QCAD Bugtracker

I find myself with reasonable regularity needing to change the background color between black and white. It would be much more efficient to have a toggle button on the ribbon to make this sort of instant (kind of like the “screen based line types” button works but make it for background color and just between black and white or let people define their dark and light themes and toggle the background between the two.

I would like to request a new kind of snap: a “Restricted Intersection” snap that appears at the point where an entity would intersect with a line drawn from Relative Zero that fulfills the current EL criteria. “Restricted Intersection” snaps would be similar to other Relative Zero-based snaps (like “Perpendicular” and “Tangential”), but would predict the point of the snap from the EL constraints instead of the characteristics of the entity being snapped to. Naturally a value of 0 for angle or length would result in that constraint being ignored.

Additional operational flexibility could be achieved by allowing the snap to exist regardless of whether EL is actually in use. To be useful this would probably require determining snap locations based on angle OR length as opposed to angle AND length.

Implementing this new snap would allow, for example, for easily drawing a line of unknown (but determinable) length at a specified angle between a given point and a given entity (see discussion here), with the “Restricted Intersection” snap ensuring that the endpoint of the new line forms an intersection with the entity in question. Currently the same goal can be achieved a couple of different ways, but they all involve at least two separate steps.

This is either a bug or a feature request, depending on perspective; my apologies if I’ve picked the wrong one. Additional discussion can be found here.

Steps to reproduce:
1. Create an entity
2. Run “Create Library Item” [BT]
3. Select Reference Point

Expected outcome:
“Save As” dialogue opens in the directory that the previous library item was saved in

Actual outcome:
“Save As” dialogue opens in ( RSettings.getLaunchPath() + “/libraries” )

Additional Context:
The reason I’ve categorized this as a bug is because, relative to the behaviour of the main “Save As” dialogue (which does remember the last directory used) the behaviour of the “Create Library Item” “Save As” dialogue is unexpected.

Software versions:
QCAD 3.25.2 Pro
Windows 10 Pro

QCAD Professional
Win installer 32bit
Version: 3.25.2.7 (3.25.2.7)
Internet: QCAD.org
Build Date: Dec 16 2020
Revision: e06f230
Qt Version: 5.13.2
Architecture: i386
Compiler: Unknown

Not related to OS, nor version.

The method Polyline from Segments (OC) can be configured for tolerance and simplification in the Options Toolbar.
The method Polyline from Selection (OG) has no UI or none showing.

OG retrieves a tolerance from QCAD.ini, what is initially not set:

    var tolerance = RSettings.getDoubleValue("PolylineFromSelection/Tolerance", 0.001);

The tolerance will be default = 0.001 similar as the default in AppPrefs.
The tolerance setting is included in QCAD.ini after changing the AppPrefs entry.

OG calls PolylineFromSelection.autoJoinSegments with this tolerance:

    var counter = PolylineFromSelection.autoJoinSegments(di, tolerance, this);

PolylineFromSelection.autoJoinSegments calls PolylineFromSegments.createPolylineShape
with simplification hard coded to true. (last parameter)

    // create polyline from line, arc, spline or open polyline entity:
    var polyline = PolylineFromSegments.createPolylineShape(
                    entity, doc, vTolerance, op, undefined,
                    traversed, callBacks, undefined, true);

I would like to see the simplification optional and default = true.

Regards,
CVH

Select the previously selected entities.

The option for vertically and diagonally stacked fractions would be helpful for both the text creation tool and as the output of dimensions.

An option for unidirectional dimensions, in addition to the default aligned dimensions.

Add functions to the Reorder tool, similar to the functions of the counter tool, undo last step and start at any number, allowing corrections and restarting the tool part way through.

See the discussions at https://qcad.org/rsforum/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=8170

The “Define annge using mouse cursor” of the Rotate tool would be useful in the Move and Rotate Tool

When saving a view, it would be great if the view also saved which block (model space, layout block, or any other block) that was active at the time the view was saved and when the view is later re-activated, the corresponding block would re-activate.

Support proxy icon in title bar. This can be used to move the file to another folder using drag and drop.

See also:
https://www.qcad.org/rsforum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=8342

Angle Display is decimal although the decimal display is disabled in Application Preferences.

Format should be 17° 31’ 52” instead of 17.531111.

Hi Andrew,

Creating G-code for cnc-laser, the laser-tool can not be correctly set at all.

Attached a laser tool proposal

Add SPx; with x being pen number from 1-8.

TODO:
- Which color corresponds to which pen number?
- What if there are more than 8 colors in a DXF files?

Hi Andrew

QCAD/CAM misses a hpgl.plt import. If gerber and G-code can, so should plt.

Hi Andrew

A request for adding some fields to the toolpath

Hallo Andrew,

I am still busy on the never ending G-code story. Doing so I wrote a small Post Processor Tutorial for all those nerds who wants to write their own. If you like it you might add it to QCAD. However, since English is not my native tongue I suggest checking it would be wise.

Meanwhile I have downloaded the source code, and could not find the CAM’s Drill-path-script. I am now using a negative Drill Cut Depth to set a Laser Dwell time, were as a field “Dwell Time (in seconds)” in the Drill-path would be more appropiate. Is this script open source available or is it part of ‘closed part’ of QCAD?

Hallo Andrew,

Still busy on the never ending G-code story. Urgently needed the very common Traverse Toolpath.

Example added as pdf.

Greetings

Hallo Andrew,

Still busy on the never ending G-code story. Urgently needed the very handy G-code Block Toolpath. This ‘toolpath’ also solves a lot of “editing requests”.

Hallo Andrew

It would be more than conveniant, defining the drilling locations of the drill toolpath, by selecting a circle’s center point.

Add a program description to the CAM configuration dialog and export to postprocessors as variable.

See also:
https://www.qcad.org/rsforum/posting.php?mode=quote&f=32&p=24649

With a Mac (and no external mouse) there’s no middle button so it’s not possible to pan the 3D view (that’s what they tell me in the forum). It would be useful if one could use command-drag or control-drag to pan around the 3D view.

Hello dear CAM developers!

I need to use the same tool at different spindle speed in a single machining file.
I would deeply appreciate if you could add a Spindle Speed edit field in the CAM Profile Toolpath edit window in order that each Toolpath can have its own Spindle Speed value (same as you did for Feed Rate and Plunge Rate)

FYI, the tool on my concern is a laser who’s power is driven by the Spindle Speed PWM signal.
I need to be able to do both engraving and cutting in a single file.
Alas! this laser tool is defined with a fix and unique number (99).
Therefore I cannot define different laser tools with different speeds.

Many thanks
Best regards.

I’m often in the situation that I have to select for nesting 50+ sheets. Currently is only a Shift + left mouse click selection possible. It would be nice if QCAD/CAM could get for the nesting / sheet selection additional a mouse rectangle area selection.