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GTWorks™ Enhancements in year 1999

  1. The first step toward support for OpenGL viewing of surfaced models has been implemented within menu 8.11.  Once the user builds a surfaced model, select menu 8.11 to start a new window and pan the model using the first mouse button, rotate the model with the right mouse button, and click and hold both the left and right mouse buttons (or use a mouse thumb wheel) to zoom in and out.   Additional menus for view control, camera angle, lighting options and rendering options are at the top of the rendering window.  Printing (first change the background color to white) and STL formatted output is supported under the File menu.  The user control for 3D rotations using the right mouse button does need improvement.  The OpenGL viewer is somewhat slower for smaller models than the Direct3D based viewer, but The OpenGL viewer will display much larger files without the significant startup delay or the excessive swap space requirements.  Performance considerations will looked at in the 2nd and 3rd quarters.  Suggestions for enhancements are welcome (release 14.1.0 99) - January 4, 1999
  2. The aiuse3 routine for the Application Interface now returned the entities in the order selected (release 14.1.0 99) - January, 4, 1999
  3. The default file extension for ICAM NC CL output files has been changed to .apt (release 14.1.0 99) - January 4, 1999
  4. Auto max-min of 3D views when displaying user defined work coordinate systems has been corrected (release 14.1.0 99) - January 4, 1999
  5. An infrequent program abort (selecting base surfaces) when performing multi-surface lace milling has been corrected (release 14.1.0 108) - January 13, 1999
  6. An infrequent program abort when running Display and Edit (menu 17.3) on Point-to-Point tool paths that were created by applying macros has been corrected (release 14.1.0 108) - January 13, 1999
  7. An infrequent program abort when inserting a pattern containing centerlines has been corrected (release 14.1.0 108) - January 13, 1999
  8. A new plotting option has been added (HPGL file (origin @ center)) for older plotters (release 14.1.0 108) - January 13, 1999
  9. The AIGDIM AI routine will now properly return when the next dimension entity has had its text entry deleted (release 14.1.0 108) - January 13, 1999
  10. The AI environment now allows users to write C++ routines and access the C AI library.  Include the new file ai.h in all C++ routines - January 15, 1999
  11. The default pen weights for plotting (Enhanced Plot II, Quick Plot, and the quick_plot.mf file) are now adjusted when a part or drawing of different units is loaded (Metric versus English).  The units of the default values in file quick_plot.mf is labeled at the being of the file as ENGLISH or METRIC (release 14.1.0 110) - January 22, 1999
  12. The AI routine AIMTXT was modified so that substitutions with a single blank character may be made (release 14.1.0 111) - January 26, 1999
  13. A default AI project has been created for Absoft Fortran (directory ai\ftnlib4).   See the readme.txt file in the ai\libftn4 directory after extracting the files from the latest ai.exe self expanding file - January 28, 1999
  14. Pen weights now update correctly when switching from Metric to English and when loading a drawing from the command line (release 14.1.0 119) - February 4, 1999
  15. The GTWorks Windows banner (caption) now displays [English] or [Metric] after the file name (release 14.1.0 199) - February 4, 1999
  16. Regeneration of linear dimension entities which lead from linear centerlines (menu 16.7 without 'spokes') now works without aborting the program.  Dimensioning to these types of centerlines is again supported (release 14.1.0 119) - February 4, 1999
  17. The traceback function has been expanded to support the program dll files - February 11, 1999
  18. A Floating License Manager (FLM) is now offered for both Standard and Professional licenses (release 14.1.0 122) - February 11, 1999
  19. An error with loading button definition files with all point releases above 100 has been corrected (release 14.1.0 124) - February 11, 1999
  20. The requirement of a directory starting with a character and not a number when using the older style interface of specifying part name, volume and drive has been removed (release 14.1.0 124) - February 11, 1999
  21. The GTWorks HPGL output file spooling program, file gtwspool.exe, no longer uses 90-95 percent of the CPU if the port or plotter is not available when the program starts - February 23, 1999
  22. The memory requirements for the Undo/Redo functions has been decreased to one quarter of the previous requirements (release 14.1.0 137) - February 26, 1999
  23. When recording or playing keystroke logs files, the -w option for a Windows style dialog box for opening or saving files is now deactivated.  Previously the expected file dialog box appears which prevents entry of a file name in a recording or playback of keystroke logs (release 14.1.0 137) - February 26, 1999
  24. A new AI routine, AIGTSC, returns the trimming curve data for a trimmed surface (release 14.1.0 137) - February 26, 1999
  25. A new AI routine, AIMTSC, allows user modification of the trimming curve data for a trimmed surface (release 14.1.0 137) - February 26, 1999
  26. The Undo/Redo functions have been increased in speed by a conservative claim of 10 times (release 14.1.0 137) - February 26, 1999
  27. Selecting the close button (X) in the upper right corner of the GTWorks window will now issue the keystrokes [, CTRL F, 4, 2.  The beginning [ character should force the GTWorks system to exit from any error message box prior to closing out the program (release 14.1.0 137) - February 26, 1999
  28. The second line of any HPGL or HPGL/2 output file is now ESC.P1 to select Xon-Xoff as the communication protocol for older HP plotters (release 14.1.0 137) - February 26, 1999
  29. Any GTWorks switch file (swfile) can now be formatted with TAB characters (release 14.1.0 137) - February 26, 1999
  30. A new menu (1.16.1.11) is designed for the user to designate the keyboard characters that will activate the menu system (numbers 1-20).  This is useful for international keyboards where the shift characters above the numbers at the top of the keyboard do not match the expected English arrangement (e.g @ above the 2 on English keyboards may be mapped to a different character on international keyboards).  This modal allows the user to tailor the system to match the behavior expected from English style keyboards.  Item 32 in the interface.mf file is where the startup defaults are specified (release 14.1.0 137) - February 26, 1999
  31. Modals 101-106 have been added to the draft.mf modal file for the tolerance analysis function in drafting (menu 16.14) (drafting release 14.1.0 25) - February 26, 1999
