Machsupport Forum

G-Code, CAD, and CAM => LazyCam (Beta) => Topic started by: PaulWC on June 01, 2007, 10:50:10 PM

Title: LCam Pro ver 2.05
Post by: PaulWC on June 01, 2007, 10:50:10 PM
Hi Art,

Here's what I got...

Still no Offsets actually created. But I do like the tab icons!  :)

Also noticed it is trying to do climb milling, even tho "Clockwise" is unchecked.

Thanks, Paul, Central OR
Title: Re: LCam Pro ver 2.05
Post by: Chip on June 01, 2007, 11:36:46 PM
Hi, Paul

Try this .Lcam file, I think it's sorta what your looking for.

Thanks, Chip
Title: Re: LCam Pro ver 2.05
Post by: ART on June 02, 2007, 12:41:36 AM
Paul:

  Doesnt sund like video card then, its not generatin gthe offsets.. Mine gives 1 chain, 8 entities created..

Still looking..
Art
Title: Re: LCam Pro ver 2.05
Post by: PaulWC on June 02, 2007, 01:38:31 AM
Hi Chip,

Yep, that's pretty much what I've been trying for. It's the outside offsets that aren't generated on my Dell.

Hopefully it's going to be something simple to get it working. I transferred this computer from my office to the shop, so it still has a lot of stuff I haven't installed on my new office computer... so I'm not anxious to do a clean Windows install. LCam is the only app that isn't behaving, so I hope the solution is in there.

Thanks for all your work on my file(s). I'll post G-code after getting some shut-eye and see how it looks in Mach3 and Cutviewer Mill.

Paul, Central OR
Title: Re: LCam Pro ver 2.05
Post by: Chip on June 02, 2007, 02:16:35 AM
Hi, Paul

I set the drill's for .070 with .010 step down, thy show the step down but don't drill as thy should though, No Peck action.

Did you find the .Tap file at LazyCam 2.02 page 4.

Gone for the night Hear, Chip

PM your Phone #, I'll give you a call today, I think the Clock is off on the site it's 2:15 Hear.

Art, thanks for the early Look.
Title: Re: LCam Pro ver 2.05
Post by: PaulWC on June 02, 2007, 02:55:00 AM
Hi Chip,

Turning in here as well... 11:54pm PDT. I'll get the phone no. out to you when I surface.

Thanks, Paul, Central OR
Title: Re: LCam Pro ver 2.05
Post by: Chip on June 02, 2007, 12:30:36 PM
Hi, Art

Been working with Paul's file hear, For a while, If I set an outside offset at .125, I couldn't set a inside offset of .125, It would set a inside off set of .0625 though and after that I could set the .125 inside offset just fine.

Now inside and outsides is working fine.

It's now flaky again hear.

Mabey a clew in this, Chip
Title: Re: LCam Pro ver 2.05
Post by: PaulWC on June 02, 2007, 05:00:19 PM
Hi Art,

Talked with Chip for quite awhile... some of it was actually about LCam and Mach3.  ;)

Found the following to work:

Open DXF
Select outside chain
Offset with Tool Dia: 0.0625, Inside, Clockwise toolpath unchecked... I get an outside offset with 0.0625" distance.

Same thing with 0.0938" Tool Dia. gets the correct offset.

Same thing with 0.1250" Tool Dia. gets the correct offset, but with the squared corners in the upper right "notch", rather than following the arc fillets.

If I Open DXF and try to go straight to a 0.1250" Tool Dia. offset... nothing is generated. For some reason, 0.0625" has to be run first. 0.0938" was arbitrary, but not neccessary to get the 0.1250" offset after generating a 0.0625" offset.

LCam still generates the Debug error when closing.

Hope this provides some clues...


Thanks, Paul, Central OR
Title: Re: LCam Pro ver 2.05
Post by: Chip on June 03, 2007, 03:05:20 AM
Hi, Art & Brian

Getting very different results with LC 2.05 and LC 2.02, It's a small file using .0625 for tool dir.

Offsetting objects first then Pocketing, LC 2.05 not consistent at all hear.

Thanks, Chip
Title: Re: LCam Pro ver 2.05
Post by: docltf on June 03, 2007, 05:45:44 PM
PAUL

today i was playing with a drawing where the border and the part extents were the same size and i could not do a
outside offset.i made the drawing border larger than the part,then the outside offset worked.try adding a larger
border to your dxf then run it through lcam.see if that might help you.

bill
Title: Re: LCam Pro ver 2.05
Post by: Brian Barker on June 03, 2007, 05:50:06 PM
There is a new rev online that should fix that problem... (we hope)

Thanks
Brian
Title: Re: LCam Pro ver 2.05
Post by: Chip on June 03, 2007, 07:07:29 PM
Hi, Brian

Just downloaded, It' creating Island's, But no Pocket's with "create islands" un-checked.

