PIECE DIGITIZING WITH GRADING

Module RP-GR, like all other CalCad modules, runs on a PC equipped with any Windows operating system (95, 98, ME, 2000, NT, XP). This module is used to digitize cardboard or fiber-board pieces. Once these pieces are digitized and adjusted, the grading module then creates all the desired sizes, with the possibility of performing every type of correction to the standard grading.  This module is recommended for people that need to create files for a cutting station starting from cardboard pieces in the base size.

PIECE DIGITIZING 
The cardboard pieces are placed on the digitizing tablet and using drawing tools the following entities are digitized: main model axis, style lines, drill holes, pen lines, secondary axes, etc.

These entities are called base entities and they are the only ones that can be modified.

There are four methods to digitize entities:

1) Continuous line acquisition. This is the fastest acquisition method. Using a special mouse equipped with a guide, the user follows the edge of the piece placed on the digitizing tablet. The program automatically decides the position and the type (smooth-point or corner-point) of the base points.

2) Point-to-point acquisition. The user decides the position and the type of the base points (with the help of the mouse guide that follow the piece edge).

3) Scanner acquisition. 

4) Base entities can also be imported from files in standard formats (DXF, PLT, etc.).

All the above methods can be used together (for example part of a line can be digitized with the continuous method and part with the point-to-point method). 

BASE ENTITIES MODIFICATION
Modification tools allow the CAD user to change base lines (modification of base points, automatic smoothing of lines or part of lines, line bending, line offset, line joint, line break, line enlace, total or partial line erase, etc.). The program stores the history of all operations done and it allows you to go back through an unlimited number of steps (recovering every possible mistake done).

DEPENDANT ENTITIES
Once all the base lines are adjusted, margins depending on these lines are created (lasting margins, stitching margins, folding margins, drill hole lines, etc.).

It is also possible to create other dependant entities like enlaces, fillets, circles, notches, size notches, mirror image of entities, etc. All these entities are linked to the base entities and are automatically modified when the base entities are modified. This makes the program totally parametric.

PIECE CREATION    
After creating all entities (base and dependant), the boundary line of a piece is selected and the piece is automatically created. After creating the pieces, if some modifications are done to some entities, all pieces that include these entities are automatically updated.

Texts can be added to the pieces. Texts can depend on the model (model name, last name, designer name, customer name, etc.), on the piece (piece name, piece size, material, etc.) or can be free text. Dependant texts are automatically update.

GRADING
The program does an automatic grading of the pieces for the selected sizes. Grading is performed based on the shoe last parameters (length, width, incremental factors, base size).

Standard grading can be adjusted with some corrections typical of shoe grading using a complete set of tools: secondary grading references parallel to the main grading reference but with different increment factors, secondary grading references with direction and increment factors different from the main grading reference, grading dependant from a base reference line, secondary grading references depending on other secondary grading references. It is also possible to create grading groups in one or both directions. With this set of tools it is easy to perform the perfect grading for every part of the shoe (boot leg, strips, heel seat, soles, group grading, etc.). There is also a tool available to perform an automatic width (fitting) change.

EXPORT FORMATS

After grading all pieces, the program generates an output file that depends on the particular peripheral used. Files can be in Comelz format (for Comelz punching machine P55 and for Comelz leather cutting machine CM44) or in standard format (for other cutting or drawing peripherals that work with PLT or DXF formats).

All necessary tool offsets are automatically calculated when generating the output files.