  32. The Undo function now works properly for drafting modification menus 16.15.1.2 and 16.15.1.3 (drafting release 14.1.0 25) - February 26, 1999
  33. Modals are now a choice under Geometric Analysis (menu 18.7).  The default startup modals may be specified in the new modal file analysis.mf (release 14.1.0 137) - February 26, 1999
  34. The AI routine AIUSE3 will now select up to the maximum number of entities specified when using the single select method of entity selection (release 14.1.0 137) - February 26, 1999
  35. Double clicking a .gx file using Network Neighborhood will now set the correct computer name, drive and directory when you go to save the drawing (release 14.1.0 148) - March 5, 1999
  36. Undo/Redo has been corrected for undoing a crosshatch deletion, undoing an attribute name and value assignment deletion, and undoing a group deletion (release 14.1.0 148) - March 5, 1999
  37. Reverse image plotting is now supported.  This feature will create a black background and plot white lines as black.  To activate this support, select the Plot Reverse Image modal (menu 5.11.1.3.2) and turn it on.  You can also use quick plot (menu 7.3) for this effect.  The default for this option can be specified with new item number 73 in the c:\gtworks\data\system.mf file and item 26 in the c:\gtworks\data\quick_plot.mf file (release 14.1.0 148) - March 5, 1999
  38. The on-line help has been updated for the Enhanced Plot II menu (7.1) and the modal menus for setting plotting by line weight (menu 1.6.3) and plotting by color (menu 5.11.1.3).  The help has also been updated for the AI routines aiuddr and aiplot2 (release 14.1.0 152) - March 10, 1999
  39. Undo/Redo has been corrected for certain types of 2-D splines (release 14.1.0 152) - March 10, 1999
  40. The Enhanced Plot II menu will now prompt for reverse image plotting, plot with color, and plot by line width if the respective modals are turned on (menus 5.11.1.3.2, 5.11.1.3.1 and 1.6.3 respectively) (release 14.1.0 152) - March 10, 1999
  41. HPGL/2 formatted output files now support color (release 14.1.0 152) - March 10, 1999
  42. The internal buffers are been increased to allow very dense crosshatching patterns.   Previously if the buffers were exceeded, you received an AI error 2201 (release 14.1.0 152) - March 10, 1999
  43. The AI routine aig1at has been corrected to handle attributes with zero length attribute names (release 14.1.0 158) - March 19, 1999
  44. A memory leak when inserting patterns has been corrected (release 14.1.0 162) - March 24, 1999
  45. Reversing the change noted above as item 23, the -w option again defaults to being on during the recording and playback of keystroke logs.  For those users needing the -w option turned off, enter ESC W when beginning to record a keystroke log.  The ESC W character sequence toggles the -w option on and off.  If your keystroke log is designed to end with selecting a file using the Windows style file dialog box, enter ESC W at the end of your recording of a keystroke log.  For existing keystroke logs, edit those files and insert   ?[,w,  when you want the -w option turned off or back on (release 14.1.0 162) - March 24, 1999
  46. An error with routine aismo introduced with revision 156 has been corrected.   If you are using revision 156 through 162, please update immediately to this revision (release 14.1.0 164) - March 25, 1999
  47. The error message in plotting "OUTPUT IMPOSSIBLE FOR PAPER SIZE" now appears instead of an MLC error 15208 (release 14.1.0 164) - March 25, 1999
  48. The AI routine aiplot2 has been changed to exactly match the output from using menu 7.1 in the GTWorks program, Enhanced Plot II.  The on-line help for aiplot2 has been updated (release 14.1.0 166) - April 6, 1999
  49. The order of the margins in Quick Plot (menu 7.3) has been changed to left, bottom, right and then top.  The on-line help for Quick Plot has been updated (release 14.1.0 166) - April 6, 1999
  50. The GTWorks viewer (file GTWviewer.exe) has been updated with the latest improvements for HPGL plot file output.  A new plotting option has been added (HPGL file (origin @ center)) for older plotters.  The second line of any HPGL or HPGL/2 output file is now ESC.P1 to select Xon-Xoff as the communication protocol for older HP plotters.  HPGL/2 formatted output files now support color and line weights (release 14.1.0 172) - April 11, 1999
  51. The Pipework Interference menu (5.10.6) has been implemented (release 14.1.0 173) - April 11, 1999
  52. Choosing the Center of Gravity option for the axis origin under Section Analysis (menu 18.3) should no longer lead to random aborts of the GTWorks software (release 14.1.0 173) - April 11, 1999
  53. The Undo/Redo functions now support multiply trimmed surfaces (release 14.1.0 173) - April 11, 1999
  54. The Undo/Redo functions now fully support translation of NC tool paths (release 14.1.0 173) - April 11, 1999
  55. A error with the Undo/Redo functions processing rotations of entities has been corrected (release 14.1.0 173) - April 11, 1999
  56. Menu 5.16 (Undo/Redo) has been added to turn on or off the Undo/Redo support.   The default setting for Undo/Redo support is located in the c:\gtworks\data\system.mf file as item 74.   This new modal will allow users to work with very large files without any performance degradation due to maintaining the Undo/Redo data.  The tradeoff is not being able to undo an operation.  However, a suggested technique for processing large files is to leave the Undo/Redo capabilities always on and when a user senses that entity manipulations may have created large memory requirements for the Undo/Redo functions (e.g. rotations, translations, color changes, .etc of most all of the data), turn off the Undo/Redo support (which frees up the past memory allocations) and then turn it back on again.  These steps reset the Undo/Redo queues (release 14.1.0 173) - April 11, 1999
  57. An error in making a User Defined NC Tool (menu 17.5.2) has been corrected.   The error was that a user defined tool was assigned an extension of .ntn when created (correct extension is .nt) and then GTWorks could not load the tool because the system only listed files with a .nt extension (release 14.1.0 173) - April 11, 1999
  58. A MLC message error when using the NC menu 17.1.4.2.3 has been corrected (release 14.1.0 173) - April 11, 1999
  59. Random program aborts when moving a dimension (menu 16.15.2) or defining an ARC LENGTH dimension (menu 16.2.8) have been corrected (release 14.1.0 174) - April 12, 1999
  60. Random program aborts when trimming two arcs (using EST T menu) has been corrected (release 14.1.0 185) - April 20, 1999
  61. A new AI routine (AIPLOT3) has been added which is a derivative of the AIPLOT2 routine with support for color, line weights and reverse image output (release 14.1.0 185) - April 20, 1999
