If you find the new Video Links feature to the right side of this blog to be helpful in finding the videos on this blog you can thank Debbie Keith, of the eCraft_Crafters Yahoo Group.
One of the problems with the blog format is that as every new post is added, the previous posts become harder to find. And, in the case of this blog, some of the most important posts where the earliest posts as we experimented with our new machine. And, that is true of the early videos. They had become too hard to find.
But, thanks to Debbie, that has been corrected.
I will be adding links to videos at Purple Paper Paradise , Nicki's Cardstock Creations and other sites as I find them or you bring them to my attention. So, be sure to let me know if you find a video that is not listed and I will add it.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Thursday, September 16, 2010
User setting for Cutting Speed
Cherice95405 had a problem and a husband.
Wait! I can see that you are getting the wrong idea from that sentence!!!
The problem was NOT her husband.
SHEEESH!!! You guys are ALWAYS jumping to conclusions, aren't you?
Cherice's problem, that she posted on the eCraft_Crafters Yahoo Group was that she was unable to cut text reliably on the eCraft digital die cutter. So, she complained to the nearest person she could find, her husband. And, rather than simply walking off oblivious, as I have a tendency to do, he actually LISTENED. (Something my wife would claim that I do NOT have a tendency to do.)
Cherice calls her husband her "IT Superhero". I added that he is also my "ANALYTICAL superhero" because he went snooping to see if their was a way to solve her problem. He found it in the same place I found the name of the company that is currently responsible for developing eCraftShop... the eCraft's configuration file.
The file is in the same directory where eCraftShop is installed. It's called eCraftShop.exe.config and it provides a way to customize how the machine works on individual machines. It's an XML file. So, it is easily edited with a text editor. However, I would caution anyone that wants to edit that file that you should make a backup copy before doing so just in case things don't go as planned.
Look for the key word "CuttingSpeed" and you will find that it is set to 700 by default.
Cherice's husband slowed down the cutting speed by changing the value from 700 to 500 and she reports that she is now able to cut the characters that she was unable to cut previously. I've encouraged Cherice to badger her husband to sign up to the eCraft_Crafter's Yahoo group. We NEED his brain.
I love inquisitive people! Nice job!
Wait! I can see that you are getting the wrong idea from that sentence!!!
The problem was NOT her husband.
SHEEESH!!! You guys are ALWAYS jumping to conclusions, aren't you?
Cherice's problem, that she posted on the eCraft_Crafters Yahoo Group was that she was unable to cut text reliably on the eCraft digital die cutter. So, she complained to the nearest person she could find, her husband. And, rather than simply walking off oblivious, as I have a tendency to do, he actually LISTENED. (Something my wife would claim that I do NOT have a tendency to do.)
Cherice calls her husband her "IT Superhero". I added that he is also my "ANALYTICAL superhero" because he went snooping to see if their was a way to solve her problem. He found it in the same place I found the name of the company that is currently responsible for developing eCraftShop... the eCraft's configuration file.
The file is in the same directory where eCraftShop is installed. It's called eCraftShop.exe.config and it provides a way to customize how the machine works on individual machines. It's an XML file. So, it is easily edited with a text editor. However, I would caution anyone that wants to edit that file that you should make a backup copy before doing so just in case things don't go as planned.
Look for the key word "CuttingSpeed" and you will find that it is set to 700 by default.
Cherice's husband slowed down the cutting speed by changing the value from 700 to 500 and she reports that she is now able to cut the characters that she was unable to cut previously. I've encouraged Cherice to badger her husband to sign up to the eCraft_Crafter's Yahoo group. We NEED his brain.
I love inquisitive people! Nice job!
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Purple Paper Paradise - What to Expect With Update
Among my heroes in the eCraft user community is Denise O'Connor. She sees the special quality of the eCraft cutter; but, recognizes that without equivalent quality software, it will have slow going in gaining the marketshare it deserves.
But, she also realizes that we have to be realistic about the progress of the software development. And, has written an excellent new article on the topic titled "Moving Forward"
As usual, she's right on target!
But, she also realizes that we have to be realistic about the progress of the software development. And, has written an excellent new article on the topic titled "Moving Forward"
As usual, she's right on target!
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
A Bit of Praise for the eCraft Engineers
Each morning, before heading off to my consulting clients that pay the bills, I take a few minutes to focus on the eCraft community by checking Craftwell's Facebook page and emails that I've receive from blog readers overnight. Since most current owners are waiting to see what the next software release will bring and the machines one the first boat to the U.S. have not yet begun to be shipped, things were slow this morning.
