3D coordinate to vector converter software ?

Hi Friends,

I am currently designing a new purpose build prototype machine, which requires me to enter the required position in terms of X=(x,y,z) into the software and to create a 3 D vector equivalent converted data item.

Now their is much software around which takes an image file and converts it to a 3D format file, but none appear to allow the entry of raw coordinate data.

Your help is much appreciated.

Kind regards

Al:

Well, you could do this in the g-code itself, with R and V words, ie, do yer own calcs within a program. Eg, In 3D, the pythagorean theorem becomes R^2 = x^2+y^2+z^2, and instead of sin, cos, you have direction cosines of alpha, beta, gamma angles, altho you can also use sines and cosines. iirc, these various direction cosines are simply cos alpha = x/sqrt(R^2), cos beta = y/, etc.

X,Y,Z coords from a vector line are just the reverse of the above, ie, the various projections of the 3-D line onto the various axes, and all the components can be simply summed for the vector addition/result.

Any solid geometry/calc+analytic geometry text will have some version of this, altho some "methods" (altho all ultimately equivalent) will be more amenable pyooter-wise than others.

If vector lines is alls you want, it's really not much more complicated than the above, but if you want more than that, it can get perty dicey. I dint do very well in the complicated stuff.... :) But it seemed to me the puhfessuh wadn't too swift, either.....

A fellow at

(posted in rcm) did the general mapping of *any* type of fishmouth at *any* angle in pipe, and might be able to help you wrt programs that might do simple points/lines.

Unfortunately, his program is for *printing out the template* for the various fishmouth intersections for the user to then tape on pipe and cut out by hand, and not an analytical/algebraic solution that you could put in a program. But it is very neat, and from the little bit he explained to me, very ingenious.

Your vector calcs can be readily done in a spreadsheet, which might help in the transition to doing this in the cnc program itself, if you choose to do this yourself.

Oh, in fact, I will be posting a ditty on something similar to this, where I (once again) re-invented the effing wheel, by having the program calc out what G68 woulda done, with much less drama and strain on my brain.

I knew about G68, but didn't realize it could do angles anywhere, I thought it was just for rotation of polygons about a center.

It amounts to basically a summation of a bunch of x and y components, along the desired angle, plus pre- and post cut distances, plus the cutter comp components, plus adjustment factors.

Sum all the component x's, y's, and bang, you gotcher cutter-comp'd move along an angle. At least in the xy plane. Really practical just for single line straight moves, but came in real handy for one job. Bein cadcamless'n'shit....

However, G68 is ultimately less drama. And can be done in any selection of planes, with g17,18,19.