  62. A new AI routine, AIGSUV, returns the minimum and maximum u,v parameters for a surface (release 14.1.0 185) - April 20, 1999
  63. A new AI routine, AIASEC, defined a surface edge curve of a surface (release 14.1.0 185) - April 20, 1999
  64. Blanks in file and volume names (e.g. My Documents) are now supported (release 14.1.0 185) - April 20, 1999
  65. Patterns can now use a *.gp suffix to keep drawings and patterns separate.  By default, GTWorks will start with the same extensions as in the past (.gx files for parts and patterns).  Change the defaults with menu 6.6 (Set System Storage Defaults) and/or change the startup defaults with items 75-77 in the system.mf file.  See the on-line help Main Menu->Data Base Management->Set System Storage Defaults and User Definable System Control->Modals->System Modals (release 14.1.0 185) - April 20, 1999
  66. Random DXF converter program aborts when outputting balloon entities has been corrected (release 14.1.0 185) - April 20, 1999
  67. Possible data loss upon part retrieval with the most recent update (14.1.0 185) has been corrected (release 14.1.0 190) - April 23, 1999
  68. Random program aborts when creating a fillet between a point and a line have been corrected (release 14.1.0 190) - April 23, 1999
  69. Menu 6.6 (Set System Storage Defaults) again displays a Windows style file dialog box (-w option) when choosing a new directory. The implementation of item 65 above deactivated the previous support for the Windows file dialog box (release 14.1.0 190) - April 23, 1999
  70. The AI routine AIMTSC has been reworked for better support of holes (inner versus outer loops) (release 14.1.0 190) - April 23, 1999
  71. Modals files can now have whitespace in character modals and TABS are supported throughout each file (release 14.1.0 190) - April 23, 1999
  72. Inserting a point at the current retract plane or by the clearance distance at either the current feed rate or rapid feed rate (menu 17.3 - NC Display & Edit) now works properly (release 14.1.0 190) - April 23, 1999
  73. The autosave function (menu 1.2) now works as user specified after additional drawings (parts) are loaded.  Previously the program saved the autosave state with each drawing and therefore the autosave function turned on or off with the retrieval of each drawing (release 14.1.0 190) - April 23, 1999
  74. Line types are now user definable.  A new modal file, ltypes.mf, is located in the c:\gtworks\data directory.  This file controls the name of the line fonts, their pattern and the sizes of the dashes and spaces.   Up to 64 fonts are supported.  A total of 10 dashes and spaces are supported per font.  If you elect not to overwrite your swfile when upgrading, then the following entry must be placed in the swfile via notepad or wordpad to enable the new default line fonts, "LINE_TYPES_FILE c:\gtworks\data\ltypes.mf". On-line help for this new support will be available with the next full update of the software, file gtwprod.exe (release 14.1.0 197) - May 14, 1999
  75. When entering data for a one line data prompt (e.g. the distance prompt in menu 9.5, vectored point), simply pressing the ENTER key will process the input and advance from the data prompt.  Previously the user was required to indicate OPERATION COMPLETE (] key or the right mouse button) (release 14.1.0 197) - May 14, 1999
  76. When entering data for a multi-line data prompt (e.g. the key-in prompt in menu 10.2, line - enter coordinates), press the ENTER key when the cursor reaches the bottom of the box and "disappears", to process the input and advance from the data prompt.   Previously the user was required to indicate OPERATION COMPLETE (] key or the right mouse button) to process the user input (release 14.1.0 197) - May 14, 1999
  77. The entity limit when selecting entities via the chain option has been increased 20 times.  The previous limit was 511 entities at a time (release 14.1.0 197) - May 14, 1999
  78. An error when using the Line Join function (menu 10.3) in a multi-view display has been corrected (release 14.1.0 197) - May 14, 1999
  79. An error when converting a DXF file into a .gx file and the layer number is not specified for a SEQEND definition (e.g. at the end of a polyline) has been corrected.   This problem is believed to be a violation of the DXF specification and caused the GTWorks DXF translator to abort under Windows 95 and 98 (not NT).  A workaround has been implemented - May 14, 1999
  80. An up and a down arrow have been added to the row number box on the buttons at the bottom of the GTWorks graphics window.  These arrows are intended to alert a new user to the fact that the button rows can be "cycled".  Selecting the button while the cursor is on either of the arrows does not produce any system processing.   It is simply a visual clue (release 14.1.0 197) - May 14, 1999
  81. A program abort while selecting menu 9.13.2, Tool Contact On Surface, has been corrected (release 14.1.0 197) - May 14, 1999
  82. A new Die Design Modal has been added as item 305, Starting Plate Number, in the die_design_nnn.mf files to define the starting index number when creating plates in a new part (release 14.1.0 197) - May 14, 1999
  83. A user can remove the "start /wait" setting in the draft.mf file, item 95,  that controls how GTWorks starts an edit window to modify text (menu 16.15.15).   Removing the option will skip the intermediate step of GTWorks creating a Command Prompt window to start the editor.  Changing the default of "start /wait" is not required (release 14.1.0 197) - May 14, 1999
  84. The beginning of context sensitive help is include with release 14.1.0 197.   This feature only works with the point menu at this time.  Enter a Point menu option and press the F1 key.  A pop-up help window will display for that function (release 14.1.0 197) - May 14, 1999
  85. The on-line help for the point menu has been updated.  Included in the help text is the entity types supported when prompted to select entities (release 14.1.0 197) - May 14, 1999
  86. When selecting entities, the ? key can be pressed to display on the screen the supported entity types for the function being used.  This feature works through the program (and did before infrequently) but only the point menu has been tested at this time (release 14.1.0 197) - May 14, 1999
  87. The GTWorks Viewer software has been updated to be compatible with release 14.1.0 197 - May 20, 1999
  88. The AI libraries and sample code now includes a sample VC++ project (version 5.0 and higher) in the directory ai\AihooksWithMFC that enables the programmer to make standard MFC Windows calls (dialog boxes, message boxes, etc.) - June 10, 1999
  89. The up and a down arrows on the row number box on the buttons at the bottom of the GTWorks graphics window have been changed to triangles (release 14.1.0 232) - June 15, 1999
