1.0.0 VS3D

VS3D Introduction.
VS3D is a program for virtual sculpting and 3-axis machining of relief surfaces. Sculpting and machining is performed on a tight grid of XY points, with a Z height at each XY grid point. Surface heights are interactively manipulated using three types of tools: hammering, regions, and warping. The associated CAD program (VScad3) is a traditional wire-frame and polygon geometry builder. It can be used with VS3D to turn 3D geometry into relief surfaces and vice versa. It is recommended that new users learning VS3D/VScad3 start by taking the Guided Tour.

Screen Layout.
Along the top of the main VS3D interface are the File and Edit menus, the main mode setting (Hammer, Region, Warp, Display, or Machine), the Region out/in containment indicator, and the Help menu. The main mode setting determines which actions will occur when a mouse button is clicked on the sculpture view. Each mode has it's own set of controls which will appear on the left side of the main window. The Region out/in indicator shows if the sculpture grid point under the current cursor location is inside or outside the region. In cases where the region is smoothed or feathered, a point may be partially inside a region (the red bar graph will show the percent containment, ranging from fully outside to fully inside the region). If the Region out/in indicator is "grayed out", then there is no region currently defined. Regions can be defined/modified when the main mode is set to "Region".

The sculpture view takes up most of the area in the main VS3D window. When VS3D is started, a VS3D logo is momentarily displayed over the sculpture view. Above the sculpture view are dynamic readouts for the X,Y,Z position of the point currently under the cursor. As the mouse is moved across the sculpture view, the coordinate readouts are updated. There are two coordinate systems in VS3D for XY positions. "Grid" coordinates correspond with the XY dimensions of the sculpture grid in grid points. For example, if the sculpture grid dimensions are 512x512 points, then the "Grid" coordinates range from 0 to 511 in X and Y. "Data" coordinates relate to the physical dimensions of the grid in inches or millimeters. The Data coordinate scales can be set to any desired value by selecting "Coordinate Scale..." from the main "Edit" menu. The grid dimensions can be changed by selecting "Resize Grid..." or "Expand/Crop Margins..." from the main "Edit" menu. If a coordinate is typed into either the Grid or Data coordinate readout fields, followed by the keyboard "Enter" key, then the cursor will automatically be moved to that point on the sculpture grid (rounded to the nearest screen pixel).

The main VS3D window can be resized using the host window manager. If resized, the sculpture view window is sized to fit the main VS3D window. A certain minimum size is enforced for the sculpture view. If the aspect ratio of the sculpture window does not match the aspect ratio of the sculpture grid, then black bars may be shown along the sides of the view.

1.0.0 A