VTube-LASER v2.5

Revision 2.5 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.

MAJOR NEW FEATURE: Bend Profile Out-of-round % Measurement

This feature is unique to FARO systems using VTube-LASER. VTube-LASER can now measure bend profile regions in order to calculate the out-of-round percentage in multiple slice regions of any bend. This feature is only possible because the FARO ScanArm uses a surface scanner to collect surface points. (Other measuring methods that do not scan surface points cannot perform this kind of measurement.)
Bend Profile Measure Control The Bend Profile measure control can be used in the middle of the Uniscan measure. During a Uniscan tube measurement, you choose if you want to measure a bend's profile region. To save time, VTube-LASER allows you to skip measuring the profile of non-critical bends.
About the Bend Profile Slice Metaphor The metaphor "slice" is used to visualize the regions like slices of cake in the bend sections. VTube uses these slice regions to group all surface points inside of of these regions. It then reports the one high and the one low value of the torus surface points in that slice region, and uses that to calculate the out-of-round% values per slice region.
Bend Profile Slice Regions Each slice is labeled as "Bend Number - Slice Number". The default slice region width is 10 degrees. This value is controlled in the Other tab of Measure Setup. When you scan points around the bend, VTube automatically calculates the real radius from the scanned data, then puts the scanned points in these regions. For example, a 90 degree bend will have 9 slice regions by default. In the image on the right, you can see the results in the Out-of-round grid.
Slice Regions Demonstrated In the image on the right, you can see slices 5 through 10. You can see the rise and fall of out-of-roundness in the bend. (Compare it to the Oor% values from the grid above.) Slices 7 and 8 have the greatest Out-of-round percentage in this bend. You can see the greatest deformation in this bend in those two slices. This is where the ridge on the top of the tube is at its highest point. Also In slice 10, you can visually verify that the bend torus is recovering from the maximum ovality in the previous slices.

MAJOR NEW FEATURE: Bend Profile Real Radius Calculation

The Bend Profile measure feature also automatically calculates the centerline arc from the cloud data scanned around the bend. Because huge amounts of data can easily be collected during Bend Profile scans with the FARO ScanArm, the calculated radius value is repeatable. The calculated measured radii values are inserted in the measure data if VTube finds that you measured the bend profile for that bend. This is useful especially for reverse engineering tube shapes. If you don't know the radius value in the tube shape, this feature will determine the actual average radius at the center of the bend.

IMPROVED: Best Fit - Automatic End Weight Version 2 - Tighter and Faster Alignments

We're always happy to give you a feature that does more - and does more FASTER than before. This is one of those features. Version 2 of the Best Fit engine aligns tube shapes faster and tighter than the original. For example, a 25 second alignment is now made in 20 seconds, and a 0.013" average deviation might drop to an average of 0.009". Version 1 was very good at tight alignments as the measured tube shape started to conform more to the master tube shape. However, version 2 creates a tighter fit faster - and handles shapes that are further from the master shape much better than version 1. The alignments shown on the right are the results of the two different kinds of alignments now available in version 2.5. We used the same master/measured data. When qualifications are on the edge of the tolerance, then the new version 2 of Best Fit has a better chance of qualifying a tube. Note: We understand that some customers are very careful when approving new part alignment algorithms - so we were careful to leave the original version Best Fit option in the VTube Inspection Results menu to give you time to learn to trust and use Best Fit version 2.

IMPROVED: The MEASUREMENT COMPLETE Window is Redesigned for Simplicity

The Measurement Complete window is the window that displays when you finish measurements. It has been redesigned to make it even easier to use. We've removed all the extra alignment buttons and now there is only one. There is a new dropdown box that allows you to chose the alignment - and make it the instant default in the current project. (This means that all other interface objects in other windows that show these settings change instantly when you change the alignment type here.) Here's another enhancement: We caught a user accidentally pressing "Do Nothing and Close" after a measure. This basically deletes the current measure. So now VTube will always ask for confirmation before accepting that as your choice.

NEW: Project File Save Notification Proves the Project Was Saved

Previous versions of VTube were quiet when you saved a project file. That made some of our customers understandably nervous. So now VTube always shows a quick notification at the top of the screen when you save a project file. The window displays for a few seconds then disappears automatically. But you can even keep working when this window is open because you can click on other parts of VTube even while this notification is on the screen.

NEW: HOT Keys Control-L (Load) and Control-S (Save) for VTube Project Files

These new hotkeys are a simple thing- but they'll make your life much easier if you're a hotkey user. Try it. Press CTRL-L to load a project file, then CTRL-S to quickly save it again. It's about as easy as it gets. (The new project save notification window described above will display every time you press CTRL-S.)

NEW: CALCULATE TUBE ELONGATION PERCENTAGE FEATURE

Now VTube-LASER can calculate Tube Elongation Percentage by subtracting the current CUT LENGTH from the MEASURED LENGTH - then calculate the percentage by comparing that change to the total ARC LENGTHS in the measured tube. The formula used is (Measured Length - Cut Length) / (Arc Length Sum for Whole Tube) X 100

ENHANCEMENT and FIX: The PROBE RADIUS COMPENSATION Feature

If you measure the ends of tubes with the ball probe, and the probe radius compensation directions at either end are ever different, then this update is critical for you. CHANGED CAPTIONS IN SETUP The captions in these boxes used to read "Offset End A" and "Offset End B". This was too vague, so we changed the English to "Probe Radius Compensation - End A" or "...End B". IMPORTANT FIX FOR TACTILE END MEASURES Also, we discovered and fixed a bug where VTube always used the probe compensation setting End A for End B too. This would have created an incorrect compensation direction if the settings for either end were different. For example: They would be different if you were tactile measuring the end wall of the tube on End A, then tactile measured where a flange meets the tube diameter on End B (on the tube side of the flange).

FIX: Transfluid XYZ Output (BKT File) Repairs

This feature allows you to output new XYZ data to the bender from inside VTube-STEP (which is part of VTube-LASER). The output engine for Transfluid XYZ data was updated and repaired from errors we found that would stop the export. Also, the linear units are now converted to whatever the current linear unit is in the VTube user interface. This was added because the internal Transfluid data can be either inches or millimeters.

OTHER CHANGES

• When decreasing the point count in VTube-LASER without clearing the project, the reports would continue to show the previous expanded point count for the Tangent Points and Midpoints list. This has been fixed.
  
  
• The Overbend Calculator incorrected swapped the Proportional and Fixed values in the springback formula for the springback grid inside the calculator. This has been fixed.
  
  
• The Springback compensation, when enabled, was not calculated correctly in outgoing Supravision files. This has been fixed.
  
  
• The End B Length Adjustment feature would not draw the tube diameter correctly when set to more than or less than 0. This has been fixed.

Other Pages

• Back to VTube-STEP
• Back to VTube Software Updates (for LASER Mode)
• Back to VTube-LASER
• See VTube Language Editor