Thanks, Chip
Title: Re: LCam Pro ver 2.05
Post by: vmax549 on June 03, 2007, 08:33:53 PM
Hi Brian just a few notes on the new Lcam.

When I open a project file and make a mod then close/save the file, Lcam crashes" File could not be found" error message.

Can we tie the tool data to  Mach? or Maybe we could use an import function to bring in the Mach tool data to update Lcam, with a large array of tools in the crib it is very hard to keep track of what is what. Also can we add in a description field like in Mach, it is getting hard to remember exactly what tool #106 is.(;-)

With the drill points could we have the option of a straight drill cycle or peck cycle?

Could we have a fixture selection feature before posting?

When posting Lcam does not post the( M8) function to turn on the coolant, it does turn it off but not on.

Can we create a duplicate layer of an existing layer or do I just need to create the addition layers in the dxf import file?

On the project/funtion screen I can't seem to get to the bottom of the window to access all the controls, what is the trick?

Using the text function it does not allow for spaces, you can type in the space but it removes it when creating the text, also not all the fonts seems to work correctly.

Is there any info on how to use the import image function to create a carving from a picture? Took a look at it but did not ring any bells as to how it actually works to get a finished product. ( not a workworker ) but the wife is and wants to know how..

Just some notes from the note book by the work station(;-)

THanks again for all the hard work. (;-) TP



Title: Re: LCam Pro ver 2.05
Post by: PaulWC on June 03, 2007, 08:42:59 PM
Hi Art & Brian,

With today's download I can create the outside offset using the 0.0625" Tool Dia. fudge fix. The 0.1250" Tool Dia. offset follows the chain entities as it should now... and correctly outside with "Outside" selected.

It would be nice if "Offsets" had a "Finish" variable like "Pockets". I fudged it by creating two offsets... one with 0.130" Toll Dia., CCW; and one with 0.1250" Tool Dia., CW.

Likewise, it would be nice if "Pockets" had the option for the finish pass going in the opposite direction (climb).

One feature I'm not seeing... I normally run a center drill cycle to spot the drill holes, then the drill cycles. After using "Drill Sel Circles", the original circles go away. I dont see a way to generate two drill cycles for each original circle. Am I missing a step?

Also wondering if it is in the plans for drill cycles to generate a G83 if the depth per pass is less than the CutDepth.

Thanks, Paul, Central OR
Title: Re: LCam Pro ver 2.05
Post by: Brian Barker on June 05, 2007, 10:46:36 AM
Hello Terry,
The tool table from Mach3 is just not worth the time :( The tool data is not the same... They only thing that we can take from Mach3 would be the tool Dia and the name of the tool.

We will add more code for the points... I would like to have a way to  select all the points to do a spot drill and so on as well. This will come with time.

Your Fixtrue Idea ia a very good idea.. hmm I think that should be on the tab for the project settings.

I will have a look at the coolant settings

We could add a tool to copy but I think it will have it copy a chain not the layer.

To get the bottom of the window??? Could you please post a pic?

We will see about adding the space to the text.

THere are no doc's on how to use the photo engraving... But in the end it is all feel to make that work :( You will need to play with it to get it how you like the pic.

I have added a few of your requests to my white board and as soon as I do them they will be erased and more put in there place. I don't have room for anymore books here :)

Thanks
Brian


 
Title: Re: LCam Pro ver 2.05
Post by: Brian Barker on June 05, 2007, 10:49:10 AM
Chip,
I will be working on drilling soon... I have to finish some of the other tools that I am working on first :)
Thanks
Brian
Title: Re: LCam Pro ver 2.05
Post by: vmax549 on June 05, 2007, 12:07:14 PM
Brian could you at least add the tool description field to LCAM? With 12 tools the same size it would be nice to help remember what is what. EX: drill, spot drill, chamfer,flat,ballend,bullnose, roundover,etc,etc.

The layer copy would save tons of time with multiple processes for the same layer, such as spot drill,drill,tap  or mill a profile shape then add a round over cycle to finish off the shape
Title: Re: LCam Pro ver 2.05
Post by: PaulWC on June 05, 2007, 12:30:25 PM
Hi TP,

You can name the Tool Description at the time it is created. Although, I don't see a way to change it once created.

Paul, Central OR
Title: Re: LCam Pro ver 2.05
Post by: Chip on June 05, 2007, 04:24:55 PM
Hi, Brian

Using LC downloaded this morning, Hears a list of what I see using the below DXF and Lcam files.

