Hpgl dot scale

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Rocinante

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Jan 17, 2014
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I am struggling to make a simple  scale with dots to convert into hpgl to put into front panel designer.  Does anybody have a dotted scale they could share? No numbers just dots in a approx. 3/4 semi-circle.  I can make lines, I can make it fancy with numbers and lines but for some reason I'm just having the hardest time with dots. I don't want to do individual dots in FPD.  I'm using inkscape.
 
Rocinante said:
I am struggling to make a simple  scale with dots to convert into hpgl to put into front panel designer.  Does anybody have a dotted scale they could share? No numbers just dots in a approx. 3/4 semi-circle.  I can make lines, I can make it fancy with numbers and lines but for some reason I'm just having the hardest time with dots. I don't want to do individual dots in FPD.  I'm using inkscape.

I may have the scales from the Gyraf Calrec PQ1549 I'll check this weekend. They're really nice. Hopefully someone on here will follow up to credit the person who made them. I forgot who it was  :-[
 
Is there a trick to getting the dots to look more round?  For 'points' I'm using 17 on the out and 16 on the inside with a #3 font as it seems all other 'point' scaling above that creates a donut and not a dot. Any ideas?
 
I construct these in Frontpanel Designer directly by using the built in engraving functions this way:
- create a circle with the needed diameter
- draw a line that is longer as the circle diameter and copy it as often as needed for the steps of your switch.
- rotate each of the lines in the required step (e.g. for 15 degree steps: 15°, 30°, 45°, 60°, 90°)
- draw the hole for the pot/switch
- select all lines, the hole and the circle and centre them horizontal and vertical automatically by FPD
- group all these lines and the circle (leave the hole out of the group but don't move it)
- you now have a 'grid' to place the dots in FPD itself
- draw and copy the dots you need in the required size and move them to the cross sections of the just drawn 'grid'
- delete the 'grid' afterwards
- group the dots and the hole to allow placing the group by its graphical middle
- adjust the hole as a reference for the group
- ét viola
 
Oh Ian thank you. The magic word was 'macro object'  I had no idea that FPD treats macro objects like hpgl's and thus doesn't charge me for every dot which was my problem (i need 36 of these scales which amounts to beucoup dollars). 
And thank you too Chefducuisine. I've actually become quite good at making dot scales in fpd and grouping them (i simply use the center hole as my centerpoint  target and + and - the dots in millimeters in a semi circle then do the negative of those dots on the other side of the hole) but before fpd was charging me for every dot. I had no idea I could make it a macro object and then it would just charge me as one object like it does hpgl.
So thank you. Your way is better too because if im using 30 degree or 36 degree switches it will be far more accurate.  I had settled on an hpgl I had liked a lot that I think Röllen created but the summing mixer just needed dots like Neve consoles. The cost difference between doing grouped dots and macro objects would've been in the hundreds and therefore beyond what id be willing to pay.
Cheers
Dylan
 
Damn.  Spoke to soon.  Alright so converting the scale into a macro object appears to be a more affordable alternative than dots individually grouped, but not as affordable as inserting an hpgl. 
 
Rocinante said:
Damn.  Spoke to soon.  Alright so converting the scale into a macro object appears to be a more affordable alternative than dots individually grouped, but not as affordable as inserting an hpgl.

Yes, you are right, if you want to minimise spend you need to convert to hpgl. Have you looked at Inkscape? It is a vector drawing program which i believe has an HPGL output mode.

Cheers

Ian
 
Yeah i have used inkscape and hitherto I thought I was at least alright on it. But i have seriously spent hours drawing different sized dot scales and converting them to hpgl but no matter what I do when I put the scale into FPD the dots come out like donuts. I've tried overlaying, minimizing, combining etc.. all with the same result. Ive tried changing the cutter size during the export process  too but it still comes out wrong. I had noticed that other diyers have these donut dots so had been wondering if its an engraving tool size thing.  Using different size 'tools' in FPD can also get expensive
 

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