VTube-LASER v2.9.17

Version 2.9.17 Release Date: December 29, 2018 Current Build: 30 Back to VTube-LASER Back to VTube-LASER Updates See also VTube-STEP Updates Download updates the Support Page

NEW - Floating Measure Guide Window

The new Measure Guide window draws a small model of the part with the current section highlighted with a color band. This will help you visually identify which part of the tube to measure next. This feature has an on/off switch in Measure Setup / Other. Also, you can view the window at any time from inside Measure Process Measure a tube.
In MultiScan Mode The feature works for either UniScan and MultiScan. For UniScan, the entire straight is banded. For MultiScan, the tangents of the straights are banded.
Resizable Window The window is resizable. VTube-LASER will always remember the last position and size for this window. (This setting is remembered globally across all projects.)
Multi-monitor Support The Measure Guide window can be moved to other monitors. VTube-LASER always remembers the last monitor this window displays on. (This setting is remembered globally across all projects.)
Measure Guide Window Setup Setup the window in the Measure Process / Measure Tube option.
"Automatic Display of MASTER" Option In the Measure Setup - "Other" menu, use this option to indicate that VTube-LASER should automatically display the Measure Guide window when you are measuring tube shapes.

NEW - Super fast AUTOBUILD PARAMETRIC Import of Solid Models

The new Autobuild Parametrics feature speeds up importing and calculating centerline and bender data parametrics by 5 times or more by automating the calculation process with a single button press. The new Autobuild Parametrics button is in the Parametric Tube Data menu. Autobuild will automatically attempt to calculate the centerline from the imported STEP or IGES model. For Autobuild to work, it needs to follow these rules about the incoming model.
The Rules for Autobuild The model should be a single clean tube. The model should formed as a segmented tube shape made up of cylinders and truncated-tori. Remove all other geometry first. The following are either handled or ignored: Inner walls are used to determine the wall thickness End wall rings are ignored Non-surface data, like lines and points are ignored
Video Click on the video image to see a video of the Autobuild Parametrics feature working.

NEW - Scan Point Clouds into SOLIDWORKS

VTube-LASER now handles point clouds in storage we call "buckets." This allows you to scan anything into VTube-LASER - not just tubes. With this feature: Scan point clouds into list of point cloud buckets using the LASER scanner. Turn buckets of points on our off. Select points on the screen then press DELETE to delete them from the buckets. Measure the distance between any two points. Transfer the point clouds into SOLIDWORKS. Transfer the point clouds into an ASCII file for use in any other program. Point clouds are stored and recalled to/from the VTube-LASER project file. Point cloud changes are stored in the UNDO memory. If you delete the wrong set of points - just press UNDO. Set the color of each bucket of point clouds.
Scanning Test: Malibu Control Arm This is a Malibu Control Arm that we scanned in VTube-LASER. The scan has a total of 19259 points in eight different buckets. Each bucket can be turned off and on. The color of several of the buckets of points have been changed so that you can identify different regions of points by color.
Send to SOLIDWORKS Press one button to transfer the scanned point cloud to SOLIDWORKS. The transfer takes about 5 seconds.
Convert to SOLIDWORKS Mesh Use the SOLIDWORKS features to turn the point cloud into a mesh and surface. (This requires a Professional or Premium license of SW.)

NEW - VTube-LASER Now Automatically Resets Straight Count at Measure

VTube-LASER users are used to editing from a "0" for starting straight count to some positive value. You won't have to do that any more in this new version - because now VTube will just fill in the correct straight count for you. You can still change it manually at any time.

NEW - Change Cylinder Fit Tolerances from a List of Setups

The new Cylinder Fit Tolerances Named Setup feature allows you to switch between stored cylinder fit tolerances for measuring cylinders. Each setup is stored in a list of named setups that can be used at any time in any tube measure. For example you could store a unique setup for measuring tubes with armor (like on brake lines) and another default one for regular tubes.

NEW - MAX Points for Cylinder Stripes Is Now 50

After extensive testing, we've concluded that any point count above 50 per stripe is never helpful in VTube-LASER. For example, as you approach 1000 points per stripe, it slows the math engine significantly and actually causes more Cylinder Fit problems than it solves. VTube-LASER will now allow up to 50 points per stripe for measuring cylinders - never more.

FIX - 180-degree Bend Correction Feature

This is important to you if you correct benders with 180-degree bends using Bender Setup communications. The Split Bend corrections (for a 180-degree bend) were being applied in Bender Setup in the uncompressed mode - which means that only half the correction was being applied to 180-degree bends. Also, the wrong number of rows was sent to Bender Setup - which meant that correction data was not properly aligned with the data at the bender. For example, for a single 180-degree bend part, there should only be two correction rows. However, VTube was sending three rows of data for two 90-degree bends. This has been fixed in this version. See the resulting correction data grid in the Bender Setup screen below the image.

NEW- Auto Display of DRO (Digital Readout) When Moving from VTube-STEP to VTube-LASER

When the arm is connected to VTube, and the user changes from VTube-STEP to VTube-LASER, VTube now automatically displays the DRO window (Digital Readout).

ENHANCED - PATH MANAGER - Clear Paths That No Longer Exist in the Path Manager

The new command allows you to clear paths that no longer exist in the list of Path Manager.

ENHANCED - Configure the PATH MANAGER

Now you can configure the Path Manager without importing or loading any files. Load the Path Manager by pressing the "Configure the Path Manager" button in the System Options / File Setup menu.

NEW - Radius 2 and Radius 3 after the Default Radius field in Part Setup

VTube has an added Radius 2 and Radius 3 fields in Part Setup and Bender Setup to allow for easier conversion to benders that require radius values assigned to levels (like Eaton Leonard and YSE)

Other Changes

• For HTML reports, the screen-image bmp file is now only copied to the html export folder when it is present in the html report.
• In VTube-STEP, the export html report feature would display an error and would not save he html reports. This has been fixed.
• Auto disconnect without critical error or crash when FARO driver stops answering VTube-LASER's requests for information.
• A change allows for hardware keys (dongles) with serial numbers greater than 2.147 billion. Older revisions may not read new hardware key serial numbers properly if they exceed that value. This version addresses that issue.

Other Pages

• See VTube-LASER Addata ZModem Communications Protocol for more information.
• Back to VTube-LASER
• Back to VTube Software Updates (for LASER Mode)
• See also VTube-STEP
• See also VTube-STEP Revisions
• See VTube-LASER Customer Support Page to download the latest version.
• See the tutorial on DCF - Dual Cylinder Fit
• See the tutorial on DCP - Diameter Cut Planes
• See VTube-LASER Cut Planes
• See How to Measure Tubes Attached to an Evaporator with the DCP Feature