Rack Planner Update 1.16

Tonight I added a power overview mode that shows the current drawn by each module as well as total current used for the whole rack. (if the current draw is unknown or not specified in the module's XML file the module will be highlighted in red so you know your overall power figure is missing this module - see the Mutamix in the image below). Also displayed are space usage stats and the space used by each module.

Rack Planner Update

The 'add rack' code now allows you to select the format, number of 'module units' wide and number of rows for the rack you want to add to the plan. It then creates a new rack to those specs. The screenshot shows 4 racks created very quickly in succession. Some more error checking code is required around this, but this is a key chunk of work done (there's no use having a rack planner that you can't add a rack to!). 'Show Rack Feet' will be an option :-)

Rack Planner Update

Some further work on the Add Rack routines, adding hp per row and number of rows controls:

Rack Planner Update 1.15

Just starting work on the 'Add Rack' routines. You'll be able to choose rack format, width, number of rows and various other properties:

Rack Planner Update - OSX

It took quite a bit of work rejigging the way paths to files were held, but it now works on my iMac. I have to admit to being rather pleased with this.

Rack Planner Update

Some work has been done on the row of menu buttons at the top of the main view:

• Delete Module - This replaces pressing 'D' on the keyboard to delete selected modules. It requires at least one module to be selected before it is enabled.
• Add Rack - This currently adds a 2 row, 84HP Euro rack to the plan. It will eventually display an interface to choose a rack format and size. It is always enabled.
• Clear Rack - This deletes all modules and their attached patch cables from the currently selected rack. It requires the current rack to have at least one module in it for it to be enabled.
• Delete Rack - This deletes the currently selected rack. It requires the rack to be empty before being enabled.

Rack Planner Update

You can now keep selecting and adding modules from the 'Module Tree' until you click away from it when you are taken back to the main plan screen. This makes building up a rack so much quicker. In the picture below I had just clicked repeatedly on the A-160 list entry:

 

I've also added a 'Clear Rack' button which clears the currently selected rack.

Rack Planner Update

Further enhancements to the 'Add Module' code. You can now scroll the manufacturer and module lists vertically (by dragging them up/down with the mouse) if they don't fit on the screen (great for the long list of Doepfer modules). It also remembers where you last added a module from and takes you straight back there the next time you click 'Add'. Format and manufacturer remain highlighted while you choose the module.

Modules no longer stack up in the top left corner of the rack as they are added. They start at the top left, moving across each row in turn looking for a space big enough for the chosen module. If such a a space is found then the module is put there. If not it reverts to top left as before. This works really nicely and saves alot of dragging around when first building up a plan. It'll be an option in the final version (for those of you that want a stack of modules in the top left corner).

Rack Planner Update

I haven't had much time for coding this evening, but I did make some progress with the module selection routines. You can now select Add - Format - Manufacturer - Module as shown below:

Rack Planner Update 1.14

Today I started development of the module chooser interface. This is based on a hierarchical arrangement of module files line FORMAT - MANUFACTURER - MODULE. The Doepfer list is working nicely and is shown below:

I decided not to use the standard windows file chooser as a) it is slow and b) in Processing it remembers the last folder and you can't specify the new folder in code so you have to click around to get to where you want to be every time. More work for me, but at least it'll be quick and unique. 

Rack Planner Update 1.13 + Video #2

Today I fixed a few bugs and added button functionality for the Add, Load and Save menus and toggle buttons for the Debug and FreeDrop options. These look alot neater:

I also made a second YouTube video:

Rack Planner Update - Video #1

Here's a video overview of the features implemented to date.

Rack Planner Update

I've added hole size, hole position, number of holes per unit width (Buchla has 2, the others so far have one) and mounting rail thickness definitions to the rack class. The results can be seen in the image below which shows one of each format I've implemented so far - Euro, Frac, Dotcom and Buchla.

Rack Planner Update 1.12

Today was a big day in my rack planner's development. A very big day. Today's the day we went multi-format. The planner can now handle Buchla and Synthesizers.com modules as well as Eurorack - in the same plan. Other formats should present few challenges - just a matter of inputting the dimensions of a standard width panel for each. I'm really pleased with how well this has worked out.

Please ignore the nonsense patch - it's purely a test to make sure that all the previously coded functionality works with the new rack sizes.

Also added today were proper load and save routines (before it just loaded and saved a single hard-coded file as a proof of concept) and autoloading of a default rack (rack.xml  as per Doug's planner) if found.

Rack Planner Update 1.11

Code has been completed to link the patch cables to the modules they are drawn on. This means that when a module is moved either within a rack, or across to another rack, the cables stay attached. There's no point showing a picture to illustrate this as it needs a video to do it justice (although in the pic below you can see that the Choices joystick is being moved and its connection to the left Plague Bearer is being maintained). I'll make a short vid at the weekend to show all progress to date.

I've added to the dropzone code to show not only how wide a module is, but also how big the gap you are failing to drop it into is.

Rack Planner Update

It is now possibleto draw patch leads onto the racks by holding down CTRL and dragging the mouse between the two points you want the lead to join. The patch leads' ends are currently linked to a rack, meaning if you move the rack, the leads move with it. I'll be doing further coding to make the leads module- rather than rack-based so when you move a module its leads stay with it, wherever you drag it to.

Today I also added some code to only spend time drawing modules that are actually visible (ie. not those outside the bounds of the window - remember, we can zoom in as shown above). This should speed things up as racks become more complex.

Rack Planner Update 1.10

Z-ordering implemented to decide which module to pick up if an overlap occurs. Graphics tidy-ups with improvements to the HP Rulers (they now show the selected module's hp width as well as the space either side - see pic below).

Right-click to select modules - they turn blue - pressing 'D' deletes them. This will also eventually be used to drag a group of modules around rather than single ones, and allow any selected modules to be moved by cursor keys as well as the mouse.

Anybody notice the screws? When a module's in the rack it gets bolted in. When it's being dragged around the screws don't show. This makes me smile!

There are currently no bugs so I'm ready to move onto new features tomorrow. I'm leaving the 'housekeeping'-type tasks for now (add rack, delete rack, cut, copy, paste etc.) in order to rejig the XML files and prepare for mixed-format plans.