bmeissner

… and all the best to you all! Bernd (Note: 23 years of FormZ modeled Christmas cards :-))

OK, for now I've decided that using a bezier spline instead of the ellipse might be the easiest solution to the problem. While you cannot use snaps to the first spline while drawing the second one, it's totally fine (in this context) to simply snap to the object edges and midpoints. This will at least give usable results for the further progress of the tutorial. Comes close to the desired look as shown in my first screenshots at the beginning of this thread.

Looks like a great resource, will do, thanks 🙂

Hi Chris, thanks for checking again. The free version actually lacks some very useful things, like (controlled) rounding, which might also be helpful in this context. Of course I understand the reduction of tools for a free version (although rounding would have been nice), we'll try to finish the tutorial one way or the other. I'm not very proficient in this version yet, as I still mostly work in 6.7.3 (although I own all versions up to 8.6). Thanks for those tips regarding snaps, I'll check them out. Bernd

Hi Chris, thanks for your in-depth research 🙂 I was talking about the snaps to the objects already created throughout the tutorial steps. The ellipses are needed to create arches in a kind of building: The ellipse drawn here is set to "insert" on the building. When I try to do this via a circle, the inserted circle shape can can be scaled after being finished (needs to be selected via the Tab key), but the snaps on the existing object don't work for aligning the ellipse endpoints to the object edges. However, for the sake of continuing the tutorial it can be done without exact snaps: In the following steps of the tutorial there is no way to align the second arch (by means of snaps) to the dimensions of the first one by using the "circle scaling" method, the results are somewhat random: Of course, as an experienced user I might overcome some of these limitations by using numeric entry for drawing the circle and applying the independent scale afterwards (the scale won't be precisely ending on the edges nonetheless), but this is an absolute beginner's tutorial. I'm wondering if nobody ever tried it with the free version, but this might be discouraging for new users. As I said, I'm trying to get the next generation interested in FormZ, and of course I can always help my daughter, but the tutorial file might need a review for other first time users without that help. Bernd

Hi Andrew, yes, independent scale works for making an ellipse out of a circle. However, the snapping instructions as per the tutorial don't work this way, and the independent scale tool hasn't been explained in the (absolute beginner) tutorial yet. Anyway… so that's a "find out how to fake inexistent tools" tutorial… 😉

Hi all, I wanted to get my daughter started with FormZ and suggested she'd try the tutorials first. This is how I learned FormZ decades ago. Well, for total beginners there are those self guided tutorials in the "About" screen, consisting of 3 parts (QuickStart, Sculpting, Materials). Part 1 was easy, but now we get stuck on part 2, scene 9, which instructs to select the "Ellipse 1 drawing tool". Well… there is no Ellipse drawing tool. Or do I overlook something? Bernd

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all 🙂 Tradition (without fail) since 1997, the FormZ modeled season's greetings card: Bernd

Happy Holidays :) Bernd

Doesn't this one look like a pretty straightforward tool for the task? https://www.expertgps.com/gpx-dxf.asp Bernd

Hi Chris, please feel free to upload my models. They were meant for sharing back then, and this has not changed. I've just looked the folder up… that was in 2004. These models are now considered "vintage" Bernd

Happy Holidays to ADS and you all For the statistics: in 2017 it has been exactly 20 years that I've been making these annual cards with FormZ. Never change a working system Bernd

No, I haven't, and I don't have a single 32-bit Windows installation in my whole office. I'm primarily working on Mac, and have a few Win 7/64 Pro systems running either via Bootcamp (for CAD) or Paralles (for some DTP and Office apps). However, since FormZ in its latest incarnations still doesn't export hierarchically structured STEP files (independent from OS or working units) it doesn't matter that much. It just confirms that using 6.7.3 still makes sense, it isn't as "outdated" as it sounds. Yes, this version is getting older, but so am I and my computers Bernd

My hope always has been a STEP export which keeps hierarchy information intact, I've already asked for that ever since STEP support has been introduced in FormZ with version 4 or so. It's an industry standard for exchanging smooth (analytic) geometry, including hierarchy and object names. The format supports it, FormZ still doesn't, at least 12 years after introducing STEP. In my case this would entirely solve my problems with exchanging data with other applications (IronCAD, Polytrans, etc.). I'm still one of those "dinosaurs" modeling in FZ and rendering in EIAS, however, initially good geometry export to EIAS has been pretty much unusable for years. Currently I'm going the route via either STEP through SharkFX to FACT (loses hierarchy, but Shark doesn't support that anyway) or STEP through Polytrans to FACT, which would work perfectly if the hierarchy would be written into STEP files. It isn't, and STEP (and SAT) export is pretty much broken in 8.5 anyway. So I'm still using 6.7.2 for most of the work… Bernd

Hi, two years later, and the STEP exporter is still broken. Just upgraded to 8.5, first test should be if FormZ finally exports to STEP with group hierarchy intact, and – bummer – it exports nothing. After searching the forum this thread came up, and the problem seems worse now. 1. Yes, I've set units to millimeters, and my objects are all within 150 mm from the origin. Result: no STEP file is exported. Setting the working units to meters (with objects that small!) creates a STEP file. Still without groups, of course. 2. The export options dialog has "facetted" as the only selectable option. Who on this world would even consider using STEP (and SAT) for *facetted" exports? If I recall correctly, I've reported this bug already with version 7, years ago. The exported geometry is smooth, though. Not exactly a successful first test of the new version… Bernd