  90. File pathnames in the draft.mf modal file can now be machine independent format (e.g. ^c:\gtworks\data\xhdir) as well as the previous auosi format (e.g. .::c:(gtworks/data/xhdir) (release 14.1.0 232) - June 15, 1999
  91. If the user enters a cross-hatching pattern (menu 16.10) that does not exist, the GTWorks program no longer aborts (release 14.1.0 232) - June 15, 1999
  92. A Windows style edit box is now used for entering Drafting Notes and Labels (menus 16.3 and 16.4) when running GTWorks with the "-w" option (release 14.1.0 232) - June 15, 1999
  93. The cause of the occasional ghost crosshairs when using menus 10.1 and 11.4 has been removed (release 14.1.0 232) - June 15, 1999
  94. A new menu (1.5.3) has been added for modifying, adding and deleting line types (entity curve font) (release 14.1.0 232) - June 15, 1999
  95. The default setting for the Automatic Rescale Mode (menu 1.17) for new installations is "Prompt For Rescale" (release 14.1.0 232) - June 15, 1999
  96. All menus and messages that stated "Press RETURN" have been changed to "Press ENTER" to match PC keyboards (release 14.1.0 232) - June 15, 1999
  97. Ruled surfaces (menu 15.2.4) now support points as one of the two entities to make up the ruled surface.  This enables a user to close off the end of a cylinder type surface (one created by making a ruled surface between two circles) by placing a point at the circle center of one or both ends, and then creating a ruled surface between the circle and the center point (release 14.1.0 232) - June 15, 1999
  98. The surface of revolution function (menu 15.2.2) now allows the user to select up to 50 curves at once to revolve around an axis, thereby reducing the number of steps to build a surfaced model (release 14.1.0 232) - June 15, 1999
  99. The SINGLE/CHAIN message for selecting entities is now repeatedly displayed until OPERATION COMPLETE (] or the right mouse button) is selected.  This allows easier selection of boundaries for crosshatching, offset curves, etc. (release 14.1.0 232) - June 15, 1999
  100. The number of the island being identified for crosshatching (menu 16.10) is now displayed (release 14.1.0 232) - June 15, 1999
  101. The number of the boundary and island being identified for analysis (menus 18.3 and 18.4) is now displayed (release 14.1.0 232) - June 15, 1999
  102. An error in analysis (menu 18.0) where the weight calculated and displayed was equal to zero (0.0) has been corrected (release 14.1.0 232) - June 15, 1999
  103. When a user is selecting entities for a function (deletion, blanking, entity manipulation, etc.) and in the middle of this sequence chooses the chain selection method and then first picks a point, the resulting error message for the chain selection method will no longer unselect all the entities chosen up to that point (release 14.1.0 232) - June 15, 1999
  104. When selecting points for a function (Line Join, .etc), if a physical point is closer to the crosshairs than a calculated implicit point, the physical point will now be chosen (release 14.1.0 232) - June 15, 1999
  105. Duplication of 2D splines now properly assigns the spline assistant geometry with the duplicated spline.  This correction makes the Undo function work properly for functions such as Entity Manipulation Rotation (release 14.1.0 232) - June 15, 1999
  106. When making lines with the screen position method (menu 10.1) and the grid is on, the rubberbanding line for the last line endpoint will display from a grid point (release 14.1.0 232) - June 15, 1999
  107. A program abort due to dimension tolerance strings not having any data has been corrected (release 14.1.0 232) - June 15, 1999
  108. After answering the "Create as Separate Lines?" prompt for a choice N-GON type (menu 12.7), a REJECT ([ or middle mouse button) will return you to the N-GON types choice, not the "Create as Separate Lines?" prompt (release 14.1.0 232) - June 15, 1999
  109. The default entity select capture distance (menu 1.10.5 and item 14 in the system.mf modal file) is now 0.01 for new installations.  This makes single selection of entities which are close to other entities more predictable (release 14.1.0 232) - June 15, 1999
  110. The error with handling single character file names in the NC functions has been corrected (release 14.1.0 232) - June 15, 1999
  111. The current line type definitions are now saved and restore with each part (drawing) (release 14.1.0 232) - June 15, 1999
  112. GTWorks can now read APT macro commands into the NC functions without error when a designated start angle is greater than an ending angle (release 14.1.0 232) - June 15, 1999
  113. Incorrect graphics displayed under the menu area after an Undo/Redo operation has been corrected (release 14.1.0 232) - June 15, 1999
  114. Two causes of the "vector splash" (stray lines all over the screen) have been corrected.  One was related to the Undo function and one was caused when entity highlighting was turned off by the program (release 14.1.0 232) - June 15, 1999
  115. An program abort when debugging keystroke logs with menu 5.4 (Keystroke Log Information) has been corrected (release 14.1.0 232) - June 15, 1999
  116. Pressing the F1 function key for on-line help now works when a data modification box is displayed (e.g. menu 10.2 - Enter Coordinates for a Line)  (release 14.1.0 232) - June 15, 1999
  117. Incorrect graphics displayed after first selecting the color button at the bottom of the display, next selecting the zoom button, and then indicating OPERATION COMPLETE (] or the right mouse button) has been corrected (release 14.1.0 232) - June 15, 1999
  118. An infrequent program abort with the Undo/Redo function where the gtwlog.txt error file indicated the error was in the DoOperation function has been corrected (release 14.1.0 232) - June 15, 1999
  119. The Undo/Redo function now supports line type changes (menu 1.5.3) (release 14.1.0 232) - June 15, 1999
  120. Incorrect graphics displayed after running the Pan/Zoom/Rotate Widget (menu 8.9) has been corrected (release 14.1.0 232) - June 15, 1999
  121. A 5000 function number is now defined for the button modals file.  When this number is entered in field 3 of a button modals file (see the new default button modals file c:\gtworks\data\buttons.ib), field 7 will be read for keystrokes to be input to the GTWorks program.  The format of these keystrokes follows the definition of ACTEC files.  Previously, field 3 may have contained a number such as 4012 which pointed to record 12 in the act000.ga file which contains keystrokes to be processed.  To indicate the CTRL key, the string ?C is used.  To end a series of keystrokes, ?E is used.  The example string of    ?CF3?E   is equivalent to CTRL F followed by pressing the 3 key and leads the user to the delete menu (release 14.1.0 232) - June 15, 1999
