Exporting chairs

[Stephen Freeman]

Well I seem to have hit another hurdle. I have tried to export a stl file, looks good in the viewer, all is well until I get to the repairing part. It doesn't, neither does the online facility, times out and says it's too damaged. The chairs are for a B7 in 0MF rail set at code 124 (in the absence of 125). Clearly I must be doing something wrong but what? stl file is too large to post.

 

[Stephen Freeman]

Well I seem to have hit another hurdle. I have tried to export a stl file, looks good in the viewer, all is well until I get to the repairing part. It doesn't, neither does the online facility, times out and says it's too damaged. The chairs are for a B7 in 0MF rail set at code 124 (in the absence of 125). Clearly I must be doing something wrong but what? stl file is too large to post.

Must have been a glitch somewhere in the works, quit templot and had a fresh start, haven't hit any problems as far as I can see, though on the last attempt I tried specifying no plugs but it still generated a couple on the Vee. Now to see if I can actually print something worthwhile.

 

[Phil G]

Hi Stephen,
the box file you posed is the full B7 is that what your after?
There are a couple of issues if you try to create an STL file for the full turnout.
The first is it becomes a massive file for 3B builder to handle. Secondly at about 450 mm long its too big for a 3D resin printer to print anyway.
The first step is to break the turnout down into more manageable size parts. James second YouTube video cover this off very well.
cheers
Phil

 

[Phil G]

Hi Stephen
After 25 mins of chunking away 3D builder created this fixed file. still not much use though

 

[Martin Wynne]

the box file you posed is the full B7 is that what your after?

@Stephen Freeman @Phil G

The BOX file Stephen posted is a B-6, not a B-7.

If printing integrated chairs and timbers in a one-piece timbering base, it is necessary to switch off the plugs and chair supports, and to switch off the sockets layer.

Otherwise the mesh-fixing will get confused.

Also, without any sockets there is no need for the side flanges on the timbers, so they could be switched off too. However, that will also lose the dropper-wire retaining ridges.

Martin.

 

[Martin Wynne]

@Stephen Freeman @Phil G

Hi Stephen,

There are 2 superimposed B-6 background templates in the BOX file which you posted.

If you tried exporting both templates, it would explain the mesh-fixing issues.

cheers,

Martin.

 

[Phil G]

Hi Martin,
your right on both counts, I simply deleted one of the templates,( as its something I tend to do a lot IE save the file twice and then have to clean it up) Also to be honest I did not even look what the turnout was. I just assumed it was a B7 as per Stevens post your quite right its a B6 LH

I am also not exactly sure what Steven is trying to product here,

I thought I would try out exporting the chairs on a 0MF B7

I read it as chairs only, with no plugs. But that then opens up the question how to attached the chairs to the raft?
cheers
Phil

 

[Stephen Freeman]

1) Only one template here definitely checked
2) I have no intention of printing anything until I am sure it works
3) I have attached a screenshot of the B6 blanked up to vee crossing from the preview
4) I set the dialogue to print the chairs solid everything but no pegs but clearly some of the chairs are not and 2 pegs clearly included
5) not possible to attach to any raft as a result
6) File does not appear to be repairable

 

[Phil G]

Hi Stephen,
is this the sort of thing your looking for?
cheers
Phil

 

[Stephen Freeman]

Still tinkering, I have reduced the segment to 2 timbers worth, Online facility fixed it. 3D Builder didn't apparently attempt to to fix it. Also exported pretty much as default. All the missing bits seem to be there.

 

[Martin Wynne]

1) Only one template here definitely checked
2) I have no intention of printing anything until I am sure it works
3) I have attached a screenshot of the B6 blanked up to vee crossing from the preview
4) I set the dialogue to print the chairs solid everything but no pegs but clearly some of the chairs are not and 2 pegs clearly included
5) not possible to attach to any raft as a result
6) File does not appear to be repairable

@Stephen Freeman

Hi Stephen,

This project is still experimental. It may not always work. So far I haven't done any work in 7mm/ft scale so it's quite possible there are some tweaks needed. However, as far as I can tell, it does all work ok.

Your problems are in the preview because you haven't set it up to show the raw unfixed mesh. You need to make this setting:

I have mentioned this before, but not for some time. I know I have to keep repeating stuff for the rest of my life, and this will probably be one of them.

The yellow circled items are not chairs. They are the NX and NC spacer blocks and nose clamps. They are loose items which do not have plugs. What you can see are the supports from which they need to be cut.

