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FORTRAN

FORTRAN = FORmula TRANslation. This programming language is my favourite, as it is very simple to use and, as its name suggests, allows writing mathematical formulas in a very natural way. It is ideal for numerical calculations and, being compiled code, it runs very fast. I normally use the GNU gfortran version, which is standard and widely available. For years, I have created graphics subroutines to generate CAD files in DXF format. Programs written in Fortran perfectly match the way of doing and thinking of PHC ENGINEERING:

• Write a data file
• Perform calculations
• Write results and reports into text files
• Write graphic results or drawings into DXF files
• Iterate over the data until the desired result is obtained

Over the years I have written hundreds of small Fortran programs or scripts. Below is the code and description of some of them:

Fortran programs:

VS Fortran Solving x=cos(x) on a VAX terminal (1986).

Guitar Guitar is a small program to draw longitudinal profiles made of polylines, and axes with distance and elevation data, with equally spaced horizontal and vertical lines, according to a system known as "guitar". A simple example of the use of DXF graphics subroutines.

FortranCAD FortranCAD, with such an ambitious name, is only a small program that allows creating DXF drawing entities from a list of data. That is, it allows making drawings by writing on text lines the name of the element and its geometric and graphic properties. It is a parametric drawing system. The data listings can be reused to make other drawings or variations, as templates. It also allows loading image files.

LEparagliding My most complete and spectacular Fortran program. It allows designing paragliders from an input data file. The result includes 2D drawings with the geometric views of the paraglider, the fabric piece patterns ready for laser plotter cutting, line diagrams with their lengths, 3D DXF files for model visualisation, and STL and OpenSCAD files for visualisation with external 3D programs. LEparagliding is the paradigm and one of the best examples of what I can do with Fortran. However, it is not a script! It is a complex program, and studying its manual and examples will probably take weeks! Some manufacturers use this program, which has been used to build dozens of models, currently flying in different parts of the world.

LEhangliding LEhangliding

LEparachute LEparachute

Air2dxf Air2dxf