That gave me some time to sit and reflect on the quality of the design of the eCraft hardware. It really is unique and well done from both an aesthetic point of view and a mechanical point of view. Even the battery compartment design merits appreciation.
Some people comment on its deep footprint when the tray is attached. But, they forget that the tray is simply an added convenience. It can be removed. And, once it's removed it requires no more depth than any other cutter since the paper we use in all cutters is the same depth and it is the paper that determines how much room we need behind the machine.
The build quality is excellent. I love that the blade trolley is right out in front and easily moved by hand or buttons. The lift up design has allowed me to photograph the blade and blade cover quite easily and while it's easier and probably safer to change the blades with the provided tweezers, it's possible to pull out an old blade and pop in a new one by hand.
And, speaking of blades, when I first took delivery of this machine, I fully expected it to run through blades quite quickly. But, surprisingly, with all the testing and cutting I have done, I still have new blades I have not used and old blades I can still use in a pinch. Obviously, blade life depends on the materials you cut and the density of the tabs you've selected. And, it may be that I'm getting longer life now because I have found that I don't normally need a high tab density and can even cut successfully without any tabs at all with some material and shape combinations.
But, one of the things I most appreciate is the simultaneous blade and pen combination. When I first started to use the eCraft I didn't think much about how useful being able to chose between a blade or a pen without having to physically change anything would be. The pen is now my most used feature for testing rendering accuracy and it has not only saved me a lot of expensive paper; but, allowed me to use less expensive paper while testing the software.
Many, many years ago, when I first graduated from college I produced videos. One of my regular clients was an opinion research firm that would bring people into a conference room to discuss a product or service. And, one of the questions they invariably asked was, "Is this product was a car, what brand of car would it be?" That seems like a good question to pose this morning.
If the eCraft was a car, what brand of car would it be?
It's trickier than one might think to make that comparison. That is because the eCraft combines features that aren't generally common in the same automobile... built-in reliability and sleek looks. A Ferrari Enzo might be a good choice for comparison when it comes to the styling of the eCraft. The Honda Accord might be a good choice for it's rugged construction. So, the Ferrari Enzo has the looks; but, perhaps not the ruggedness and the Honda has the ruggedness and not the looks. So, there is only one thing we can do....
Why, choose the Bugatti Veyron 16:4, of course! Yes, if I had to choose a car that best reflects to design and performance of the eCraft the Bugatti is my choice. The big difference, of course, is the Bugatti is the world's most expensive automobile and the eCraft is not the most expensive digital cutter. Bugatti at a bargain. Now, that is a pretty good deal.
And, if I can be permitted to reflect on something else while we comparing the eCraft to an automobile. One of the factors in selecting an automobile is something I simply call Unity of Design. For a consumer to feel comfortable with a product, ALL the pieces of that product must be in UNITY. Just as a potential Bugatti owner would never accept cheap fabric seats, neither would a potential Hyundai Accent buyer want hand-crafted leather seats that cost more than the entire car! The Bugatti buyer wants seats that reflect every other aspect of that luxury car. And, a Hyundai buyer wants seats that reflect the frugality of their automobile choice. When ANY element of a product's design is not in perfect unity with all the other elements, people get very nervous. They may not know WHY they have an uneasy feeling. They just feel it in their gut and end up walking away.
The reason I bring this up is that when I look at the hardware design of the eCraft, I cannot help but want a software component that is in every way its equal. I don't want a Bugatti cutter being driven by Hyundai Accent software! I expect Bugatti software and nothing else. As I said in another post, in a different way, the hardware design deserves nothing less.
That gave me some time to sit and reflect on the quality of the design of the eCraft hardware. It really is unique and well done from both an aesthetic point of view and a mechanical point of view. Even the battery compartment design merits appreciation.
Some people comment on its deep footprint when the tray is attached. But, they forget that the tray is simply an added convenience. It can be removed. And, once it's removed it requires no more depth than any other cutter since the paper we use in all cutters is the same depth and it is the paper that determines how much room we need behind the machine.
The build quality is excellent. I love that the blade trolley is right out in front and easily moved by hand or buttons. The lift up design has allowed me to photograph the blade and blade cover quite easily and while it's easier and probably safer to change the blades with the provided tweezers, it's possible to pull out an old blade and pop in a new one by hand.
