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Dannycolossus
02-25-2011, 04:04 PM
ok, i was browsing the BARCLONE pages, and saw some designs i like. the trouble is, they are all rocsim-only. so i download rocsim 30 day trial. But when i click on the rocsim file, it just gives me a bunch of code. what's the deal? i really want to try building some of these designs, so any help would be great. thanks guys.

CPMcGraw
02-25-2011, 04:52 PM
ok, i was browsing the BARCLONE pages, and saw some designs i like. the trouble is, they are all rocsim-only. so i download rocsim 30 day trial. But when i click on the rocsim file, it just gives me a bunch of code. what's the deal? i really want to try building some of these designs, so any help would be great. thanks guys.

Try doing a right-click on the link, then do a 'Save File As' or 'Download Linked File As' when you're downloading. Save the file in some directory of your choice.

Next, right-click the "RKT" file and click "Open With", then browse to your RockSim folder and click the "rocksim.exe" file.

The project should open right up. When you're looking at the "Open With" screen, there should be a checkbox asking "Always use the selected program to open this kind of file..."

Check the box, and from then on you should be able to double-click a RKT file, and Rocksim will open automatically...

Dannycolossus
02-25-2011, 06:03 PM
ok, thanks. and any idea how to determine fin patterns? if there's a way, i haven't found it. also, the astro ventura" has a cone body, is there a way to make fin and wrap patterns? or is it "youre on your own" when it comes to these plans?

CPMcGraw
02-25-2011, 07:20 PM
ok, thanks. and any idea how to determine fin patterns? if there's a way, i haven't found it. also, the astro ventura" has a cone body, is there a way to make fin and wrap patterns? or is it "youre on your own" when it comes to these plans?

James Pierson will thank you for selecting one of his designs! :D

The only "fin" on this design is a tall launch lug standoff. I don't know if the demo version has this feature enabled or grayed out, but if you select the launch lug standoff in the left window, then click the "Edit" button in the right window, it will open a dialog with five buttons along the bottom. The third one says "Export template...". This generates a full-size SVG file of the fin.

To view this file, you will need a graphics program capable of reading (and preferably editing) SVG files. A free program is Inkscape. A paid program is Corel Draw. These files are not standard 'bitmap' files, like JPGs or PNGs. SVG files are 'vector graphics' files. Completely different animal...

For the 'body shell', the process is the same. Select the "transition" in the left window, hit "Edit" in the right window, and a dialog pops up. Hit "Export template...", and Rocksim generates an SVG file of that transition, in full-size. You can print this pattern from either Inkscape or Corel Draw, but you might want to "clean it up" a bit first, like removing the 'fill color' from the images, and removing the angle point section of the transition image. The editing part of this is the 'tech' part, and you need to know your program's method-of-choice.

James used 'square fins' to represent the dowels holding the rear fin tube, but there's nothing special about them. They're just common 36" x 1/8" dowels cut to length.

Dannycolossus
02-25-2011, 08:31 PM
does anyone know what paper adapter the kit uses and where to get it? i have been looking all over on semroc. been putting together a new order.

CPMcGraw
02-25-2011, 09:11 PM
does anyone know what paper adapter the kit uses and where to get it? i have been looking all over on semroc. been putting together a new order.

The design is not 'a kit', though JP would probably like it to be. ;)

It's just a sheet of cardstock, probably #110, which can be purchased at any good office supply house. Even Wal Mart carries it. It's most often sold in reams (packs), and I think it's like 300 sheets, 8.5 x 11. Not expensive, IIRC. Been a while since I had to by any...

If you need something larger, I'm sure someplace like Staples, Office Max, or Office Depot can get it. YMMV, as will the price...

The editor program can allow you to rotate and reposition that image on a sheet, too, to sometimes fit the available area.

One thing to remember, though, is some printers will not pass a sheet of cardstock. My laser printers hang and jam trying to pull the sheet around the main rollers. A printer that feeds from the top down works best. I keep a cheap Lexmark inkjet around just for doing this kind of work.

CPMcGraw
02-25-2011, 09:31 PM
Here's a PNG copy of the shroud, plus the glue tab for making the joint. Cut the tab free first, then glue it to the inside of the shroud, with half the tab exposed. When dry, curl the shroud to form a conical section, then glue the other side of the shroud to the tab. The shroud edges should be touching and the tab should fully support both edges.

The PNG image may or may not print out full size. I've tried it with several programs - Windows Preview, The GIMP, and Safari - and all three want to re-size the image. The only way to get a true-size image is to get a copy of Corel Draw (Amazon.com, V14, $45 for the Student-Home version) and open up the CDR file contained in this ZIP. I've sized it to an 8.5 x 11 sheet, and that's what comes out of the printer.

Dannycolossus
02-26-2011, 06:17 PM
thanks. the designs i am building is: Ventura, rouge bear, and static probe IIB. anyone built these? im prolly' going to try an upscale the rouge bear. but thanks for the help figureing this out.