Using the Square-To-Round software {not fully checked yet} first created 02/12/05 - last modified 10/12/05 Page Author: Ty Harness
Installation
If you have downloaded the zipped version you just need to un compress the zip file and then double click the setup.exe to install the application. Once the installer is running just follow the dialogs.

Uninstall
Using Windows Control Panel - go to add/remove programs and find the Square to round application and press remove.

Launching the Square to round application
The installer creates a desktop icon and a start-programs-menu folder and program where you can use either to start the application. The native file format of the square-to-round application has a file extension of .tystor (the middle icon shown below). It's also possible to start the application by double clicking the data files (or of course the Right Button additional menu and then open with square-to-round).

text here
Figure XX - Icons


By default the application is installed in your windows directory (say) c drive. e.g. c:\program files\thc\squaretoround
I recommend you create a shortcut to the output folder c:\program files\thc\squaretoround\output on your desktop because the application tends to use this area as a root folder for projects. You can of course save your files anywhere on the PC. It's just my personal preference to keep things together.
Using the User Interface

text here
Figure 1 - User Interface Screen Shot


The application has a drawing canvas where you will see the scaled elevations and the flat pattern. These will be will redrawn when the dimensions are changed via the properties pane. If you make a typo and miss-out (say) the decimal place in a dimension then you can see immediately that something is wrong, or if you enter a invalid entry then the input boxes will turn red to warn you that the square to round cannot be redrawn.

text here
Figure XX - Invalid round diameter - a non-numeric entry


Like a CAD application you can pan around (Pan mode) and even drop a tape measure (Tape mode) onto the canvas and measure point-to-point. The easiest way to navigate around the canvas is using a wheel mouse. Where by pressing the wheel (third button) the application will perform a zoom extents and scrolling will zoom in and out. A left button down drag in pan mode will move the drawing elements in the direction of panning or in tape mode display the distance from A to B. The tape is a ghost image over the canvas and shows the Cartesian x and y dimensions and polar length and angle.

text here
Figure XX - Use the tape mode to get rough measurements between points


To zoom in on (say) the front elevation: move the mouse to the front elevation and scroll up one notch and you'll see the front elevation get a little bigger and move a little closer to the centre of the canvas. Again move the cursor to the centre of the front elevation and repeat. With a little practice you'll be able to zoom in or out about any part of the drawing. There are, of course, also menu and toolbar options for zooming. You can set a percentage zoom factor from the view menu if the operation is too fast or slow (1 slow - 10 fast). Different PC's, mouses and MS Windows setups behave slightly different.
Menu Bar functions

File

Open and saving files

Use File from the menu bar to access the open, save and saveas functions. The current file path and file name are displayed inside the caption bar. An asterisk is appended when any changes have occurred since the last save.

A conventional save will overwrite the existing file, where as a 'save as' will allow you save the file to another name using the common windows save dialog. e.g. Job1.tystor, Job1RevA.tystor etc.

Print Simplex: You can print out simple page containing the properties and a simple non-scaled sketch which is useful for quotations and reference etc. You don't have to include all the drawing elements in the sketch. Using the layers option you can turn off (say) the pattern.

Sample PDF of simple print out.

Printer Calibration: If you find your printer is not accurately printing the drawing then you can tweak the printer calibration factors a and b. First print out a calibration sheet and if a and b do not measure 100mm then you can set a and b to what your actual printer has produced. Most printers should be within 1mm but remember the further the scale is from 1:1 then the error is magnified. {write some more on scaling and how to check the accuracy of your plot}

Print Complex: The ability to plot a scaled drawing to paper. If you need then to transfer the information to the material there are various techniques to copy the pattern over to material. There's more detail below under the PaperSheet heading. {Need to talk more about the ways of marking out the pattern.}

Printer Order Form: Details of how to purchase the full version

Exporting alternative file formats

Export 2D DXF: This is useful for CAD operators who want to include a plan and front elevation within a bigger assembly drawing.

Export DXF Pattern: This is the pattern perimeter on its own. This is useful CADCAM operators who only need the pattern profile as continuous 2D poly line.

Export 3D DXF: Again ideal for 3D CAD operators. Each Triangulation is a 3D poly face which allows for immediate rendering.

