RS centering rings print without a hole

I found a glitch in Rocksim and I'm wondering if anyone else has the same problem. My centering rings print out on the template without a center hole unless I choose "Automatically calculate known values" from the general tab on the component screen for each ring.

The thing is, when I do check that box none of the data changes. It's just that the rings won't print out correctly unless that seemingly unrelated box is checked. I can understand if the program changed the data to be correct once the box is checked, but it doesn't changed a single number.

I mentored a TARC team last year and remember that they had the same problem. I emailed Tim and he asked me about the problem but never got back to me. I'm wondering how many others have the same problem.

I'm not a Rocksim expert, but sounds like a bug to me.

..Pat Butler said:

I found a glitch in Rocksim and I'm wondering if anyone else has the same problem. My centering rings print out on the template without a center hole unless I choose "Automatically calculate known values" from the general tab on the component screen for each ring.

The thing is, when I do check that box none of the data changes. It's just that the rings won't print out correctly unless that seemingly unrelated box is checked. I can understand if the program changed the data to be correct once the box is checked, but it doesn't changed a single number.

I mentored a TARC team last year and remember that they had the same problem. I emailed Tim and he asked me about the problem but never got back to me. I'm wondering how many others have the same problem.

Click to expand...

Mine has always done the exact same thing... I didn't know that RockSim COULD print the hole in the rings... I just figured it was beyond the template print things ability... good to know that there's a "work-around" for it...

I'm running RockSim 8 build 16 (at least-- it's updated again since then) on a dell with Vista (which I absolutely HATE Vista) and have had several problems... Which Tim did his best to help me with but suggested I go buy a Mac... which wasn't very helpful having just spent nearly $1000 on the Dell Vista machine... Finally after getting the BIL to wipe the machine and reload everything from the master disks, RockSim started working again... but I still get some weird stuff... for instance, after the last update, the desktop shortcut icon, when I click on it to open Rocksim, it gives a "shortcut out of date- please click to update shortcut" or some other BS message like this, which I click "OK" as it's the only button TO click, and the box disappears, the computer whirs a few seconds, then the box appears again, I click again, then it whirs a few seconds, and then Rocksim FINALLY opens... I mentioned this to Tim when I was in Colorado and his reply was, "well, as long as it's opening, don't worry about it... It's opening and that's the important thing". Doesn't inspire a lot of confidence, because I'm waiting for the day when it DOESN'T open, THEN WHAT??

I sure hope that they can get these bugs worked out of Rocksim, because I REALLY like the program and enjoy using it, but when it prints fins fine one day and then doesn't print fins the next, but will print paper shrouds, and I have to use 'tricks' to get it to print fins, then it refuses to save custom parts to the database for no reason at all, just stops doing it one day, and then refuses to open at all one day, after running fine for months, and then updates itself and then does this weird stuff with the shortcut (does the same thing from the program menu) I really start to wonder... I know they've come out with a new version of Rocksim, and I sure hope they've spent some time fixing the bugs and chokes it seems to have with Vista, because even though I hate it (and a lot of others too from what I've read) Vista isn't going anywhere...

Oh well, thanks for the info and know you aren't alone... OL JR

Thanks for your info Luke- I'm assuming that others run into the same problem unless they just happen to have that check box checked. Hopefully you can have center holes now!

One other thing Tim mentioned is that for some users the centering ring hole won't print if white is the chosen fill color. He said to choose a slightly off-white color for the fill. My centering rings printed out just fine with 'white' chosen once I checked the box that I mentioned in my first post, but perhaps that will help someone else if their rings still aren't like donuts.

luke strawalker said:

I'm running RockSim 8 build 16 (at least-- it's updated again since then) on a dell with Vista (which I absolutely HATE Vista) and have had several problems... Which Tim did his best to help me with but suggested I go buy a Mac... which wasn't very helpful having just spent nearly $1000 on the Dell Vista machine...

Click to expand...

I like pouring salt in the wound.

I sure hope that they can get these bugs worked out of Rocksim, because I REALLY like the program and enjoy using it,

Click to expand...

You may think it is a bug in our software. But in 90% of the cases it is out of our control. The real reason it doesn't work is that Microsoft and all their vendors (such as graphic card makers, printer manufacturers, etc.) keep issuing patches to their OS. These patches are what cause things to break.

It is because of Microsoft that we have to continue to update the software. I'm pretty tired of fixing their mistakes. Who should pay for us having to fix all the issues with everyone's computers?

I'll tell you from a technical support point of view, if you want to save money, when it comes time to get a new computer, get a mac. I get only one or two people with macs that have problems. They cost a little more up front, but your problems so tiny compared to running Windows. You will save a lot of money!

I have been using Rocksim V8 on my new Gateway AMD X3 with Vista 64 bit Home Premium for over 3 months and have had no issues at all. I use the graphics that are on the motherboard so I may not have pushed the envelope yet.

The only problem I had with Rocksim was when my XP computer crashed (virus maybe) and I couldn't re-install Rocksim until I found and replaced some corrupted files in the system32 folder...then 3 days later the CPU died..

..Pat Butler said:

Thanks for your info Luke- I'm assuming that others run into the same problem unless they just happen to have that check box checked. Hopefully you can have center holes now!

One other thing Tim mentioned is that for some users the centering ring hole won't print if white is the chosen fill color. He said to choose a slightly off-white color for the fill. My centering rings printed out just fine with 'white' chosen once I checked the box that I mentioned in my first post, but perhaps that will help someone else if their rings still aren't like donuts.

Click to expand...