  122. GTWorks is now shipped with 12 rows of predefined buttons at the bottom of the screen.  By default, three rows of buttons are displayed with a button width of 75 and a height of 23.  Allow the installation of this update to merge your interface.mf file and you will have the new defaults entered automatically.  To enable the buttons to load when your start GTWorks, either allow this update to overwrite your switch file or add the entry "BUTTON_MODALS   c:\gtworks\data\buttons.ib" to your switch file c:\gtworks\swfile (release 14.1.0 232) - June 15, 1999
  123. One last infrequent incorrect graphics display under the menu area has been corrected (release 14.1.0 232) - June 15, 1999
  124. The maximum number of characters for line type names has been reduced from 32 to 16 (release 14.1.0 232) - June 15, 1999
  125. The message box displayed for the H and CTRL V function keys has been changed from a data modification box to a menu box.  This enables the user to select a curve font by displaying the list of curve font names (not requiring the number) and to select a color by seeing the color (not requiring memorization of the color number) (release 14.1.0 232) - June 15, 1999
  126. The handling of keystroke logs attached to buttons has been improved.  You may now select these buttons in the middle of another operation and the same position in the program can be returned to after the keystroke log is executed (depending on the contents of the keystroke log).  For example, if the keystroke log only contains zoom commands, then the current function active before the button was selected is returned after the keystroke log is processed (release 14.1.0 232) - June 15, 1999
  127. The starting box size for the local pan/zoom mode (CTRL G, B) is now half the size of the previous default (release 14.1.0 232) - June 15, 1999
  128. The appropriate AI functions have been updated to support the expanded line types available (release 14.1.0 232) - June 15, 1999
  129. The IGES pre and post processor programs have been combined into GTWorks under menu 7.4 (IGES Interface).  This combination makes it easier for a user to access the conversion functions and also makes omissions in the translator functions easier to control.  In this case, input of diameter dimensions now works properly.  There are not expected to be any further improvements to the standalone IGES translator programs (release 14.1.0 232) - June 15, 1999
  130. A pattern insert problem leading to a program abort introduced with release 14.1.0 232 has been corrected (release 14.1.0 234) - June 17, 1999
  131. An infrequent program abort while inserting a pattern with centerline entities has been corrected (release 14.1.0 234) - June 17, 1999
  132. Another pattern insert problem leading to a program abort introduced with release 14.1.0 232 has been corrected (release 14.1.0 238) - June 18, 1999
  133. A problem with executing keystroke log files with release 232 has been corrected (release 14.1.0 238) - June 18, 1999
  134. A problem with creating a pattern from Tabulated Cylinders read from IGES formatted files has been corrected (release 14.1.0 238) - June 18, 1999
  135. A new modal has been added to the interface.mf file to control the behavior of the H function key (Construction Modals).  The new item number in the interface.mf file is 33 and the default value is "2" for the new menu style of selecting the H function key options.  Change the "2" to a "1" to use the previous datamod style of selecting the options (release 14.1.0 241) - June 23, 1999
  136. A new modal has been added to the interface.mf file to control the behavior of the CTRL V function key (Data verify/modify modals).  The new item number in the interface.mf file is 34 and the default value is "2" for the new menu style of selecting the CTRL V function key options.  Change the "2" to a "1" to use the previous datamod style of selecting the options (release 14.1.0 241) - June 23, 1999
  137. An error with the GTWorks Viewer printing where the process "hangs" at about 25 percent has been corrected - June 23, 1999
  138. The include file ai.h for programmers using the C++ interface to GTWorks has been corrected for routine aigenm.  This routine requires a pointer for the first argument - June 23, 1999
  139. An error with the GTWorks Viewer where the cursor was invisible and infrequent failure to start, introduced with the update on June 23, 1999, has been corrected - July 1, 1999
  140. The maximum number of characters per note or label has been increased to 50,000 characters, menus 16.3 and 16.4 respectively (release 14.1.0 248) - July 8, 1999
  141. The old style CTRL V function has been corrected to internally decrease the entered font number by one and therefore display the correct font (release 14.1.0 248) - July 8, 1999
  142. A memory allocation error in the Undo function that was introduced in Release 14.1.0 232 which resulted in software aborts on a some computers has been corrected (release 14.1.0 248) - July 8, 1999
  143. The more descriptive error message is displayed when a keystroke log file referenced by a button at the bottom of the screen does not exist (release 14.1.0 248) - July 8, 1999
  144. The generation of notes and labels and the editing of text, when these functions use a standard Windows edit box, now will work properly when the parts and drawings being worked on reside on a Unix server, mounted via PC-NFS (release 14.1.0 249) - July 8, 1999
  145. A new interface modal has been added to control the use of the ENTER key when entering data in a data modification box (e.g. menu 10.2 - Enter Line Coordinates).   A value of 1 for the new item 35 in the interface.mf file directs GTWorks to allow the use of the ENTER key to act as the OPERATION COMPLETE (]) function when the cursor reaches the bottom of the box.  A value of 0 forces the user to press the ] key or the right mouse button to accept the user data and proceed to the next step in the program processing (release 14.1.0 248) - July 8, 1999
  146. A new interface modal has been added to control the use of the "-w" program option (some Windows style features) when recording and playing keystroke logs.   A value of 0 for the new item 36 in the interface.mf file directs GTWorks to maintain the effects of the "-w" option when playing and recording keystroke log files, but allows control via the ESC W sequence (which toggles on/off the "-w" option at any time).  A value of 1 prevents the "-w" option to be in effect during recording and playback of keystroke logs (release 14.1.0 248) - July 8, 1999
