Needing a better understanding of Vectors

I have many years Machining on CNC at Boeing , but I didnt do all the Programing so learning the machine is easy but trying to get a better understanding of Nodes, vectors, and line structure. Any suggestions?

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Hi Steven!

In practical terms, @jepho’s path is a good one. Try to draw something in a vector editor. I use Inkscape but it can be a little daunting at first sight.

If you’re technical or have a programming background, then just looking at the source of an SVG file (it’s just an XML document) could be a “eureka” moment for you, since it shows that vector graphics are geometrical operations and not arrays of pixels like an image.

Since you’re familiar with CNC cutting, you could also use that familiarity and think of the nodes as being the coordinates the CNC moves to, and the vectors as the imaginary lines it took to move between them.

SVG is just one specification for vectors, but resources such as the SVG spec at SVG: Scalable Vector Graphics | MDN can help you see what sort of information is in a vector, and therefore what operations and limitations you will have when trying to draw things:

For example, here’s a line:

For me, this sort of thing demystifies everything… but that’s not to say it’s everyone’s path to comprehension.

The plural of software is software, not softwares. Just like sheep and sheep. :slight_smile:

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I think it first started to be used when “warez” (ie: wares and goods) became popular references to pirated software, particularly by eastern Europeans applying the generic English pluralization rules.

Naturally, you can spell it however you like. Hopefully you are consistent and each time you go down to the hardware store and pickup a bunch of hardwares for your shop, or look at your computer hardwares, you use the same form. :smiley:

EDIT: Added emoticon to convey intended frivolity.

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I wrote up a very basic overview of this sort of thing at:

https://willadams.gitbook.io/design-into-3d/2d-drawing

Please let me know if there’s anything which I missed or didn’t explain adequately.

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Thanks!

It wasn’t much, and it wasn’t collaborative w/ Julien (but rather a customer from support), but I did:

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:rofl:

Which raises the interesting question of the Shapeoko’s gender.
Over here one would tend to call it “ma Shapeoko”, not “mon Shapeoko”, because the Shapeoko is a
machine and the gender of “machine” is feminine in French. So the Shapeoko is a she (e.g. like ships and cars in the English-speaking parts of the world?)

(and now…we have hijacked @Woodoncnc’s thread, sorry!)

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Yeah, I called my SO1 “Watchmaker” (after the small beings in the Niven & Pournelle classic The Mote in God’s Eye), but lean towards feminine. Perhaps @edwardrford could chime in?

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Cool name!
Now that I know that Will and you have named your machines, I need to come up with a name for mine.

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Uh, I no longer have my SO1 — gave it to one of my daughter’s college friends along w/ a 3D printer and eventually a Nomad (considering reclaiming the SO1 and reworking it to make a small machine) — haven’t named any of the other machines since.

There was one wonderfully charming interaction from Facebook where an owner’s daughter pronounced Shapeoko as “Shop Cow”, resulting in that machine being so named.

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