Cycloidal Gear Builder (C) 2013 Dr. Rainer Hessmer

This open source Cycloidal Gear Builder is an evolution of a desktop app that I developed in 2012. The new version runs in modern browsers with WebGL support (if in doubt, use Chrome). The output format has changed from SVG to DXF which is more commonly used in CAD and CAM applications. If SVG output is desired the DXF output can easily be imported into the open source SVG editor Inkscape. For additional details and comments see my associated blog post.

The calculations reflect the British Standard 978, Part 2. They are based on Hugh Sparks’ excellent write-up on cycloidal gears and his associated JavaScript based calculator.

Instructions

Specify desired values in the parameters box and then click on the 'Update' button. Dependent on the specified resolution the rendering might take some time. Once done, the result can be saved as a DXF file by clicking the 'Generate DXF' button underneath the graphics window.

Use the mouse scroll wheel or the slider underneath the window to zoom in and out. Press the left mouse button and move the mouse to pan.

License and Credits

• The application itself, as well as the application specific source code is copyright (c) 2013 by Dr. Rainer Hessmer and is covered by the permissive MIT license.
• The calculations are based on Hugh Sparks’ excellent write-up on cycloidal gears and his associated JavaScript based calculator (both do not come with a specific license).
• This web page heavily leverages the OpenJsCad framework developed by Joost Nieuwenhuijse. OpenJsCad in turn leverages the initial CSG.js copyright (c) 2011 Evan Wallace and lightgl.js by Evan Wallace and Tomi Aarnio for WebGL rendering. Contributions by Alexandre Girard, Tom Robinson, jboecker, risacher and tedbeer. All code released under the MIT license.