  147. The general Numerical Control ASCII CL file postprocessor has been improved; 1) suppression of trailing zeroes in floating point numbers now works correctly, 2) removal of duplicates in floating point numbers for X,Y or Z coordinates now works if the coordinate value is zero, 3) PARTNO is now supported in the command.fmt file (e.g.   PARTNO/msg$|( msg$ )|cyclflag=0,cylline=0).  Also <PARTNO> is a special key word to insert the PARTNO in the header output, and 4) IF<  ...  > statements are supported in the parameter setting section (e.g.  gflag=<IF rapid==1 G0//G1>) - July 15, 1999
  148. The GTWorks Viewer Hidden Line Removal (HLR) function now works properly - July 15, 1999
  149. The DXF conversion program has been combined into GTWorks under menu 7.5 (DXF Interface).  This combination makes it easier for a user to access the DXF conversion functions and also makes omissions in the translator functions easier to control.  There are not expected to be any further improvements to the standalone DXF converter program (release 14.1.0 249) - July 19, 1999
  150. A program abort using the read option of the IGES interface (menu 7.5) where the error message displayed is ftcget has been corrected (release 14.1.0 249) - July 19, 1999
  151. Calling the aiuse3 AI function (C/C++ and Fortran programmers) with option 7 for the selection mode will again allow the user to make multiple region selections before advancing to the next program action (release 14.1.0 249) - July 19, 1999
  152. The new windows style text edit box for menus 16.3 and 16.4 now uses a fixed space font for better alignment of text columns.  The text editing window (menu 16.15.15) uses the OS notepad program so to get the same effect there, start notepad and change the font as desired before running GTWorks (release 14.1.0 249) - July 19, 1999
  153. The AI libraries and sample code now includes a sample VC++ project (version 5.0 and higher) in the directory ai\TpWithMFC that enables the programmer to make standard MFC Windows calls from a third party application (dialog boxes, message boxes, etc.) - July 21, 1999
  154. The AI environment for third party software now allows users to write C++ routines and access the third party AI library.  Include the new file ai.h in all C++ routines - July 21, 1999
  155. On-line help (partially complete) has been added for the GPost NC postprocessor - July 21, 1999
  156. A correction has been added to the GPost NC postprocessor and the on-line help has been expanded - August 2, 1999
  157. A correction has been added to the GPost NC postprocessor and the on-line help has been completed.  Five examples of APT word command files are now included - August 5, 1999
  158. The GTWorks NC postprocessor now supports special tags (< ... > phrases documented in the on-line help) in <MATH ... > functions, a problem with <, >, <= and >= operators in the <IF ... > functions has been corrected, Z0 phrases in the output when removal of redundant coordinates is on have been removed, and an example command.fmt file is included for lathes. - August 12, 1999
  159. The Direct3D Shading module (menu 8.10) now supports printing and changing of the background color to white for printing - August 16, 1999
  160. The OpenGL Shading module (menu 8.11) has been improved - August 16, 1999
  • Improved performance/speed
  • Properly working rotations
  • Rotations can be done using the axes of the object or the axes of the screen (this can be toggled using the tab key or Switch Rotation Axes from the View menu)
  • Another axis of rotation was added and can be rotated about using the g and h keys or from the Rotate menu under View
  • Keystrokes were added (arrow keys or 2, 4, 6, and 8 with NUM LOCK on for rotations about the x and y axes and g and h for rotation about the z-axis, the Tab key for toggling the rotation axes from screen to object and back)
  • Normal calculation was corrected for objects in which the ends of the same surface touch each other
  • Option for point output was added in the Render menu
  • Color of the model can now be changed to one of 5 preset colors or can be selected from a larger selection using Other Color in the Color menu
  • Scaling was added and allows scaling on all axes independently with flipping about the axes and quick global scaling as well
  • Scaling can be done using the objects axes or the screen coordinates
  • Texture mapping was added
  • Preset textures(checkered or striped with preset or custom colors, circle pattern with custom colors, GTWorks pattern) were constructed and can be used under the Texture Map menu heading
  • User textures are available by building a 32 by 32 pixel true color bitmap and selecting it in the window that is brought up by Custom under the Texture Map file heading
  • Export STL files is supported
  1. Leftover debugging statements in the DXF translator which oftentimes lead to a crash with version 14.1.0 249 have been removed (release 14.1.0 257) - August 26, 1999
  2. Text display with an embedded string of <D ... > without a denominator has been corrected (release 14.1.0 257) - August 26, 1999
  3. An infrequent message about mismatching solid line types when inserting patterns and merging parts and drawings has been removed.  The check is still valid for non-solid line types (release 14.1.0 257) - August 26, 1999
  4. A check is now included in DXF and IGES output for very large negative (non-valid) numbers that have been the cause of some translations to crash (release 14.1.0 257) - August 26, 1999
  5. The unit normal for SURFACE and CIRCLE statements in N/C CL file output has been corrected for the vendor selections GPost and IntelliPost (release 14.1.0 257) - August 26, 1999
  6. Three-D rotations of planar entities (circles, 2D spline, etc.) has been corrected when a centerline is part of the list of entities to rotate (affects rotations under the Entity Manipulation menu and pattern insertion) (release 14.1.0 257) - August 26, 1999
  7. Three-D rotations of centerlines is now effected by rotating the work system for non 2D rotations (release 14.1.0 257) - August 26, 1999
  8. Adobe Acrobat PDF output support has been added as menu 7.6.  Scaling, windowing and page size selection are supported, similar to the Enhanced Plot II function (release 14.1.0 267) - September 15, 1999
  9. The F1 help key can now be used when a question prompt is displayed (release 14.1.0 267) - September 15, 1999
  10. An error with the AI routine aiplot3 has been corrected (release 14.1.0 267) - September 15, 1999
  11. The Undo function is now temporarily turned off when reading IGES or DXF files to reduce virtual memory demands (release 14.1.0 267) - September 15, 1999
  12. Context sensitive help is now complete for the Line (10.0) and Arc/Circle (11.0) menus (release 14.1.0 267) - September 15, 1999
  13. On-line help for Flow Analysis (FEP) is now complete (release 14.1.0 267) - September 15, 1999
  14. An internal buffer has been increased for NC CL output that prevents missing CIRCLE statements when the tolerances are tight (release 14.1.0 267) - September 15, 1999
