A new version of Linkage is available to test:
http://www.rectorsquid.com/beta/linkage.msi
This is version 3.15 or greater. It will get updated as I fix more bugs and tweak more features. Here are some recent changes, some of which might have already been released in previous versions:
- The control knobs on actuators and circles look different. They are now a small circle that show a dot in the center when selected. Hmmm, maybe it should have been a red dot and not a black dot.
- The control knob for adjusting the circle radius/diameter snaps to align with other elements.
- Link errors are shown with an outline around the link instead of the little red line “explosion” markings that were designed for connectors.
- Only one or two elements will show errors when there is a problem.
- If the mechanism has different types of errors, such as a link being stretched and some other link being unable to simulate, the more clear and meaningful error is shown and the generic “unable to simulate…” error is hidden.
- A bug in the sliding connector code was fixed. A link that slides on two sliding connectors would go past it’s valid movement if the connectors were added to the mechanism in a certain “backwards” order.
- The Run button was not getting changed to a Stop button properly in some circumstances – this was fixed.
- Some groups of three links in a triangle would not function properly – this was fixed.
- A problem/bug/crash with internal gears set to 1:1 was fixed.
- A drawing polygon was added to the gallery of droppable elements. It has always been possible to add points to a drawing line element to make it a polygon but no one knew to try that.
- Gears that have multiple radii are drawn differently than before.
- Element selection code has been improved so selecting the outline of an element is always tested before testing to see if the selection is within the boundary of a link or polygon.
- Alt-click has been added for selecting all connectors at the mouse pointer location instead of just one.
Good to hear Dave! Also saw on your link the cam follower simulation — looks just the ticket. Full time job … that’s ok, all good things take time.
Dave, congrats on getting this new version out. Back in 2016, you were working on cam design to incorporate into Linkage. Your example looked like a typical 4-stroke engine cam lobe. Wondering here if you still have plans to get that up and running in Linkage — would be very useful. Cheers.
I am working on it. The changes I made for editing the control knobs on circles and actuators is related to being able to edit the control knobs on a Bezier curve. My plan is to finish curve the editing features and then allow curves, which are really polylines that can have straight or Bezier curved segments, to be used for drawing purposes. I have some of that working but mot the more complicated parts. The polylines will be able to be fastened to links so that they move together – this allows people to make interesting shapes for their links. The final step to making cams is to let the user creating a sliding connection between the curve and a connector. I have a bunch of the code to detect where circles intersect Bezier curves that is the basis for handling the cam simulation. Here’s that curve intersection code in action: https://www.rectorsquid.com/circletest.php?slowbezier
So it’s getting there. I think that the next version will definitely have some curve-related features although I’m not sure when the cam stuff will be fully functional. To be honest, having a full time job gets in the way far too much.