MacFoil Read Me

(This information is also available in the About box in MacFoil)

About MacFoil
MacFoil creates plots of airfoils, and is intended for builders of model airplanes. In addition to drawing the airfoil itself, it can also draw sheeting allowances and up to 10 spars or reference lines. It can create foam cutting templates including entry and exit ramps, washout (or washin) angles, and wire kerf compensation. You can edit an airfoil's thickness and camber, and export the modified airfoil data to a text file. You can also export an airfoil plot in DXF, EPS, or PICT format, and MacFoil prints at high resolution on printers that allow it.

About Version 1.5
There are several new features in version 1.5, the most important are:

Export plots in DXF, EPS, or PICT formats.
Dynamic redraw: the plot redraws automatically as you enter or change the plot parameters.
Foam cutting templates completely reworked, now including entry/exit ramps and wire kerf compensation.
Spars are now truly notched into the airfoil, and can be rotated so the spar surface is flush with the airfoil surface.
Visually compare two airfoils.
More plotting options: turn chord and/or camber line on or off, and optionally invert the airfoil.
Preferences for default units to use.
Runs native on OS X, and all the way back to OS 8.6.

Registered users: There is no charge for the upgrade (though I won't discourage you from paying me again :-). You will need to re-register the program, however, using the name and registration number you already have. If you've lost your registration info, write me at davejohnson@kagi.com and I'll send it again.

About Shareware
MacFoil is shareware. That means you can try it out for free, but if you decide to keep it, or use it more than once or twice, you should send me some money. How much money? Well, the "normal" shareware fee is $25, but you should let your conscience be your guide. If you're a poor hobbyist who only makes the occasional wing, send me $15 instead. If you're a REALLY poor hobbyist who can't afford even that, send me candy, a nice postcard, toys, old RC equipment you don't use anymore, or at the very least a nice note telling me what you like and don't like about the program. On the other hand, if you're a kit manufacturer and you use this program to produce your templates, send me $50 or $100. Better yet, send me one of your kits.

See "How to Register" below for instructions on registering your copy. Registered users receive a unique registration number that lets them bypass the otherwise annoying startup dialog.

Feel free to distribute MacFoil on any medium that provides free access to everyone. If you want to distribute it on any other medium (like a shareware collection that you charge money for), contact me first at the address below.

How to Register
Registering MacFoil is easy, thanks to the Kagi shareware payment service. The fastest and simplest way to register is online with a credit card. Point your web browser at

http://order.kagi.com/?Q9E&S

for a one-stop, secure order page. If your browser won't support secure connections, you can instead go to 

http://order.kagi.com/?Q9E

You can pay with check or money order, cash, or credit card.

If you dont have an internet connection, you can pay me directly with a check or money order, cash, candy, wine, toys, or used RC equipment. See "Contact Info" below for the address.

Contact Info
Any inquiries, comments, complaints, bug reports, blank checks, or vicious rumors should be directed to:

Dave Johnson
davejohnson@kagi.com
58 Chenery Street
San Francisco, CA 94131

The latest version of MacFoil can always be found at:

http://dogrocket.home.mindspring.com/macfoil.html

Acknowledgements
I am deeply indebted to Shamim Mohamed, the author of PlotFoil, and to Anders Lennartsson, who ported PlotFoil to the Macintosh. Although I didn't use any of their code directly, I sure learned a lot by reading and tracing through it, and probably couldn't have written MacFoil without it.

Thanks also to Neil Gillies and Thayer Syme, who suffered through many intermediate versions and provided invaluable advice and criticism.

MacFoil was written in C++ and PowerPlant using CodeWarrior by Metrowerks, Inc. PowerPlant is an awesome application framework, and there's no way I'd have ever written MacFoil without it.

Possible Future Features
Generate a series of templates for a tapered wing, and other "wing design" options.
Automatically print a "mirror image" of the plot for the template at the other end of the wing.
Various kinds of leading edge stock.
Round spars and/or jig holes.

Feature suggestions are always welcome, please write!