  15. Memory leaks have been removed for the creation of NURBS curves and trimmed surfaces (release 14.1.0 267) - September 15, 1999
  16. A fatal error in the creation of DXF files when a General Note text string has no characters has been corrected (release 14.1.0 267) - September 15, 1999
  17. Several memory leaks upon termination of the GTWorks system have been cleaned up (release 14.1.0 267) - September 15, 1999
  18. An error in the reading of IGES files (menu 7.4.2) that resulting in missing surfaces has been corrected.  The standalone IGES translator did not have this problem (release 14.1.0 267) - September 15, 1999
  19. The beginning of Solid Modeling support, based on the Series 7000 solid modeler, is now implemented as menu 19.0.  On-line help is provided for the Modals and the Create A Primitive function (except the figures) (release 14.1.0 267) - September 15, 1999
  20. The number of trimming curves that can be selected when trimming a surface has been increased from 128 to 1280 (release 14.1.0 270) - September 23, 1999
  21. Stray lines to the origin in the new PDF output function (menu 7.6), for drawings created previously with the Series 7000 software when line weights were not yet supported, no longer occur (release 14.1.0 270) - September 23, 1999
  22. An error when creating patterns with release 14.1.0 267 has been corrected (release 14.1.0 270) - September 23, 1999
  23. Memory leaks have been cleaned up in the DXF translator (menu 7.5) (release 14.1.0 273) - October 13, 1999
  24. An error with resetting the undo function after reading DXF files has been corrected (release 14.1.0 273) - October 13, 1999
  25. Compression has been added to the PDF output function (menu 7.6).  Compression results of 4-5 times are now common (release 14.1.0 273) - October 13, 1999
  26. When outputting DXF files, line fonts with no names are no longer output (release 14.1.0 273) - October 13, 1999
  27. Hidden Line Removal and shading of solids is now supported (menus 5.10.8.2 and 5.10.8.4) (release 14.1.0 273) - October 13, 1999
  28. An AI routine (AIPDF) has been added for programmers to create their own PDF files from GTWorks data.  You will need to download the latest ai.exe file to add this capability (release 14.1.0 273) - October 13, 1999
  29. The GTWorks help files (file gtwhelp.exe) have been updated for the new AIPDF routine.  The next full update to GTWorks will include these help files as well (release 14.1.0 273) - October 13, 1999
  30. A round off error with the NC GPost postprocessor program when choosing to have trailing zeroes in the output has been corrected - October 14, 1999
  31. JPEG formatted output is now supported under menu 7.7.   JPEG output is suited to shaded images and is somewhat less valuable for line drawings (release 14.1.0 278) - October 21, 1999
  32. The program now returns immediately to the main menu when the user selects Clear Working Storage (menu 4.1) (release 14.1.0 278) - October 21, 1999
  33. The Solids module is correctly accessible only from the Professional version of GTWorks (release 14.1.0 278) - October 21, 1999
  34. The GTWorks viewer (file GTWviewer.exe) has been completed and now supports saving and redlining.  When redlining, chained lines, rectangles, notes and labels can be added.  The Undo/Redo functions work with the additional data but no existing drawing data can be deleted.  The redlining entity color, curve font, entity weight, entity level and text font is set by the new modal viewer.mf.  A setup feature has been added so that the individual making the installation can choose the relining defaults and whether to allow plotting, redlining and/or saving for the current installation.  In this way, companies can choose the capabilities to install and meet ISO 9000 requirements for viewing software.  Once the software is installed, proceed to the GTWorks program group and select "GTWorks Viewer" (a Command Prompt no longer is used) - October 26, 1999
  35. The GTWorks viewer (file GTWviewer.exe) has been updated with a correction for redlining of notes and labels and the addition of four new modals to control the display of label leaders - October 27, 1999
  36. Runtime variables are now correctly read from *.gx files from Unix and *.g1 files from Apollo hardware.  Previously the variables names were backwards due to the different byte order between Intel and Unix equipment (release 14.1.0 287) - November 5, 1999
  37. User Technology Files (UTF) are now written with the proper 8 bytes instead of 4 for double precision numbers (release 14.1.0 287) - November 5, 1999
  38. A new AI call (aigetimage) has been added for outputting a JPEG or windows bitmap file of the full display or a region defined by the AI developer (release 14.1.0 291) - November 10, 1999
  39. Entering coordinates or selecting points are now options when selection a region for JPEG output (menu 7.7) and creating a Windows bitmap (menu 5.10.8.5) (release 14.1.0 291) - November 10, 1999
  40. One additional correction has been added to prevent the "vector splash" from occurring and preventing a random program crash when using the Undo function (release 14.1.0 291) - November 10, 1999
  41. A multiple copy option has been added to the Enhanced Plot II menu (7.1).  The new modal is in system.mf, number 78, number of copies to plot.  If the number is 0, the program prompts for the number of copies to plot after the plot using line weights question.  If the number is non-zero, the program makes that many copies of the plot.   Since the updated file (gtw.exe) does not contain the full distribution, you will need to manually add modal 78 to your system.mf file (e.g. 78, 0, Number of copies to plot).  The next full update will prompt the installer to add this modal automatically (release 14.1.0 295) - November 16, 1999
  42. Eagle macros can now read an ASCII file that contains blank lines without terminating the GTWorks software (release 14.1.0 303) - December 2, 1999
  43. A message is now displayed at the beginning of reading an IGES file where the units of the IGES file are different than the units of your current blank part (e.g. reading an English unit IGES file into a Metric part) (release 14.1.0 303) - December 2, 1999
  44. The DXF translator will not abort GTWorks if the file's name contains the suffix .DXF in capital letters (release 14.1.0 303) - December 2, 1999
  45. The DXF output function will no longer crash (access violation in module drgtxtstr) if it encounters an empty text string in a text based entity.  The earlier standalone translator has properly prevented this from occurring (release 14.1.0 303) - December 2, 1999
  46. The DXF translator will now output conics, 3-d splines, machining curves, cross-hatching, feature control frames, arc length dimensions, balloons and surfaces.   The earlier standalone translator supported these entity types (release 14.1.0 303) - December 2, 1999
