One of the first things new users of the software learn is how to transfer a wall profile from 3D Design PRO to Woodturner PRO. This part is easy, but once transferred, it is almost always necessary to modify the wall profile - sometimes a little and sometimes a lot. The way to do this has always been to go back to 3D Design PRO, make the modifications and re-transfer the profile to Woodturner PRO. With the release of Version 3 of Woodturner PRO, though, the ability to make minor adjustments to the wall profile was added so that it was not necessary to go back to 3DP to make the changes and re-transfer.
There are pros and cons to using these two methods and so I'd like to discuss when it is best to use one method over the other and the consequences of making that selection.
First, some nuts and bolts:
When you transfer a profile from 3DP to WTP, a copy of the profile is put in WTP and the connection between that copy and the original in 3DP is broken. This copy becomes a permanent addition to the current WTP project and is saved as part of the project file. If you reopen the file, the wall profile is still present and the overlay can be turned on or off by toggling the menu item View > Show 3D Overlay. If you make modifications to the profile in WTP, the change is made to its copy and saved along with the Project file. Since the connection to the original in 3DP is broken, though, whatever changes you make to the 3DP wall profile ARE NOT made to the original 3DP profile.
This means that before making any changes to the wall profile, it should be determined if the 3DP wall profile needs to be kept in sync with the WTP project. If that is desirable, it is best to always switch back to 3DP, make the modifications and re-transmit the profile to WTP which will replace the existing profile since there can only be one profile in a project plan. This re-transfer process can be repeated as many times as necessary and it typically takes very little time to make modifications and re-transmit. It should only be necessary to make 3DP profile tweaks, re-transfer and click the Profile SNAP button and both 3DP and WTP will be completely synchronized.
If it is not necessary for 3DP and WTP to be in sync, though, it might be easier to simply use the Move tool in WTP to move one or more points and click Profile SNAP. There are limitations to the editing functionality inside WTP that may be permanent since the editing functions cannot simply be copied to the software code of WTP. Some of these limitations are the inability to select multiple points for editing and the ability to delete points. It is also not currently possible to drag a point higher than the current highest point, nor is it possible to change a point to an anchor point. For those not familiar with an anchor point, in 3DP, you can right-click on any single point and toggle the context popup menu item 'Anchor Point'. When selected the lines coming to and from the point are converted to straight lines instead of Bezier curve which is the default treatment.
Please post any questions you have regarding this functionality.
Lloyd
There are pros and cons to using these two methods and so I'd like to discuss when it is best to use one method over the other and the consequences of making that selection.
First, some nuts and bolts:
When you transfer a profile from 3DP to WTP, a copy of the profile is put in WTP and the connection between that copy and the original in 3DP is broken. This copy becomes a permanent addition to the current WTP project and is saved as part of the project file. If you reopen the file, the wall profile is still present and the overlay can be turned on or off by toggling the menu item View > Show 3D Overlay. If you make modifications to the profile in WTP, the change is made to its copy and saved along with the Project file. Since the connection to the original in 3DP is broken, though, whatever changes you make to the 3DP wall profile ARE NOT made to the original 3DP profile.
This means that before making any changes to the wall profile, it should be determined if the 3DP wall profile needs to be kept in sync with the WTP project. If that is desirable, it is best to always switch back to 3DP, make the modifications and re-transmit the profile to WTP which will replace the existing profile since there can only be one profile in a project plan. This re-transfer process can be repeated as many times as necessary and it typically takes very little time to make modifications and re-transmit. It should only be necessary to make 3DP profile tweaks, re-transfer and click the Profile SNAP button and both 3DP and WTP will be completely synchronized.
If it is not necessary for 3DP and WTP to be in sync, though, it might be easier to simply use the Move tool in WTP to move one or more points and click Profile SNAP. There are limitations to the editing functionality inside WTP that may be permanent since the editing functions cannot simply be copied to the software code of WTP. Some of these limitations are the inability to select multiple points for editing and the ability to delete points. It is also not currently possible to drag a point higher than the current highest point, nor is it possible to change a point to an anchor point. For those not familiar with an anchor point, in 3DP, you can right-click on any single point and toggle the context popup menu item 'Anchor Point'. When selected the lines coming to and from the point are converted to straight lines instead of Bezier curve which is the default treatment.
Please post any questions you have regarding this functionality.
Lloyd