And, speaking of blades, when I first took delivery of this machine, I fully expected it to run through blades quite quickly. But, surprisingly, with all the testing and cutting I have done, I still have new blades I have not used and old blades I can still use in a pinch. Obviously, blade life depends on the materials you cut and the density of the tabs you've selected. And, it may be that I'm getting longer life now because I have found that I don't normally need a high tab density and can even cut successfully without any tabs at all with some material and shape combinations.
But, one of the things I most appreciate is the simultaneous blade and pen combination. When I first started to use the eCraft I didn't think much about how useful being able to chose between a blade or a pen without having to physically change anything would be. The pen is now my most used feature for testing rendering accuracy and it has not only saved me a lot of expensive paper; but, allowed me to use less expensive paper while testing the software.
Many, many years ago, when I first graduated from college I produced videos. One of my regular clients was an opinion research firm that would bring people into a conference room to discuss a product or service. And, one of the questions they invariably asked was, "Is this product was a car, what brand of car would it be?" That seems like a good question to pose this morning.
If the eCraft was a car, what brand of car would it be?
It's trickier than one might think to make that comparison. That is because the eCraft combines features that aren't generally common in the same automobile... built-in reliability and sleek looks. A Ferrari Enzo might be a good choice for comparison when it comes to the styling of the eCraft. The Honda Accord might be a good choice for it's rugged construction. So, the Ferrari Enzo has the looks; but, perhaps not the ruggedness and the Honda has the ruggedness and not the looks. So, there is only one thing we can do....
Why, choose the Bugatti Veyron 16:4, of course! Yes, if I had to choose a car that best reflects to design and performance of the eCraft the Bugatti is my choice. The big difference, of course, is the Bugatti is the world's most expensive automobile and the eCraft is not the most expensive digital cutter. Bugatti at a bargain. Now, that is a pretty good deal.
And, if I can be permitted to reflect on something else while we comparing the eCraft to an automobile. One of the factors in selecting an automobile is something I simply call Unity of Design. For a consumer to feel comfortable with a product, ALL the pieces of that product must be in UNITY. Just as a potential Bugatti owner would never accept cheap fabric seats, neither would a potential Hyundai Accent buyer want hand-crafted leather seats that cost more than the entire car! The Bugatti buyer wants seats that reflect every other aspect of that luxury car. And, a Hyundai buyer wants seats that reflect the frugality of their automobile choice. When ANY element of a product's design is not in perfect unity with all the other elements, people get very nervous. They may not know WHY they have an uneasy feeling. They just feel it in their gut and end up walking away.
The reason I bring this up is that when I look at the hardware design of the eCraft, I cannot help but want a software component that is in every way its equal. I don't want a Bugatti cutter being driven by Hyundai Accent software! I expect Bugatti software and nothing else. As I said in another post, in a different way, the hardware design deserves nothing less.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Reflections on John Perkins
You'll have to excuse me for this seemingly off topic post. In fact, while none of you knew John Perkins he is an integral part of my history that made it possible for me to be in a position to be a part of the digital die cutter community. I just learned about John's death from a man named Dave Nutting who gathered together one of the most creative and brilliant group of people I've ever known. The reason for me taking this space now, on this blog, is that one can't find much information of John. And yet, he was a very important player in video game development history. And, I want to make sure that there is SOME reference to him for those interested in the history of video games when they go to make an internet search.
I first met John Perkins when I was working with Astrocade. At that time he was very much in the same situation that I'm in with eCraft... an engaged owner He was a Bally Professional Arcade fan and on his own had created some enhancements for the game system. The more we communicated with him the more we realized that we needed the expertise he brought to the table and we hired him as a consultant and video game designer. He created Artillery Duel, one of our most popular games.
John was one of those rare people that knew both hardware and software. Our software and hardware came from a Bally owned company called Dave Nutting Associates. As I said, Dave Nutting had pulled together a brilliant team of renaissance people. Just to give you an idea of the diversity of their talents I'll just point out that Dave, himself, designed the Willy's Jeep Grand Wagoneer, the Enstrom helicopter and invented the electronic pinball game. But, the creativity didn't end with Dave Nutting. Jamie (Jay) Fenton, a programmer for Dave, went on to found MacroMind and MacroMedia. Gorf and Galaga were Jamie's creations. Dr. Tom DeFanti, was their graphics language guru. It was a fantastic team.
The lead programmer for Dace Nutting Associates was Bob Ogdon. Bob and John became a formidable team of game designers and after the video game system crash in 1983, which wiped out Asctrocade, they formed their own company, Action Graphics, which was responsible for many of the early ColecoVision games.