Hmmm... I don't know about the color thing... I don't mess with the color stuff... even my 3D views are just solid blue... It doesn't bother me and I don't care to spend the time to change the stuff to make the rocket more accurate on the color, or go thru the difficulties of doing decals, even though I've read all about doing them on the Apogee newsletters (well, I've read ALL the Apogee newsletters!) Just not that important...

Thanks again for the tips on the center holes though... I LOVE the pattern printout feature of RockSim... worth the price of the program alone! Now if it could just do off-center nose cones/transitions and print the patterns out for THOSE... (hint hint to Tim Don't really expect to see that anytime soon though

Yall have a good one! OL JR

Apogee said:

I like pouring salt in the wound.





You may think it is a bug in our software. But in 90% of the cases it is out of our control. The real reason it doesn't work is that Microsoft and all their vendors (such as graphic card makers, printer manufacturers, etc.) keep issuing patches to their OS. These patches are what cause things to break.

It is because of Microsoft that we have to continue to update the software. I'm pretty tired of fixing their mistakes. Who should pay for us having to fix all the issues with everyone's computers?

I'll tell you from a technical support point of view, if you want to save money, when it comes time to get a new computer, get a mac. I get only one or two people with macs that have problems. They cost a little more up front, but your problems so tiny compared to running Windows. You will save a lot of money!

Click to expand...

Thanks Tim... I DO appreciate it!!! And I'll probably take your advice when the next computer purchase comes around.... Our less than a year old Dell Vista machine is already starting to lock up and do lots of weird stuff... AGAIN! I didn't mean to seem like I was ragging on ROCKSIM or you guys, because I understand where you're coming from-- I see the same thing with our new schoolbuses at work-- the computers suck, the buses won't run right half the time, the alternators were burning up every 4-5 months or so due to excessive underhood temperatures, and they finally sent us 'patch kits' that relocate the regulator from the rear of the alternator to behind the bumper hopefully so it can get enough road wind and be far enough from the engine to keep from cooking AGAIN... total POS with cadillac prices... I'm just glad I'm still in a 92 model bus...

Anyway, back to the point, the only thing that concerns me is if a Mac would run with my wife's stuff from the school, and with some of the programs I already have... and what to do about pictures and stuff we'll have to get off the hard drive before we end up having the BIL wipe the thing AGAIN and reload from the master disks.... I really don't know much about computers-- never have liked the darn things... I'd still have a WebTV if they made the darn things anymore and if they could run a few basic programs like Rocksim...

Anyway, thanks for all you do for us Rocksim users and for the hobby in general!!! We all appreciate it!!!! OL JR

Delta-IV said:

I have been using Rocksim V8 on my new Gateway AMD X3 with Vista 64 bit Home Premium for over 3 months and have had no issues at all. I use the graphics that are on the motherboard so I may not have pushed the envelope yet.

The only problem I had with Rocksim was when my XP computer crashed (virus maybe) and I couldn't re-install Rocksim until I found and replaced some corrupted files in the system32 folder...then 3 days later the CPU died..

Click to expand...

Sounds familiar... that's what happened to me when my machine suddenly decided it wouldn't/couldn't run Rocksim anymore... "a file 32.dll is missing or damaged-- please reinstall and try again". It didn't help, either an update or uninstall and completely reinstall... only thing that fixed it was having the BIL wipe the hard drive and reinstall EVERYTHING from the master disks.... OL JR

Now I am a mac fan, but apps on it are not 100% without fault.

Adobe Creative Suite, Command and Conquer 3 and Rocksim all have issues on a mac with the main filesystem formatted as case sensitive.

My only problem is my RS-8 will not print out the fin pattern but my RS version 4 will but it will not print custom designed fins just the traditional ones.

I had that problem too.... it wouldn't print out the fins for a BT-80 Pershing II I had rocksimmed... don't remember right offhand what fixed it... I know I wrote Tim about it and we worked several fixes on it... Too tired to think right now...

Later and good luck! OL JR

hey JR if you rember what you did I would like to know what it was because Tim has not been able to help me and even with the latest build of v8 has not been able to work either.

KDRaven said:

hey JR if you rember what you did I would like to know what it was because Tim has not been able to help me and even with the latest build of v8 has not been able to work either.

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IIRC I uninstalled/reinstalled with the latest build update, and seems like there was something on the menu when the window popped up about printing templates that I checked or unchecked... Man it's been nearly a year ago since that wigged out and unfortunately I erased all the emails Tim and I exchanged over it... mailbox was too full and something had to go probably should have just saved em as documents or something (now I think of that) Seems like maybe there was some kind of problem because of the MATERIAL they were made of on the menu... maybe try switching from "balsa" to "G-10" or something on the parts menu, and then try again?? I know I had to do some kind of oddball stuff like that to finally convince it to print... and I KNOW that template menu that pops up when you want to print out had something to do with it too...

I'll try to remember any more details and if I do I'll post them here... OL JR

Thanks and I give your suggestions a try.

luke strawalker said:

IIRC I uninstalled/reinstalled with the latest build update, and seems like there was something on the menu when the window popped up about printing templates that I checked or unchecked... Man it's been nearly a year ago since that wigged out and unfortunately I erased all the emails Tim and I exchanged over it... mailbox was too full and something had to go probably should have just saved em as documents or something (now I think of that) Seems like maybe there was some kind of problem because of the MATERIAL they were made of on the menu... maybe try switching from "balsa" to "G-10" or something on the parts menu, and then try again?? I know I had to do some kind of oddball stuff like that to finally convince it to print... and I KNOW that template menu that pops up when you want to print out had something to do with it too...

I'll try to remember any more details and if I do I'll post them here... OL JR

Click to expand...

That was a good one Luke! :rofl: Where did it go?