finFoil v1.0 development preview #3 (Feedback wanted)

Hi Guys,

I just uploaded a new finFoil preview for windows. (v1.0.0.203)

**https://sourceforge.net/projects/finfoil/files/PreReleases/Windows/**

Hopefully dmenhinick will compile the Mac version?

Linux users are smart enough to compile the source ;). Maybe I’ll upload a Linux version later.

The source code can be found here: https://github.com/hrobeers/finFoil

 

 

 

 

All feedback on user experience is highly appreciated!

The new features in the pipeline for v1.0 are listed here: https://github.com/hrobeers/finFoil/issues?milestone=1&state=open

 

Thanks for testing and using!

Hans

 

Will get back to you but I have tinkered with a previous version and love it! What did you use to code it? Vb? I’m learning programming now and have so many ideas! Nice to see someone doing this for surfing!

Hi Ian,

BoardCAD is also a nice opensource project (programmed in Java)!

 

finFoil is built in C++ using the Qt libraries (http://qt-project.org/)

You can get the source code from github: https://github.com/hrobeers/finFoil

I strongly advace against using VB. If you want to learn .NET, I advice to learn C# since the syntax is closer to Java, C++ and other C-like languages. C# is a very nice language, but I would never use it for any of my personal projects because it is too tightly bound to Microsoft.

 

I would advice you to start using linux, create a github account and learn Ruby on Rails (web dev) and Javascript. Interactive web applications is where it is happening today. Qt and C++ is also very nice but it is very hard as a starting language.

Hello Hans-

The added features for the bottom side: flat, symetrical, asymetrical are incredible. Very nice!

I found myself having two session running side-by-side in Windows so I could see top and bottom at the same time, making the same changes in both windows and looking at the results.

Long term, I am looking forward to see how your plans unfold with the abilities to open/import/save/print/export. I enjoyed our previous discussion in the PM’s, not sure if those are working right now.

Short term…would it be possible to add options for the main (top and bottom view) such as grid on/off and colors on/off ?

Again, nice work Hans!

Hi jrandy,

Why would you like these on/off features? They are definately not on my short term list, but maybe you can convince me.

 

 

Opening two sessions is not ideal, I believe a layout like below would work better?

Hans-

The screenshot with inside and outside together is great! How do you like it?

I ask about turning those features on/off to make it easier to use a captured/exported bitmap or jpeg to import into other programs for CAD/CAM work. I got to demo MeshCAM+Art and all it needed to set tool heights were the colors-so in that case the grid and black contour line were not needed.  Another version of that program keys off black and white instead of color, so no color or grid needed there. And there is the old standby of placing the image in a plain old 2D drafting package for tracing or accurate 1:1 printing. If controlling the various elements within finFoil view could be done (easily, somewhat easily - you know better than us how difficult that is) it would be a nice feature. Anyways, it will be fun to see what happens next from your short list.

-J

For the linx users who are almost smart enough… You compile in c make or something? I’m a linux noob, so I’ve been trying to figure that out. I tried to c make something else and failed. I’ll read up on that when I have the time, but that’s generally in the right direction?

But this is cool. I’ve had it running on my linux boot (ocassionally), and my os x boot too. When I’m home for the winter I’m gonna try using this to make fins. I have baltic birch plywood, it’s 3 plies, so 3 layers of it would give 9 layers. So setting the layers to 9 would give me a really good image to foil off of. Was there a way you could print each layer or something? You could trace them I suppose, in real life or in photoshop or something. 

If you’re taking suggestions, maybe numbers on the graph? You could count I suppose, but, that would be easier. More so on the fin template area.

It can’t cope with negative foil

(just fooling around for shits and giggles)

@jrandy: Good points. However I will not implement this for v1.0. But you can definately expect functionality that will make you able to do these kind of things.

 

@drzoidberg: I just thought that there would be no linux users on swaylocks, but I develop finfoil mainly on linux, so it is not that hard for me to upload binaries. But if you are able to compile from source, you can track the changes way quicker. To compile the project you have to use qmake-qt4. Make sure to install the qt4 dev libs (libqt4-dev on debian based distros). Navigate into the finfoil directory, the one with the finfoil.pro file, and execute “qmake-qt4 finfoil.pro” and “make” to compile finfoil. After running these two commands you will find the executable in the ./src/app/ directory. (You are without doubt smart enough, I just didn’t expect linux users here :wink: )

 

@gedgetuk: v1.0.0.203 has a bug wich make finfoil hang when you make the top profile too small. I fixed it and uploaded v1.0.0.207.

Or do you mean that finfoil doesnt show contours for a profile crossing the horizontal axis? I’m aware of that, but that’s a tricky issue. Don’t know if I will fix that in the long run, since it is only a display issue, a 3D export would still be correct.

 

Thanks guys for the comments so far.

I mean it doesn’t show any negative contours if the bottom surface crosses the chord line, like this,

(aww… c’mon Mike, fix the picture thing, pleeez)

I just got it running on Ubuntu 10.04 with the instructions posted by Hans above.

Hi guys,

 

I released a new preview this morning with some visual changes and some issues fixed. (v1.0.0.217)

The negatice foil issue and the settings to turn on/off colors need more time to implement.

 

https://sourceforge.net/projects/finfoil/files/PreReleases/Windows/

 

 

 

Linux users, get the latest source from github and follow the instructions I gave earlier in this thread.

Mac users, wait on your knight in shiny armor to compile the source code for Mac or try to compile it yourself like the linux users.

 

I hope you guys like it and again all feedback is highly appreciated!

 

Hans