John, Bob and I worked together on the first demonstration of motion graphics on a CD for Microscoft's First International CD-ROM Conference in 1986. By today's standard it was very crude. But, John and Bob's work was the breakthrough that brought about everything you can do with DVDs on a computer. They even designed the now familar button style interface that most DVD video programs use to this day.
Bob and John taught me a very valuable lesson. Technically they worked UNDER Astrocade. But, in reality we saw each other as peers. The important lesson I learned was to always be nice to those that work for you because, if you do, they might remember you when they rise above you. I later worked for them! And, they were responsible for my being offered the position of VP of Electronic Games at Parker Brothers. Even though I did not take them up on the offer, I was flattered that such talented people would have referred me to such a great company. (At 39 I would have been the oldest member of the management team and really wasn't so sure if could deal with corporate politics It turned out that I made a good decision since they disbanded that division less than 6 months later.)
The last time I had the opportunity to work with John Perkins was the project that REALLY showed me his amazing genious. Talk about thinking outside the box! Nolan Bushnell had been given several million by Hasbro to develop a video game system based on video tape. (DVDs had not been fully developed as yet.) His team at Axlon, led by Tom Zito, a former Washington Post rock music critic, made a valiant effort in several different directions; but, they were in danger of coming up empty handed and having to pay back that money when someone found John Perkins, who then called me in on the project. John came up with an ingenious solution that involved interleaving multiple video streams into a single video stream! He built the encoder to combine the signals and a decoder to pick out any one of the videos. It was picked up by Hasbro and the development effort was code-named NEMO.
If you watch the YouTube video, John has his back to the camera on the far left of the screen. This is actually the second showing to Hasbro personnel; but, the first to include the Hassenfeld brothers, Steve and Alan.
Now, here is where I am going to correct some history. Wikipedia claims that Tom Zito developed the NEMO video game console. That's a bit misleading. I don't know if Tom brought John Perkins into the project or not. I only know that his team at Axlon had worked for quite a while and had failed come up with anything before John Perkins was brought in. Proof that it was John that invented that unique system can be found by reading just one of the patents for this innovative system officially named ISIX. He deserves the credit he is due for his contributions to the history of video gaming. After the NEMO project was disbanded, John Perkins was the ONLY person on the ISIX team retained by Hasbro. They thought that much of him. And, rightly so. I think Alan Hassenfeld would second everything I have to say about John... both professionally and personally.
But, while his achievements were notable... and, as much as I marvel at his accomplishments, what I really cherish was his friendship and that of Karen, his wife. That friendship was golden and will be with me forever. I'm very sorry to hear that he is gone. But, I'm also very happy to be able to insert a little bit of his history into the blogosphere and search engines. He deserves the credit he is due.
I first met John Perkins when I was working with Astrocade. At that time he was very much in the same situation that I'm in with eCraft... an engaged owner He was a Bally Professional Arcade fan and on his own had created some enhancements for the game system. The more we communicated with him the more we realized that we needed the expertise he brought to the table and we hired him as a consultant and video game designer. He created Artillery Duel, one of our most popular games.
John was one of those rare people that knew both hardware and software. Our software and hardware came from a Bally owned company called Dave Nutting Associates. As I said, Dave Nutting had pulled together a brilliant team of renaissance people. Just to give you an idea of the diversity of their talents I'll just point out that Dave, himself, designed the Willy's Jeep Grand Wagoneer, the Enstrom helicopter and invented the electronic pinball game. But, the creativity didn't end with Dave Nutting. Jamie (Jay) Fenton, a programmer for Dave, went on to found MacroMind and MacroMedia. Gorf and Galaga were Jamie's creations. Dr. Tom DeFanti, was their graphics language guru. It was a fantastic team.
The lead programmer for Dace Nutting Associates was Bob Ogdon. Bob and John became a formidable team of game designers and after the video game system crash in 1983, which wiped out Asctrocade, they formed their own company, Action Graphics, which was responsible for many of the early ColecoVision games.
John, Bob and I worked together on the first demonstration of motion graphics on a CD for Microscoft's First International CD-ROM Conference in 1986. By today's standard it was very crude. But, John and Bob's work was the breakthrough that brought about everything you can do with DVDs on a computer. They even designed the now familar button style interface that most DVD video programs use to this day.
