Messages

1

G-Code, CAD, and CAM discussions / Re: Milling is not keeping sharp angles on corners...

« on: October 27, 2009, 08:33:30 PM »

I'll look a little harder, the one I found was $250, $130 sounds pretty sweet tho

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G-Code, CAD, and CAM discussions / Re: Milling is not keeping sharp angles on corners...

« on: October 27, 2009, 07:24:02 PM »

I guess G64 and G61 together would just confuse Mach3 eh? LOL

Thanks for the info.

Hey Brett,

How is Autosketch in general?
$250 is a lot just to get true arc's, but my CAD is a little "buggy" so if it's good all round I might consider it...I'll have to see if I can get a demo....

Thanks all

3

G-Code, CAD, and CAM discussions / Re: Milling is not keeping sharp angles on corners...

« on: October 26, 2009, 10:43:56 PM »

Thanks Chip.

Will a G61 ONLY stop on sharp corners, or will it "stutter" on arcs too? (which was why I used the G64)

Thanks.

4

G-Code, CAD, and CAM discussions / Milling is not keeping sharp angles on corners...

« on: October 26, 2009, 08:59:45 PM »

If I mill a square for example, some corners are rounded, some are sharp or "pointy".

I added a G64 to the code a while back to stop the pauses on directional changes, would that have something to do with it?

Other than the G64 I have not added anything to the code.

I am using the free Lcam...

Sometimes I want rounded edges, sometimes sharp, how do I have control over what I get?
(I am NOT rounding any corners in CAD)
Thanks,
Rich

5

LazyCam (Beta) / Re: Joining Primitives?

« on: August 08, 2009, 12:22:18 AM »

I have the manual and so far I cannot see a section that tells me how to connect chains and I searched through the sections containing the word "chain" one by one


When I remove a problem set of chains and optimize them in a separate file LCAM works great. But it won't recognize the same lines in the same way if I optimize the entire design at once...

I'll do some more tinkering over the weekend and see if I can see what I am missing in the steps you guys are suggesting.

Ever spend so much time looking at this stuff you can't see the woods for the trees sometimes??

LOL

Thanks guys...

6

LazyCam (Beta) / Re: Joining Primitives?

« on: August 07, 2009, 11:26:46 PM »

Rich, No.
That is the problem. What LCAM is determining as a chain does not agree with what I think is a chain and what my CAD is telling me should be a chain.

Vmax, I appreciate the input but we seem to be going round in circles a bit on the CAD part. My CAD is as tight as the program is going to allow me to get it (I do not have access to snap tolerance settings etc). Therefore there is nothing for me to go back and fix (or at least it's not possible for me to).

I did re-do my CAD since I started this thread and that did help a lot, but not 100%.
Thus resulting in my conclusion that this is as good as I can get it, and the CAD is likely the culprit if LCAM is as infallable as this thread suggests.

Where you say "you can repair the chains in LCAM(move or join)"
How do you JOIN chains? I think I asked that before after Rich mentioned it but I don't see an anwser anywhere about HOW to join chains in LCAM and that IS what I would like to do.

I have tried tolerances in LCAM from 0.0001 to 0.01.
So it seems I have exhausted all venues with my current set up, esp as Rich is now going to remind me again that I cannot join entities from separate chains (see, I am paying attention Rich LOL)



Thanks

7

LazyCam (Beta) / Re: Joining Primitives?

« on: August 07, 2009, 10:07:53 PM »

I know my CAD is as "snapped" as it is capable of and I have messed with the tolerance no end, so what I have is as goos as it's getting then.

To Vmax's comment please see he rest of the thread to see my "success" with joining LOL

Thanks

8

LazyCam (Beta) / Re: Joining Primitives?

« on: August 07, 2009, 08:56:47 PM »

Hey guys

So, here is a crude representation of the problem as I see it and how I want it to be...


Thanks
PS - The correct term is a "Herd of Rich's" 

9

LazyCam (Beta) / Re: Joining Primitives?

« on: August 02, 2009, 09:48:33 PM »

Thanks Rich

10

LazyCam (Beta) / Re: Joining Primitives?

« on: August 02, 2009, 09:28:53 PM »

So can I re-ask my other question of alternatives to LCAM I can purchase?
Evidently I need a tool capable of thinking beyond geometric shapes and do what I tell it to! LOL

I'd rather just buy a program and move on from this tiny issue that is a huge headache....