In 4mm/ft scale they are very small and fiddly to fit and can be omitted if not wanted. In 7mm/ft scale they are not so fiddly and you probably do want them. Here they are again (marked S):

Note that as with the AA chair, the NC clamp is handed left or right, so you need to keep it with the relevant chairs until ready for use.

Untick if not wanted in the export, and store the template:

I will write some more shortly.

cheers,

Martin.

 

[Stephen Freeman]

Another problem I seem to be having is that despite whatever the settings Templot is seeming to insist on not including the outside key. I will reload Templot and try again

 

[Martin Wynne]

Another problem I seem to be having is that despite whatever the settings Templot is seeming to insist on not including the outside key. I will reload Templot and try again

@Stephen Freeman

Hi Stephen,

Do you mean just the keys? Or the entire outside jaw and key?

If the latter, I've answered this question so many times I will have to do something to make the buttons jump out:

If only the keys:

This is an option for the very large scales where folks might prefer loose keys to loose jaws.

cheers,

Martin.

 

[Stephen Freeman]

Thanks, anyway I have got as far as successfully slicing some 4mm scale chairs with plugs. Also 7mm scale without the plugs as far as the preview so far. One thing I haven't managed to do is to avoid creating the spacer blocks and nose clamps without the plug.

 

[Steve_Cornford]

Hi Stephen,
The spacer blocks and nose clamps don't have plugs, they have supports which you can cut off.
Steve

 

[Stephen Freeman]

I have at last figured out how not to include the spacer blocks and nose clamps, it is somewhat convulated in my opinion and perhaps it would be best to have all these options in one place, that place not being a choice from the real menu dropdown. Just my opinion of course.

 

[Martin Wynne]

I have at last figured out how not to include the spacer blocks and nose clamps, it is somewhat convoluted in my opinion and perhaps it would be best to have all these options in one place, that place not being a choice from the real menu dropdown. Just my opinion of course.

@Stephen Freeman @James Walters

Hi Stephen,

Thanks for your thoughts. This entire project is still experimental. What you are seeing and using is not necessarily the finished thing. The user interface is being kludged together as I go along -- it's likely to change several times before it is finished.

All the settings in the real menu are template-specific. In other words each template can have its own settings. That's why they apply to the control template, in the same way as for the rest of Templot.

The settings on the DXF/STL export dialog apply to all the templates in the file. You can't have different options there for different templates.

It's important for the chairing options to be template-specific because an entire function not yet done in Templot is to have the chairing showing on the 2D printed paper templates. For those without 3D printers who want to construct pointwork in the traditional way using injection-moulded chairs.

Settings which are template-specific are saved in the BOX file, for track-planning in the usual way. Some settings which are currently on the export dialog may yet get moved to the real menu and become template-specific, such as the switch drive slider ribs and the dropper wire ridges. Some of them can become template-specific now, when they are modified in the shove timbers and chair heaving functions.

What I suspect you are asking for is an option to export the control template instead of only background templates to the DXF/STL files. That goes back to the beginning of Templot and changing it now would be a massive task. I won't be doing it myself, there is too much else more important to finish, but when I have open-sourced the files in the next few weeks, anyone else (you?) is welcome to have a go at it if they think it is important.

p.s. you didn't need to "figure out" how not to include the spacer blocks and nose clamps. I and others have explained it several times on here, not least in this topic, and all you needed to do was ask.

cheers,

Martin.

 

[Stephen Freeman]

Some confusion here, I am interested in the ability to produce just the chair(s), without the plug as well as the full blown article. No more, no less.

 

[Martin Wynne]

Some confusion here, I am interested in the ability to produce just the chair(s), without the plug as well as the full blown article. No more, no less.

@Stephen Freeman

Hi Stephen,

Just untick the boxes. Is there a problem?

How you support it for printing is up to you of course.

cheers,

Martin.

 

[Steve_Cornford]

Hi Stephen,
Before saving the control template with experimental chairing switched on, and jaw options set as:-

[export all chairs with solid outer jaws and keys]
Go to:-
Real > Chairing > A chair

untick both with crossing gap spacer and with vee spaces / nose clamp
Store template to background
Press the [DXF /STL file export.. ] button

click the [ chairs only - resin 3D ] button, and click the [show settings] button, then select the chairs plugs/sockets tab.
Untick the include chair plugs tick box:-

then when you preview you get:-

chairs with no spacers and no plugs, and I assumed you wanted fixed jaws.
Steve

 

[Stephen Freeman]

Thanks, I'd already worked it out, just wanted to clarify it.