ values using 4 decimal points of precision, separates the values with tab characters.

%.4f\t%.4f\t%.4f\t\n
Enters XYZ values using 4 decimal points of precision, separates the values with tab characters, and finishes with a final tab and a carriage return.

\t\t%.4f\t%.4f\t%.4f\t
Enters 2 tab characters followed by XYZ values using 4 decimal points of precision. The values are separated with tab characters, and finish with a final tab. In this example, it should be assumed that the program, after accepting the point data, leaves the focus in a field other than the "X" field, requiring 2 tabs to get back to the "X" field. The final tab would be required to take the focus from the "Z" field to an "OK" or "Take Point" button.

%.4f\n%.4f\n%.4f\n
Enters 4 decimal points of precision and separates values with a carriage return.

[Big Chips]

put in a feature request got a email saying it was closed but it had no response...it this normal for feature request...just asking...

[shred]

Nah..... This year easy..... The scanner part would be 3rd party though..

I have one of the beta Leap units. It's very cool, but explicitly not a 3d scanner and likely never will be.

It would make a cool input device for playing around with 3D models though. As would a SpaceBall or SpaceMouse, which I think has long not been supported by BCC although popular with other CAD programs