Zoo Design Studio Export Bug: Missing Features

by SLV Team 47 views
Zoo Design Studio Export Bug: Missing Features

Hey guys, have you ever encountered a frustrating bug that just throws a wrench into your workflow? Well, I've got one to share. This is about the Zoo Design Studio, specifically, a problem I ran into when trying to export a simple design. The issue? The exported files weren't showing all the features I designed! I'm talking about a basic plate with twelve holes, but when I exported it, only one hole was visible. Talk about a major buzzkill, right?

This bug significantly impacts the usability of Zoo Design Studio, especially for those of us who rely on exporting designs for manufacturing or further refinement in other CAD software. Imagine spending time perfecting a design, only to have it fail to transfer correctly. It's like having a delicious cake and the only way to eat it is to ruin the form. The inability to accurately export designs breaks the workflow and limits the practical application of the software. I tried various export formats – STEP, STL, and PLY – hoping one would magically fix the problem. I even tried importing the exported files into different CAD programs like SolidWorks, AutoCAD, and Inventor, thinking maybe it was a compatibility issue. Sadly, the results were the same across the board: only a single hole made it through.

This problem has the potential to cause real headaches in the design process. If you can't trust the export function, you're forced to double-check every single aspect of your design after exporting, which is a huge waste of time. For anyone working on projects that require precise measurements and features, this bug is a major roadblock. It's like having a tool that only works half the time – it's simply not reliable.

Steps to Reproduce the Export Bug

To help you guys understand what went wrong, here’s a breakdown of how the design was created, along with the code I used. This should help you reproduce the issue. I am using the following code to make an aluminum plate.

@settings(defaultLengthUnit = in)

// Parameters
plateLength = 48
plateWidth = 24
plateThickness = 0.25
holeDiameter = 0.328
edgeOffset = 0.75

// Derived
insetX = plateLength / 2 - edgeOffset        // = 23.25
insetY = plateWidth / 2 - edgeOffset         // = 11.25
topY = insetY
bottomY = -insetY

// Plate body
plateSketch = startSketchOn(XY)
  |> rectangle(center = [0, 0], width = plateLength, height = plateWidth)
plate = extrude(plateSketch, length = plateThickness)

// Twelve equally spaced hole centers around the inset perimeter path
// Perimeter of inset rectangle: 2 * ((48 - 1.5) + (24 - 1.5)) = 138
// Step = 138 / 12 = 11.5; starting at top edge midpoint and proceeding clockwise
// Computed centers:
// 0:   (  0.0,  11.25)
// 1:   ( 11.5,  11.25)
// 2:   ( 23.0,  11.25)
// 3:   ( 23.25,  0.0)
// 4:   ( 23.0, -11.25)
// 5:   ( 11.5, -11.25)
// 6:   (  0.0, -11.25)
// 7:   (-11.5, -11.25)
// 8:   (-23.0, -11.25)
// 9:   (-23.25,  0.0)
// 10:  (-23.0,  11.25)
// 11:  (-11.5,  11.25)

holesSketch = startSketchOn(plate, face = END)
  |> circle(center = [0, topY], radius = holeDiameter / 2)
  |> circle(center = [11.5, topY], radius = holeDiameter / 2)
  |> circle(center = [23.0, topY], radius = holeDiameter / 2)
  |> circle(center = [insetX, 0], radius = holeDiameter / 2)
  |> circle(center = [23.0, bottomY], radius = holeDiameter / 2)
  |> circle(center = [11.5, bottomY], radius = holeDiameter / 2)
  |> circle(center = [0, bottomY], radius = holeDiameter / 2)
  |> circle(center = [-11.5, bottomY], radius = holeDiameter / 2)
  |> circle(center = [-23.0, bottomY], radius = holeDiameter / 2)
  |> circle(center = [-insetX, 0], radius = holeDiameter / 2)
  |> circle(center = [-23.0, topY], radius = holeDiameter / 2)
  |> circle(center = [-11.5, topY], radius = holeDiameter / 2)

// Cut thru-holes
extrude(holesSketch, length = -plateThickness)

First, I set up the basic parameters of the aluminum plate, including its dimensions and the size of the holes. Then, the code created a simple rectangular plate and placed twelve holes around the perimeter of the plate. The key part of this is the arrangement of the holes, which should be equally spaced. After that, I initiated the export process, selecting various formats (STEP, STL, and PLY) to see if it was a format-specific issue. But the result was the same – a plate with a single hole. Each of the exported files was then imported into different CAD software to confirm the problem wasn't related to the software used for viewing the exported file. That's how I encountered the bug.

The Expected Outcome

When I designed the plate in Zoo Design Studio, I expected to see a 3D solid with twelve holes evenly spaced along the perimeter. Essentially, the final product should match the design as shown in the software. But sadly, it didn't happen. The software was creating a model that wasn't matching the design, a critical aspect of CAD software. When the export function fails, it destroys the reliability of the software. The lack of reliable export functions makes it hard to utilize and share designs with other people.

Visual Evidence: Screenshots and Recordings

To make it super clear, I've attached screenshots to show you guys exactly what I’m talking about. You can see the plate with all twelve holes in the Zoo Design Studio environment, and then, in the other screenshots, what the exported files look like. The images clearly show the discrepancy. Having visual evidence helps confirm the bug and demonstrates that the export functionality isn't working as it should. This also helps in the debugging process, allowing developers to see the exact issue and hopefully find a solution.

System Details

  • Operating System: Windows 11
  • Zoo Design Studio Version: 1.0.25

I really hope this helps the Zoo Design Studio team pinpoint and fix this bug. It would make using the software a lot smoother. If any of you have experienced something similar or know of any workarounds, please share! The more information we have, the better.