Infos

Installation

If several users should use TuxCAD, it will be favourable to install the program in a global directory (e.g. /usr/local/tuxcad). Otherwise a installation in an user's local directory (like ~/tuxcad) is also possible.
The target location depends on the place where the package is extracted. After downloading the program, change into the desired parent directory (the following examples suppose to install TuxCAD into /usr/local/tuxcad). So, first you have to type

cd /usr/local

Then, the archive will be extracted using the command

tar xvzf /Pfad/tuxcad.0.01.tgz

To start the program by simply typing tuxCAD on the console, you have to either move the binary from the tuxcad/bin/ directory into a directory where the system searches for executables (see PATH-variable) or you can set a (symobolic) link into one of those directories. You might also change into the tuxcad/bin directory for starting the program, but this might be not very comfortable. Of course, another solution is to append the tuxcad-path to your PATH-Variable (e.g.: set PATH=$PATH:/usr/local/tuxcad/bin; export PATH). You should avoid calling TuxCAD with a preceeding path-specification, because X-windows may not find the appropriate resource file. If you'd like to create a symbolic link from /usr/X11R6/bin, you have to insert the following comand:

ln -s /usr/local/tuxcad/bin/tuxCAD /usr/X11R6/bin/tuxCAD

Now, X-Windows must be told, where it finds the TuxCAD-resource file, which is stored in tuxCAD.ad. This can be done in one of the following ways:
  1. The resource file will be stored in a directory where X-Windows searches for resource files. This can be either /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/app-defaults or another directory which is listed in the XAPPLRESDIR-variable (will be shown on a 'echo $XAPPLRESDIR'). The name of the resource file should be changed into TuxCAD.
    mv /usr/local/tuxcad/tuxCAD.ad /usr/X11R6/bin/X11/app-defaults/TuxCAD
  2. Alternatively the values of the resource file can be inserted into the the X-servers resource database. The complying command is:
    xrdb -merge /usr/local/tuxCAD/tuxCAD.ad
    This method has the advantage, that the resource values will be found even, if TuxCAD will be started with an absolute or relative path specification.

Troubleshooting

This section describes problems while using TuxCAD, tells possible reasons and gives solutions.
All texts in TuxCAD are display in lowercase. Color menues are not multi-coloured.
The TuxCAD resource file was not loaded at properly at program start. Check, if the resource file is placed in a directory, where the X-server looks for resourse file (do a 'echo $XAPPLRESDIR' to see a list of possible directories). The resource file needs to be named TuxCAD (respect upper and lower case letters).
When loading workcells some or all parts where not found by TuxCAD.
Verify the parts stored in the workcell-file (plain text). All part's filenames are stored with relative pathes. Do all parts exist relative to the data-path ? Check the settings of the data dictionary by calling the function System/Config. Adjust the value if necessary.
I called the online-help, but theres no text
Call System/Config and make sure, that the TuxCAD-path is set correctly.
Using more than one workcells at the same time, TuxCAD crashes (including X-Windows)
This is still a known bug, which is caused by a sloppy usage of OpenGL-display lists. I hope to fix the bug in one of the next versions.
There are a lot of problems unmentioned. An extended list is still in work...

Usage

TuxCAD distinguishes between three different object types: TuxCAD can display several independant CAD-windows. Each window contains a separate world (also named workcell), which can be shown from up to four different point of views at the same time. A workcell consists out of one or more devices, which have themself one or more parts. Kinematic relations between two parts allows representing flexible devices.
If TuxCAD is called without parameters, only the main-window will be opened. Now, an existing data file can be loaded or a new workcell can be created using the menu function. Actions can be normally selected in the CAD-windows.
Because, most actions belongs to one of the thre described object types, they can be selected using different mouse buttons. To select a function, place the mouse in the desired CAD-window. By double-clicking with the left mouse button a menue (part-menue) will be displayed which contains the functions of the part placed at the mouse position. Using the middle mouse button, TuxCAD shows the device-menu of the corresponding device. The world-menu will be displayed with the right mouse button. When opening the world-menu the mouse needn't be placed at a particular position.
A selected function stays active until another function is selected, a opened dialog is closed or the <ESC>-key is pressed. During many function the mouse-cursor changes accordingly.
TuxCAD offers a online-help window. This can be used both as online-manual and as well as assistance on solving problems. The window can be displayed using different ways:
The help function is context sensitive, that means: when the <F1>-key is pressed while edition a input field in a dialog, the opening help-window shows the appropriate description. Sorry - the online documentation is neither complete nor translated into english, yet.

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