Hi Ron (or anybody else who might know): I did some checking with a local print shop to see if they would be able to print large blueline copys of sundials drawn on DeltaCad. They can, I was told, if these files are in HPGL-2 or PLT form.
I went to "save as" and these files are not listed as options. Do you know how to convert DeltaCad files into HPGH-2 or PLT files??? Thanks, John Carmichael p.s. Just read your interesting and logical proposal for classifying sundials. Using your system, how would you name a Singleton-type dial? >Sara, > >I have taken your classification and restructured it into a language called >Backus-Naur that is used to describe languages, descriptions, sentences, >etc. I have taken the liberty of adding a few descriptions, but this is >basically yours. It looks cumbersome but it isn't too bad. It is a way to >check to see if a sentence belongs to a language, or in our case, does a >description of a dial have an un ambiguous meaning in our language? > >Form of the language: > > [] means an optional item > {} means a required item > ... means an item can be repeated > | means is one of many choices > <> means an item name > + means this item is assume if nothing is specified > >A dial is describe by the following sentence: > > SUNDIALS IS [<mobility>] [<location>] [<sun-motion>] [<form>] >[<historical type>] [<face orientation>] > [<gnomon type>] [<hours>] [<furniture>] [<correction> ] > >where > ><mobility> is portable | fixed+ ><form> is [cannon | compass | floating | polyhedral | >diptych | magnetic | ring]... ><location> is universal | independent* ><sun-motion> is [hour angle+ | azimuth | altitude]... ><historical type> is Butterfield | Oughtred | Regiomontanus | de Rojas | >Augsburg ><face orientation> is horizontal+ | vertical | declining | inclining | >equatorial | polar ><gnomon type> is string | pin | rod | garden+** ><hours> is SHOWING {Babylonian | Italian | local | mean}... >HOURS ><furniture is WITH {LINES|MARKS} {OF|FOR} {seasons | Dates >| declension | hours till dark }... ><correction> is CORRECTED FOR {eot | longitude | daylight Savings >time}... > >Notes: > >* Independent means there are no adjustments for new locations, universal >implies adjustments >** traditional triangle shape of horizontal dials >+ Default if not mentioned > > >A simple example would be "Sundial" which would mean a fixed hour angle, >horizontal, garden gnomon dial. > >A very complex example would be a "fixed universal azimuth polyhedral >Butterfield type string dial, SHOWING Babylonian and Italian HOURS, WITH >LINE OF declension and a MARK FOR my dad's birthday, CORRECTED FOR EOT and >DST". But that type of dial needs a complex descriptions. > >The question then is: Can all descriptions of dials fit into the language >above, and still produce intelligent sounding names? > >I welcome all to test out the descriptions of various dials and see if they >fit. I'm sure there would have to be some additions and tweaking of >attributes, but it's a start. > >++ron > > > > > >