Bob and John taught me a very valuable lesson. Technically they worked UNDER Astrocade. But, in reality we saw each other as peers. The important lesson I learned was to always be nice to those that work for you because, if you do, they might remember you when they rise above you. I later worked for them! And, they were responsible for my being offered the position of VP of Electronic Games at Parker Brothers. Even though I did not take them up on the offer, I was flattered that such talented people would have referred me to such a great company. (At 39 I would have been the oldest member of the management team and really wasn't so sure if could deal with corporate politics It turned out that I made a good decision since they disbanded that division less than 6 months later.)
The last time I had the opportunity to work with John Perkins was the project that REALLY showed me his amazing genious. Talk about thinking outside the box! Nolan Bushnell had been given several million by Hasbro to develop a video game system based on video tape. (DVDs had not been fully developed as yet.) His team at Axlon, led by Tom Zito, a former Washington Post rock music critic, made a valiant effort in several different directions; but, they were in danger of coming up empty handed and having to pay back that money when someone found John Perkins, who then called me in on the project. John came up with an ingenious solution that involved interleaving multiple video streams into a single video stream! He built the encoder to combine the signals and a decoder to pick out any one of the videos. It was picked up by Hasbro and the development effort was code-named NEMO.
If you watch the YouTube video, John has his back to the camera on the far left of the screen. This is actually the second showing to Hasbro personnel; but, the first to include the Hassenfeld brothers, Steve and Alan.
Now, here is where I am going to correct some history. Wikipedia claims that Tom Zito developed the NEMO video game console. That's a bit misleading. I don't know if Tom brought John Perkins into the project or not. I only know that his team at Axlon had worked for quite a while and had failed come up with anything before John Perkins was brought in. Proof that it was John that invented that unique system can be found by reading just one of the patents for this innovative system officially named ISIX. He deserves the credit he is due for his contributions to the history of video gaming. After the NEMO project was disbanded, John Perkins was the ONLY person on the ISIX team retained by Hasbro. They thought that much of him. And, rightly so. I think Alan Hassenfeld would second everything I have to say about John... both professionally and personally.
But, while his achievements were notable... and, as much as I marvel at his accomplishments, what I really cherish was his friendship and that of Karen, his wife. That friendship was golden and will be with me forever. I'm very sorry to hear that he is gone. But, I'm also very happy to be able to insert a little bit of his history into the blogosphere and search engines. He deserves the credit he is due.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
eCraft Owners Unofficial Bug and Feature Reporting
Dear eCraft Owners,
This is NOT an official Craftwell or eCraft project. We're simply setting this up until Craftwell sets up their own official communication and reporting forums.
As promised in an earlier article. I have set up email addresses to capture your observations about specific areas of the eCraftShop software. Hopefully, we can have assigned 'moderators' to check a specific email address daily for your messages and check to see if they can duplicate the behavior. If they can, they will forward it to me and I'll then I will post them to the appropriate 'sticky' message on the blog which will be available to users, eCraft and the developers. We'll invited the eCraft and the developers to ask questions at that same email address for clarification which the moderator will forward to you.
Until an eCraft forum is set up, this seems to be the most focused approach to gathering information from users. Here are the email addresses.
Of course, there are rules for ALL of these email addresses.
No profanity. No abusive language. We reserve the right NOT to publish an email that we feel is inappropriate for public consumption. We WILL block senders that ignore these rules or otherwise become too annoying.
We will disable these email addresses, except for the OwnersVoice, once Craftwell has established their own forums, etc.
These addresses are live right now.
If you would like to moderate one of these addresses or If you have difficulty reaching one of these addresses please email me at
Tom
This is NOT an official Craftwell or eCraft project. We're simply setting this up until Craftwell sets up their own official communication and reporting forums.
As promised in an earlier article. I have set up email addresses to capture your observations about specific areas of the eCraftShop software. Hopefully, we can have assigned 'moderators' to check a specific email address daily for your messages and check to see if they can duplicate the behavior. If they can, they will forward it to me and I'll then I will post them to the appropriate 'sticky' message on the blog which will be available to users, eCraft and the developers. We'll invited the eCraft and the developers to ask questions at that same email address for clarification which the moderator will forward to you.
Until an eCraft forum is set up, this seems to be the most focused approach to gathering information from users. Here are the email addresses.
