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In the image above, there is a complexity that cannot be handled by the Linkage simulator. Although it might not look complicated, the lack of kinematic chain simulation in the software makes this impossible to simulate. The Linkage software, as I have written about on numerous occasions, uses…
Continue readingA year ago, I wrote code to generate an optimized route between a set of locations. The algorithm was based on the third of four obvious algorithms that solve the traveling salesman problem. The traveling salesman problem is the problem of getting the shortest route between a set…
Continue readingI’ve started porting the Linkage software to the Macintosh (“Mac” for those of you who have never heard it called by its “real” name). So far, the only problems I’ve had are those related to the design being done wrong; The language changes are insignificant since I program…
Continue readingSince cam simulation involves finding the “best” place on a spline to place a sliding connector, there are bound to be small problems caused by the cam shape. I realized that this can actually cause terrible problems when a cam is using an open spline. The simulation difficulties…
Continue readingI have been dumbfounded for years. I want to maybe write the Linkage program in Swift for the Mac. I absolutely need GPU acceleration to get good performance and that has eluded me for quite some time. I was unable to find any article, until now, that told…
Continue readingI just made a new beta Linkage app available. And yes, I did just call it an “app” because “program” sounds too old-school. The beta is here: http://www.rectorsquid.com/beta/linkage.msi. The video above shows one of the newest simulation improvements. The little triangle link with two sliding connectors was not…
Continue readingThe data in the Linkage program is set up in what seemed like the best way possible when I first wrote it. There is an overall document object and in that object is a list of links, a list of connectors, and a list of splines. Within a…
Continue readingShould I start calling it “The Linkage App?” I’m toying with the idea of having a linear input feature. A few people pointed out the difficulty in creating a linear motion base using the software’s linear actuators. The linear actuators are similar to hydraulic cylinders and are connected…
Continue readingThe rotating input connector can have an oscillation limit angle that makes the rotating input reverse when the angle is reached. There is also an angle that is just the oscillation offset or start point. It’s hard to describe that start angle although I should just call it…
Continue readingI got a complaint, albeit a very friendly and not “complainy” one, that the Linkage software isn’t handling the pen (stylus) on a Windows tablet properly. I implemented pen-to-mouse conversion code that seems to be working. My HP Spectre x360 came with a stylus so I was able…
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