  47. All layers are now unsuppressed in the output from the DXF translator (menu 7.5.1).   Previously one or more layers were flagged as suppressed when in fact only unblanked data is sent to the DXF file (release 14.1.0 304) - December 3, 1999
  48. An infrequent error with trimming arcs with only one boundary that resulted in a GTWorks crash (routine aimte) has been corrected (release 14.1.0 304) - December 3, 1999
  49. When inserting points at either rapid or current feed rates in an N/C toolpath using the N/C editor, four new options have been added, 1) existing point at clearance plane, 2) existing point at retract plane, 3) existing point at last depth and 4) existing point - key in depth (release 14.1.0 304) - December 3, 1999
  50. The comments beginning with $$ that a user sees when using the NC Toolpath Editor are now output into the ASCII CL files for improved readability (release 14.1.0 305) - December 5, 1999
  51. The change identified above as item number 112 has been removed so the program behavior was as before (release 14.1.0 305) - December 5, 1999
  52. The vertex order of 3DFACES in DXF output is now consistent with the surface unit normal direction (release 14.1.0 305) - December 5, 1999
  53. A fourth cause of the "vector splash" has been found and corrected.   The function that identified this problem and therefore is now fixed is an Undo of a Flat Pattern layout (release 14.1.0 308) - December 12, 1999
  54. A rare program crash when attempting to plot using the Enhanced Plot II menu (7.1), error in routine pospl1, has been corrected (release 14.1.0 308) - December 12, 1999
  55. A rare program crash when starting to create a DXF file (menu 7.5.1), error in routine dxfwrthed, has been corrected (release 14.1.0 308) - December 12, 1999
  56. The binary CL file that is created when outputting toolpaths for postprocessing is again automatically deleted.  Over the past 9-12 months this file was not being deleted (sometimes appearing with a .ncc or .nct extension) (release 14.1.0 308) - December 12, 1999
  57. An infrequent software crash when attempting to create more than one different IGES file in a single design session has been corrected (release 14.1.0 308) - December 12, 1999
  58. The algorithm for the boundary computation for cross-hatching and NC machining has been improved.  An example would be cross-hatching between only two arcs that make up a boundary.  Before the crosshatching function displayed illogical results or may even crash the software (release 14.1.0 308) - December 12, 1999
  59. A change has been made to the DEPTH option for the retract mode for NC machining toolpaths.  The previous tool motion rate of RAPID from the last machined point to the selected depth point has been changed to the entry feedrate (release 14.1.0 308) - December 12, 1999
  60. A new option has been added (DEPTH/CLEAR) for the entry and retract modes for NC machining toolpaths.  This option has been inserted between the previous DEPTH and NONE choices.  For the entry mode, the motion is almost identical to the DEPTH choice except that the tool rapids to the clearance distance modal setting above the depth of the selected point, and then the tool feeds to the depth of the selected point using the entry feedrate before moving into the part.  For the retract mode, the tool feeds at the entry feedrate from the last cut position on the part to the selected point, then the tool feeds to the clearance distance modal setting above the point, and then rapids to the clearance plane (release 14.1.0 308) - December 12, 1999
  61. A residual problem with outputting DXF files discussed in item 175 above has been corrected (release 14.1.0 319) - December 29, 1999
  62. A problem with deleting all text (menu 16.15.5.2.4) in some parallel dimensions (GTWorks aborts) has been corrected (release 14.1.0 319) - December 29, 1999
  63. A new option has been added to loop through all selected surfaces in their order of selection when examining/reversing surface unit normals (menu 15.3.2).  This helps when there are many small surfaces in an area where it is difficult to see and selected the surfaces to modify (release 14.1.0 319) - December 29, 1999
  64. The Entity Types menu in the blank/unblank and delete menus has been expanded.   Previously there were 14 choices.  Choice 2 is now limited to lines and new choice 15 is for Point Sets.  Choice 6 is now limited to Composite and 3D Curves and new choice 16 is for Surfaces.  Choice 7 is now limited to Notes and Labels and new choice 17 is for Dimensions (release 14.1.0 319) - December 29, 1999
  65. A CUTCOM option has been added for N/C Milling.  In the menu to select the tool, geometry, entry/retract options, rough or finish, choice 6 now sets a cutcom modal,   By default the modal is off and therefore the menu responds as before.  With the new modal choice you can have a CUTCOM command inserted after the entry sequence and before the cutting takes place and a CUTCOM/OFF statement inserted after the first tool motion in the retract sequence.  The default setting for this item is number 323 in the nc_eng.mf or nc_mtr.mf file.  A value of 0 is NONE, 1 is CUTCOM/LEFT, 2 is CUTCOM/RIGHT and 3 is CUTCOM/ON (release 14.1.0 319) - December 29, 1999
  66. A problem with obtaining the desired line weights on high resolution plotters (e.g. 1200 dpi) has been corrected (release 14.1.0 319) - December 29, 1999
  67. A workaround for a problem with Microsoft PowerStation Fortran 4.0 (used by users to created their own aihooks.dll) clearing some of the GTWorks floating point exception masks has been implemented.  GrayTech strongly recommends using Digital Visual Fortran in lieu of MS or Absoft Fortran (release 14.1.0 319) - December 29, 1999
  68. The on-line help has been modified to include the Entity Types menu change, PDF output, JPEG output, the milling cutcom enhancement, The DEPTH/CLEAR entry/retract mode enhancement and the loop though surface enhancement to the examine/swap normals menu (release 14.1.0 319) - December 29, 1999
  69. An occasional problem when the display does not respond as expected to the zoom command - Automatic Max/Mins - has been corrected (release 14.1.0 319) - December 29, 1999
  70. The program will now recover from a situation where the zoom scale drops to essentially zero.  This is usually caused by extremely large NURBS data (coordinates or coefficients).  If this happens to you, blank all the data and then unblank lines.   At this point the Automatic Max/Mins zoom option should recover the picture to a usable scale.  Previously the program would not recover the zoom scale (release 14.1.0 319) - December 29, 1999
 
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