Lastly, there are multiple ways for you to communicate to Craftwell. We felt like it might be important to have one that functioned in a "Letter to the Editor" roll. We will periodically post these letters on the blog. It is up to you whether these communications include your name or not. If you want to include it, put your name in the body of the email., If not, do NOT include your name in the body of the email and that includes any automated signature information. If you don't want it published. remove it before sending your message.TextTools@createandcut(dot com) (Text and Keyboard Tools)
LineTools@createandcut(dot com) (Line and Curved Line Tools)ModTools@createandcut(dot com) (Eraser, Flip, Kerning Tools)
ShapeTools@createandcut(dot com) (Shapes and Library Tools)
SVG@createandcut(dot com) (SVG Issues)
Rendering@createandcut(dot com) (Cutting and Drawing)
Performance@createandcut(dot com) (General Performance Issues)
Interface@createandcut(dot com) (General Interface Issues)
OwnersVoice@createandcut(dot com)RULES FOR PARTICIPATION
Of course, there are rules for ALL of these email addresses.
No profanity. No abusive language. We reserve the right NOT to publish an email that we feel is inappropriate for public consumption. We WILL block senders that ignore these rules or otherwise become too annoying.
We will disable these email addresses, except for the OwnersVoice, once Craftwell has established their own forums, etc.
These addresses are live right now.
If you would like to moderate one of these addresses or If you have difficulty reaching one of these addresses please email me at
tmeeks@createandcut(dot com)Thanks!
Tom
Changing Focus Until the Software Patches are Delivered.
If I thought it would help the software development effort, I would continue to test why an SVG does or does not render correctly with eCraftShop Pro. (I am using the term 'RENDER" to include either drawing or cutting. If a shape will not draw, it certainly will not cut.) But, the SVG import and rendering functionality is SO dysfunctional that it's probably best to just add it to the top of our triaged fix list and get on to other discoveries. So, here it is:
TRIAGE FIX #1: IMPORT AND CUT SVGs CORRECTLY
TRIAGE FIX #2: IMPORT AND CUT SD SHAPES CORRECTLY
TRIAGE FIX #3: IMPORT AND CUT MENU SELECTED SHAPES CORRECTLY
Now, let's move on....
In my mind, the product that you and I downloaded and have been trying to get to work has enough designed functionality to be the product that is delivered freely with every eCraft. My strategy at this point would be to take a step backwards and say to my customers...
Few things have been as successful as the lightbulb. And, few inventors will ever be as famous as Thomas Edison. And there have been few inventors that endured more failures. It is estimated that he tried more than 10,000 materials before he found the one that worked. Each failure propelled him in a new, more promising direction until he created something that few of us would be willing to do without today. The Lightbulb. And, don't forget that phonograph he invented. It took him TEN YEARS to bring that to market!
Fortunately, I don't think eCraft will have 10,000 failures before they have the best digital die cutting machine in the marketplace. And, hopefully, their biggest failures are behind them with their maiden attempt at delivering eCraftShop software. I hope they are using the term FIASCO in their internal memos. Because FIASCOS spur us on to do things RADICALLY differently.
So, I would like to see us explore what we have and come up with fixes and minor changes that would suffice for now as the larger, long term effort for a spectacular eCraftShop Pro is fully developed. If we can accept that the product we have now could be the "LITE" version, whatever it would be called. then we can concentrate on getting this feature set rock solid and functioning smoothly. Period.
SVG IMPORT AND RENDERING A BASIC FEATURE
Of course, SVG Import is a must, even for a "Lite" product. A "Pro" product should go well beyond simply importing and rendering SVG files. The 'Pro' product should permit extensive modification of SVG files.
LINE FUNCTIONALITY
Even at the basic level some changes will have to be addressed with the LINE TOOL. The only time we want to draw without closing a path is in the PEN mode. So, how the LINE TOOL behaves should be determined by the current CUT LINE / DRAW LINE selection. The end of a line must be able to be snapped to close a path when in CUT LINE mode.
CURVED LINE FUNCTIONALITY
The current behavior of the CURVED LINE tool invokes a "What in the world were they THINKING???" response. Again, a curved line, by itelf might be useful to draw. But, it is NOT going to be useful to CUT. The ends of the curved line should be anchored in a path meant to cut. And, currently, the CURVED LINE tool is far too primitive to be of much use and it is VERY difficult to bring the ends together with other curved lines to form a real path.
