I'm getting weary trying to get Lcam to export some gcode that I do not have to manually edit.
Here is the first little bit of gcode..
Could someone please explain the following lines and where did they come from. At no time do I see what I set in the layers in the gcode.
N20, N35, N40, N50, N60 and lastly N65 at this point the bit should be set to the 4.6500 cutting depth I had set in the layers tab.
Line 35 and 60 looks like the value set in the “Plunge Clearance” but what is it and why do I need it?

N5 (File Name = harbourPointe on Friday, August 07, 2009)
N10 (Default Mill Post)
N15  G91.1
N20 G0  Z1.0000
N25 M3 S15000
N30  X9.0000  Y0.0000
N35  Z0.1000
N40 G1  Z0.0000  F5.00
N45  Y1.0000   F25.00
N50 G0  Z1.0000
N55  X9.2154  Y1.5887
N60  Z0.1000
N65 G1  Z0.0000  F5.00
N70  X9.2202  Y1.6096   F25.00
N75  X9.5369  Y1.5369   
N80  X9.4629  Y1.8074   
N85  X9.2792  Y1.8496   
N90  X9.2840  Y1.8705   
N95  X9.4568  Y1.8309   
N100  X9.4544  Y1.8397   
N105  X9.4784  Y1.8341   
N110  X9.4808  Y1.8253   
N115  X9.8431  Y1.7421   
N120  X9.8383  Y1.7212   
N125  X9.4870  Y1.8019   
N130  X9.5605  Y1.5315   
N135  X9.7903  Y1.4787   
N140  X9.7855  Y1.4578   
N145  X9.2154  Y1.5887   
N150 G0  Z1.0000
N155  X9.3726  Y2.1641
N160  Z0.1000
N165 G1  Z0.0000  F5.00
N170  X9.3782  Y2.1792   F25.00
N175  X9.6484  Y2.1645   
N180  X9.6486  Y2.1650   
N185  X9.6488  Y2.1655   
N190  X9.6490  Y2.1660   
N195  X9.6492  Y2.1665   
N200  X9.6495  Y2.1675   
N205  X9.6497  Y2.1680   
N210  X9.6499  Y2.1685   
N215  X9.6501  Y2.1691   
N220  X9.6680  Y2.1693   
N225  X9.6669  Y2.1634   
N230  X9.9902  Y2.1467   
N235  X9.9824  Y2.1255   
N240  X9.6694  Y2.1424   
N245  X9.6934  Y1.9483   
N250  X9.6702  Y1.9569   
N255  X9.6656  Y2.0028   
N260  X9.6613  Y2.0422   
N265  X9.6575  Y2.0751   
N270  X9.6542  Y2.1016   
N275  X9.6515  Y2.1221   
N280  X9.6495  Y2.1366   
N285  X9.6482  Y2.1440   
N290  X9.6471  Y2.1455   
N295  X9.4172  Y2.1561   
N300  X9.8622  Y1.7920   
N305  X9.8541  Y1.7704   
N310  X9.3726  Y2.1641   
N315 G0  Z1.0000

BTW: if you want to crash Lcam high-light all the text in the “Plunge Clearance” and press the back-space key, it works every time. I’m no programmer but why is it that the name of the textbox is in the textbox? This crashing method works on other textboxes as well, I did not do this on purpose it was purely accidental. If this is the same version NewFangled wants 75.00$ for then I will have to say no, until it is more polished like Mach3 is. Search and replace is my best friend with Lcam

Droll,

Have you read the LC manual and at least looked thru all the tutorials?

Your file consists of a line and the "HA" text.
The program provides the rapid moves from the origin to the line and on to the letters H & A.
SECTION 5.3.1 IN THE MANUAL

As far as the how the text or line will be machined is defined by ....you.
Tool and cutting depths are defined in 8.3.2 to 8.3.4 and the tutorials have numerous examples
of use.

You can simulate in the mill module, and also rotate in the display to see the rapids and cutting.

Can you post your DXF file?

RICH

In the tab at the bottom Layers, there is a section called "Cut" none of the settings I entered in the textboxes ended up in the output gcode. I do not want the setting for "plunge clearance" in the resulting gcode but its there. Where did line N20 line come from, I do not have anything telling my z-axis to travel 1"...
I have the manual and I watched a bit of the video.

Here is a question, does Lcam look at any of the Mach3 settings before generating its g-code? Are these 2 apps totally independant?

Are the video tutorials available for download? My router PC is not connected to the Inet I have to load all my files from thumb drive. It would be nice to run the videos from my router.

Post the DXF.
Post the *********.lcam  file as it ws before you posted the code.

RICH

I would suggest that you download the LCAM manual and give it a good read iT will answer a lot of your questions. You are making references to things I have never seen in Lcam and I use it every day.

The manual has some very good examples to follow.

Hope that helps, (;-) TP

Sorry to be such a PITA, I guess one of my main problems is the teminology used in places, I'm just not familar with it and what it means sometimes.
I figured out I have my Z-axis configured wrong but that is another matter.
Here is what I'm working on, I already posted my LC xml settings.
I included screen shots of my LC screen, I circled the areas I mentioned above in red.

If you can save me some steps I will be grateful, I'm taking the LC manual to bed for night-time reading. I would like to download the tutorial movies.

The definitions of the the Cut are in the manual on page 36.
If they are not clear to you, please feel free to ask.

the machine will rapid over to say a letter, it then moves down, and you have told it where it start to cut and how deep you want to cut, but it will only go so deep in that pass because the tool is restricted by the per pass from the tool parameter

No need to feel you are being a PITA as that is reserved for the fonts which make up TEXT. 

RICH

Yes I can save you some steps.
1. Create the text and clean  / optimise
2. Define the tool parameters
3. Define the cutting (  use the layer menu )
4. Post the code

But you really should read the manual, all of it.
RICH