More CAF...

Thanks guys ! I really had a joyful time reading the digest. Now I
just can't wait for the printer to spit out some new EMC stuff.
Andrew, - you wrote a nice lecture. I hope to see some of it in the
FAQ.

It looks like I will have a lot of ground to cover, - but join in an
comment on it, - all you knowledgeable lurkers ! ( .. sorry )

The thing is, - well there is so much I would like to know. (
sorry ..)

Andrew favored Rhino ( yes, I am going to take a look at it ) ,
but I wonder how this fits mechanical parts, - and Deskproto to make
G-codes. But could you put everything into one and the same package
? Is these two operations so very different ?

( I would like to lurk away... this may be stupid )

Imagine you have a desktop like windows, with the icons laying
around. Ok, I would like to turn an axle, with several different
diameters. I pick up a cylinder shape from the desk top, - and
while I do that - I drag it out to the length and diameter where I
would like a bearing to sit. But the axle, needs more. I pick up
the cylinder icon again, - repeat what I did, and just attach it.
Then I need some threads, and .... when I am done, - I pick up a
raw material icon, shape it as an envelope around the object. I pick
up a machine center icon, and a drawing icon - click them, - for
printout and machining. Done. ( maybe it should spit out the invoice
too, while it's at it ! )
I don't think that should be a difficult program to make, but then
what about other shapes ? ( hmm... )

And there is other stuff. Do you really click those menu buttons on
the EMC panel out in a workshop. I convinced a manufactor to put in
an encoder hand wheel for moving the axis once. The reason was that
I found it so difficult to jog the axis with switches, and I would
like a feed rate over ride as a knob. Maybe an analog joystick for
the axis ?
Well, I am going to do this with the Stg board - if I only get
time, but tell me what is "nice to have" ?

Oh... I wish I was a "zillionare" . ( a young one )

//ARNE