GENERAL USER INTERFACE
One of the reasons why I would support trying to make our primary immediate goal that of stabilizing the product we've downloaded is that I am not all that confident that the language or foundation underneath the current product is robust enough to support a full set of 'PRO' features. I am using a computer with Windows 7, 64-bit and an i5 -750 processor with 6 GB of RAM. When I import a large SVG, it seems to choke more than one would think it should. So, it seems wise, to me, to maximize performance at this level of functionality before adding more. Even if C++ is used, there are two styles available to the programmers. The easiest is called "Managed Code" where the C++ run-time manages the use of memory. But, it may be that a truly blazing digital die cutter application requires compiling in an "Un-Managed Code" environment. Being able to observe the current product for a while will help determine if the underlying assumptions upon with the product is based are correct.
Foundations and assumptions should be based on the performance expected under the maximum specifications and functionality that can be reasonably predicted at full maturity of the product. So, the performance under the current feature load needs to assessed before moving forward. Otherwise,Craftwell could find itself in the same position down the road.
Let me give an example very near and dear to me. As some may know, I have a real interest in making 3D modeling much, much easier because I think that in the not-to-distant future we will have 3D printers in our homes and businesses. I published two blogs on two related products, Cosmic Blobs and CB Model Pro that had a marvelously simple user interface for creating 3D objects. But, unfortunately, Dessault was forced to abandon both because the underlying engine simply could not be expanded without slowing to a crawl. They started from ground zero, using what they'd learned from these two products and created 3DVIA, built on a new engine that COULD be expanded. They now have more than 500 million users!!!
So, as you can see, it is very, very important to get the basic engine right. If we can accept the current eCraftShop version for a while, to allow for complete stabilization and optimization, the development of the final eCraftShop Pro will have better legs on which to stand. Craftwell and the software developers will have time to evaluate the basic engine before proceeding.
It will also allow Craftwell to put a more comprehensive user input and beta testing structure into place before finalizing the eCraftShop Pro feature set for the final design specifications.
Frankly, if Craftwell or Digital Avenues thought the current feature set comprised a 'Pro' product then they really do need our input. I, for one, will not be satisfied with the moniker of 'Pro' until the feature set is BETTER and MORE ROBUST than any and all digital die cutter applications out there. And, that includes Make the Cut, Sure Cuts A Lot and Funtime 2010!
The marvelous eCraft hardware design deserves nothing less.
So, what am I saying... bottom line...
I'm asking the eCraft community to focus on what needs to be done to make the feature set of the product we've downloaded into a mature product distinct from eCraftShop Pro. The need to fix the SVG and cutting problems are a given. But, beyond those, what needs to be done to THIS feature set to make it USEFUL to you NOW. So, let's turn our attention on the LINE TOOL, the CURVED LINE tool and the other tools in the current product and suggest how these basic tools need to be improved until they meet your complete satisfaction.
Then, and only then. at least in my opinion, is Craftwell ready to move on to a true Pro product. Obviously, we need to hear what YOU think on this subject.
TRIAGE FIX #1: IMPORT AND CUT SVGs CORRECTLY
TRIAGE FIX #2: IMPORT AND CUT SD SHAPES CORRECTLY
TRIAGE FIX #3: IMPORT AND CUT MENU SELECTED SHAPES CORRECTLY
Now, let's move on....
In my mind, the product that you and I downloaded and have been trying to get to work has enough designed functionality to be the product that is delivered freely with every eCraft. My strategy at this point would be to take a step backwards and say to my customers...
"You will still get a free copy of eCraftShop Pro when it is ready... But, it is NOT this product. It will be MUCH more than this product. So, for now, what you have will be called eCraftShop Home Designer. And, it will be the basic foundation upon which our professional product will be built. We ask you to bear with us for while as we first work to stabilize the features in the product you now have and then begin to the work to complete the full eCraftShop Pro package. And, we promise you that the final eCraftShop Pro that is delivered to you will outperform any other digital die cutting software on the market today. "Now, I'm not eCraft, so I don't know how they plan to move forward. I DO know that they have had the wake-up call that EVERY individual and company needs to have before than can be truly successful. I know a LOT of successful people and very few of them got to where they are without some real setbacks that forged the foundations of their ultimate success. One of my favorite sermons was titled, "Your Failures are NOT Final."
Few things have been as successful as the lightbulb. And, few inventors will ever be as famous as Thomas Edison. And there have been few inventors that endured more failures. It is estimated that he tried more than 10,000 materials before he found the one that worked. Each failure propelled him in a new, more promising direction until he created something that few of us would be willing to do without today. The Lightbulb. And, don't forget that phonograph he invented. It took him TEN YEARS to bring that to market!
