There are many things on a software that pass unseen for the final user, but not quality. Since the very early stage of the software implementation we took the quality as our first objective. On this post we will explain how a simple profile, recently implemented, shows almost unnoticeable the built in quality of our geometric engine.
What is the geometry engine?
We call ‘geometry engine’ the block on our software that displays the cross section of the profile. It is also responsible for the user interface of variables. A good geometry engine provides a smooth/fast experience when a complex profile is shown.
Why is the FastSealCreator engine considered a good geometry engine?
Lets look at the profile HP, added to the static seals. This profile was a customer request, that came to us on CAD drawing:
This profile looks simple, but indeed is not. The corners are arcs and each corner arc connection line is tangencial to the next. Also the radius of the top and bottom corners can have different radius that adds a higher degree of complexity. The complexity is a geometrical complexity.
Competitors geometry engine
When a profile geometry is complex to implement, the final result can be limited by two factors:
- Software cannot handle the geometry itself
- Profile programmer is unable to apply geometry knowledge to solve the geometric problem
Therefor the simplest way to implement the above seal would result in the below solution. Would it work? Probably yes and it could fit many users, but it is not refined or it fulfils the client request.
FastSeal geometry engine
To implement the client request the following must be achieved:
The segments FG and DE are circle-circles tangents. The math involved is not rocket science, but some work is needed to make the output fully functional. The amount of work needed, and the willing to make it work defines the quality of the end product. In our case, the desired result was achieved and resulted on a funcional profile with fast calculation. User interaction was correctly implemented and can be seen on the video below: