Simulation window profligate with memory

I keep saying that the memory hog represented by all those little solid segments in the simulation window should be easy to fix by replacing the lower layers with a simple triangulated shell. As an intermediate step on the way there I've made it so that it only shows the last two layers - that is the layer currently being built, and the one immediately under it.

This in itself should be a significant memory saving, but it is unrealistic to the extent that the machine seems to be building in thin air. It should allow all the debug functions that can be deduced from what appears in that window to still be carried out though.

I can switch it back to its old way of doing things instantly if this causes problems; let me know.

If not, I'll get on with the lower shell.

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best wishes

Adrian

[reprap.org]
[reprapltd.com]

Got the code to generate shells for the lower layers after
they've been built working (finally). The simulation window
now plots a layer, then plots the next on top, then plots the
one on top of that deleting the first, etc.

For the lower layers, it also adds the shell of the object as
triangles derived from the sliced STL below the layers
being built to fill in the void underneath.

This much reduces the memory needs for the simulation window
while still giving a realistic picture.

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best wishes

Adrian

[reprap.org]
[reprapltd.com]

yay! thats awesome adrian! hopefully i can squeeze some time in here quick before bed to check it out. definitely a needed improvement.

RepRap Forum Mailer wrote:

> yay! thats awesome adrian! hopefully i can squeeze some time in here quick before bed to check it out. definitely a needed improvement.

The bug turned out to be what I imagine is Java's biggest general source
of bugs: not being quite sure when system-y things like Java3d make
copies of the data you feed them, or just keep the reference to
something that you later change.

--

Best wishes

Adrian

Dr Adrian Bowyer
[staff.bath.ac.uk]
[reprap.org]
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Assuming this tests out OK, we should probably release a reprap-host-0.8.1.zip package this weekend. Good stuff!

Jonathan

yay! i love releasing new stuff. woo!