Fortunately, I don't think eCraft will have 10,000 failures before they have the best digital die cutting machine in the marketplace. And, hopefully, their biggest failures are behind them with their maiden attempt at delivering eCraftShop software. I hope they are using the term FIASCO in their internal memos. Because FIASCOS spur us on to do things RADICALLY differently.
So, I would like to see us explore what we have and come up with fixes and minor changes that would suffice for now as the larger, long term effort for a spectacular eCraftShop Pro is fully developed. If we can accept that the product we have now could be the "LITE" version, whatever it would be called. then we can concentrate on getting this feature set rock solid and functioning smoothly. Period.
SVG IMPORT AND RENDERING A BASIC FEATURE
Of course, SVG Import is a must, even for a "Lite" product. A "Pro" product should go well beyond simply importing and rendering SVG files. The 'Pro' product should permit extensive modification of SVG files.
LINE FUNCTIONALITY
Even at the basic level some changes will have to be addressed with the LINE TOOL. The only time we want to draw without closing a path is in the PEN mode. So, how the LINE TOOL behaves should be determined by the current CUT LINE / DRAW LINE selection. The end of a line must be able to be snapped to close a path when in CUT LINE mode.
CURVED LINE FUNCTIONALITY
The current behavior of the CURVED LINE tool invokes a "What in the world were they THINKING???" response. Again, a curved line, by itelf might be useful to draw. But, it is NOT going to be useful to CUT. The ends of the curved line should be anchored in a path meant to cut. And, currently, the CURVED LINE tool is far too primitive to be of much use and it is VERY difficult to bring the ends together with other curved lines to form a real path.
GENERAL USER INTERFACE
One of the reasons why I would support trying to make our primary immediate goal that of stabilizing the product we've downloaded is that I am not all that confident that the language or foundation underneath the current product is robust enough to support a full set of 'PRO' features. I am using a computer with Windows 7, 64-bit and an i5 -750 processor with 6 GB of RAM. When I import a large SVG, it seems to choke more than one would think it should. So, it seems wise, to me, to maximize performance at this level of functionality before adding more. Even if C++ is used, there are two styles available to the programmers. The easiest is called "Managed Code" where the C++ run-time manages the use of memory. But, it may be that a truly blazing digital die cutter application requires compiling in an "Un-Managed Code" environment. Being able to observe the current product for a while will help determine if the underlying assumptions upon with the product is based are correct.
Foundations and assumptions should be based on the performance expected under the maximum specifications and functionality that can be reasonably predicted at full maturity of the product. So, the performance under the current feature load needs to assessed before moving forward. Otherwise,Craftwell could find itself in the same position down the road.
Let me give an example very near and dear to me. As some may know, I have a real interest in making 3D modeling much, much easier because I think that in the not-to-distant future we will have 3D printers in our homes and businesses. I published two blogs on two related products, Cosmic Blobs and CB Model Pro that had a marvelously simple user interface for creating 3D objects. But, unfortunately, Dessault was forced to abandon both because the underlying engine simply could not be expanded without slowing to a crawl. They started from ground zero, using what they'd learned from these two products and created 3DVIA, built on a new engine that COULD be expanded. They now have more than 500 million users!!!
So, as you can see, it is very, very important to get the basic engine right. If we can accept the current eCraftShop version for a while, to allow for complete stabilization and optimization, the development of the final eCraftShop Pro will have better legs on which to stand. Craftwell and the software developers will have time to evaluate the basic engine before proceeding.
It will also allow Craftwell to put a more comprehensive user input and beta testing structure into place before finalizing the eCraftShop Pro feature set for the final design specifications.
Frankly, if Craftwell or Digital Avenues thought the current feature set comprised a 'Pro' product then they really do need our input. I, for one, will not be satisfied with the moniker of 'Pro' until the feature set is BETTER and MORE ROBUST than any and all digital die cutter applications out there. And, that includes Make the Cut, Sure Cuts A Lot and Funtime 2010!
The marvelous eCraft hardware design deserves nothing less.
So, what am I saying... bottom line...
I'm asking the eCraft community to focus on what needs to be done to make the feature set of the product we've downloaded into a mature product distinct from eCraftShop Pro. The need to fix the SVG and cutting problems are a given. But, beyond those, what needs to be done to THIS feature set to make it USEFUL to you NOW. So, let's turn our attention on the LINE TOOL, the CURVED LINE tool and the other tools in the current product and suggest how these basic tools need to be improved until they meet your complete satisfaction.
Then, and only then. at least in my opinion, is Craftwell ready to move on to a true Pro product. Obviously, we need to hear what YOU think on this subject.
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