Re: poor mans digitizing gizmo

--- In CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@yahoogroups.com, "Jens Swales"
<jipeess2000@y...> wrote:

>
>
> hi all
>
> i´m trying to figure out how to create a dxf contour from a

porclain

> bathroom countertop. in fact, i cut and mill out a lot holes for
> porclain and corian sinks in countertops, theres never 2 identical
> ones. today i have to measure, calculate, use radius templates etc.
> to get enough info for making a cad file. i saw one of these
> digitizing arms (costs a fortune)with a probe in the end that one
> just draws along the periphery and voila´ in a sec the dxf pops up.
> would it be posible to build a simple lo-resolution digitizing

table

> with scrapped mouse parts, encoders etc.? i was thinking of arrange

a

> mouse on a sort of pantograph arm or gantry.
> has anyone tried this or any similar? is there even any software

for

> this?
>
> hope its not to OT...
>
> js

i was thinking about it a few months ago,and still have to put my
hands on it, here is what I had in mind,
make a gantry with x y z
put the mouse encoders (still have to figure out how) on x and z axis,
and a small probe at the end of the z axis.
y axis should have some kind of scale to move the part in equal
steps, than use sketch on Rhino to trace a countour line using the
mouse encoders from the gantry and moving the probe manually,and
you 'll end up with a 2d countour of the part.
try use the sketch feature to draw something on rhino and you'll get
a better idea of what I trying to say.