Export 3D VRML: Useful for 3D graphics on the web and most 3D polygon renderers out there like computer games.

Export BMP and JPG: JPG is very suitable for web and email attachments. BMP, it's there if you need it. Note the captured width and height are the same as the canvas displayed on the screen and controlled by re sizing the application window.

Export to HTML: This one is useful for when you need to explain a square-to-round to someone else - maybe the other side of the world. Simply export to html and a new folder will be created containing the tystor file. All the DXF files,VRML file, and a HTML web page with a consistent filename to keep things nicely packaged together. This can be uploaded to your server then all concerned can access what parts they need. It's not a very exciting looking page but you can go on to edit the html to match the look and feel of your own web site. Any web site designer can take the core files and improve on the look.
An example of the html export

Options

Cap top and bottom - Typically a games engine will only render one side dependent on the direction of the polygon normal so it can produce a strange effect where you can see the front but not the inside back. You'll need to use double sided rendering, double skin the structure or I've got an option to cap the top and bottom off which gives it a solid appearance.


text here
Figure XX - FireFox with Cortona VRML plugin - capping off the top and bottom.


text here text here
Figure XX - XDSOFT 3D Explorer - Single sided render and then the option for double sided rendering


All the other options are suppression factors for the style of the html page. i.e. if you don't need dxf then remove the tick.

View

Zooming functions are mostly self explanatory. Please note in paper sheet mode you're scaling against the paper area displayed in the canvas.

Lists: This is the house-keeping side of the software from where the graphics and the additional calculations are executed. The true lengths and the pattern points offer another way to transfer the geometry to the material or other software applications like spread-sheets if you need to perform even more analysis.

Centre of extents: move the drawing back to the centre of the canvas.

Restore Default colours: It is possible to change everything to black by mistake so you can't see your drawing elements. This option will return to the default colour scheme if you get into a pickle.

Background,Paper and Pen colours: You can set up your own personal desired colour scheme.

Snapshot: You can capture the whole window including caption bar. I've found it useful not only for making this documentation but also for creating animations. You can press F10 hot key to take snap, modify (say) the properties and then take another snap and so on. The files are saved as BMP in the output folder. Use (say) Jasc Animation shop or a similar product then to make animated GIF or AVI files.

text here
Figure XX - Snapshots animated together using JASC Animation shop


Layers

If you only need to see the pattern then the other layers can be turned off independently - the layer names are self explanatory.

Paper Sheet

PaperSheet Mode allows you to scale the drawing against the intended sheet of paper you wish to print on. Use Page Setup from the Paper Sheet menu and choose your printer, paper size and orientation. e.g. Samsung, A4, landscape.

You will then see the paper area displayed on the drawing canvas. Now when you are zooming you are scaling against that paper size. Roughly scale your drawing and drag the drawing onto the paper in pan mode. The scale factor is shown in the status bar. Let's say the drawing fits well on your paper at 1:5.157 scale then I recommend you right button click on the scale ratio in the status bar and force it to 1:5.


text here
Figure XX - Right button on the status bar to force a specific scale ratio


Once the scale ratio is set be careful not to catch the mouse wheel when positioning the drawing on the paper. Choose file from the menu bar and print complex.

Sample PDF of a scaled complex print out.

Calculations

Show rotated min area bounding box: The minimum rectangular area required to encompass the pattern surface area.

Show bounding box: This gives you the ability to try out different bounding boxes by specifying the angle on the box . East is zero degrees moving anti clockwise positively(e.g. 90 deg north).

Clear Bounding box: Erases all the bounding boxes drawn. The bounding boxes are also erased when and geometry has been changed.

Advanced Properties: Lists out all the properties that an engineer may find useful.

Calculated properties: Please consult the Mathematics behind the Square-to-Round section which shows how all the advanced properties are calculated. Mathematics behind the Square to Round

Help

The about box is useful to identify which version of Square to Round you have installed in case you need further support.

Please email sheetmetal@tyharness.co.uk if you have any comments or need further questions answering.
Case Study come tutorial{not ready yet}

[Mathematics behind the Square to Round]
[Square to Round Page]
[Home]