I found the outer box in My drawing was not closed so its a new file, It was causing LC not to generate Offsets.

Offset's: LC is placing offsets backwards hear Out's- In, In's- Out, The Spline Upper right produces a Giant Circle when Offset is used, It's picked up in Pocket's Chain 11 for cut.

If there are two Offset Chain's from the same layer #, Chain #, only one "The First one will highlight when Clicked on" in rotated/side view, The second one can be adjusted, deleted even though it doesn't Highlight. If there on top of each other no highlight for ether. 

Circle will not select with mouse click, will select in project window though.

Pocket's: Misses the Spline Upper right all the time, I now it's probably the Importer, Any up-date on it. ?.

Would it be possible to add the ability in Projects Window to allow adding comments or re-naming, Layers, Chain's and Pocket's, With the Right Click Mouse Option ?

Could there be a way to select Chain's in Projects Window the same way as Single/Multiple Select Option and move them to a "Drill/Other" Layer. ? 

All In All Working Pretty Nice.

Thanks, Chip
Title: Re: LCam Pro ver 2.05
Post by: vmax549 on June 05, 2007, 06:31:59 PM
Paul but if you use the Mach tool number say Tool #7 when it posts it posts the #7 tool info used for the offsets such as T7 H7. That takes the work out of worring about offsets mach will do it all for you, IF the info is correct. My thinking was if the Lcam and Mach info was the same it would cut down on mistaken identities of tools. An import tool to import the Mach tool data would allow you to keep the
Lcam data up to date with Mach.

Otherwise I have to keep the Mach Tool data book nearby to make sure I have selected the correct tool for the application.

(;-)TP
Title: Re: LCam Pro ver 2.05
Post by: PaulWC on June 05, 2007, 07:36:56 PM
Hi TP,

Tell me about it... I'm trying to maintain tool tables for: Mach2, Mach3, DeskCNC, MeshCAM2, CutViewer Mill, CutViewer Turn and now LazyCam2!  ???

Maybe someday the industry will standardize a tool table data file format? A utility app similar to what Accutrans3D does for graphic file translation would be handy.

On a related note... is there any standard protocol for tool numbering related to tool type? Such as 001-100 for drills, 101-200 for endmills, etc.

Paul, Central OR
Title: Re: LCam Pro ver 2.05
Post by: vmax549 on June 06, 2007, 12:44:27 AM
Paul I was hoping Brian and ART would set the" standard" on tool tables and make them talk to each other but that is the way it always seems to go.

I have seen attempts at tool numbering systems but it always seems to end up confusing at best to anyone other than the creator (;-)

I did see one setup that was neat, you set up the attribute table in the cad program for each layer that contained the tool # info for that layer and the cam system picked it up and translated it into the Gcode.

(;-) TP
Title: Re: LCam Pro ver 2.05
Post by: vmax549 on June 06, 2007, 12:50:25 AM
Brian I got the display window problem worked out, or rather my daughter did. I was fight and fussing with it and she walks over looks at the window, pushes it up till it flipped over and then stretched it out full length. KIDS, hum(;-)
Title: Re: LCam Pro ver 2.05
Post by: PaulWC on June 06, 2007, 10:57:58 AM
Hi Art & Brian,

Finally got back to LCam and actually posted G-code. Drill cycles seem to be OK, other than the second drill (1/16" Drill) not being called out.

The offsets seem to have gone completely Krazee!?!

Done with today's download of LazyCam 2.05.

.LCam Project and .nc G-code files attached.

Thanks, Paul, Central OR
Title: Re: LCam Pro ver 2.05
Post by: Brian Barker on June 06, 2007, 11:31:31 AM
Sorry I have not been on the forum I have been reading but I have been working on a project in the shop... I have a table that is running at 1400IPM and was having a good time testing code :)

I will hit the thing that I have seen in this forum from my last post:
Offset trouble .... I have no idea what the @$#@ is going on there.... We will do some testing and see what we can find..

Tool description editing, It is on the list and we will see if it can be added.

Open Chain offset has not been looked at and we will have to have a look at it..

Circle not selecting.. this is odd... I had fixed that problem but Art may have the old code for it OR I have to fix the code again (It happens from time to time with Art and I both working on the code)

No new on the importer update :( They are VERY slow to give us code and this is the pace that most people code at (We are running at the speed of light for software! This is why Doc's are SO hard to do!)

Terry, Kids are so good at stuff like that because they will click on anything :) I am like that and I can tell you that it has been good and bad (Cost me one Mobo)

Okay guys, I am off to start working on the problems that you are having and I am about to start on the drawing tools :)

Later Brian