ART,
So will there be a Holiday / New Year present called FINISH PASS posted for LT?
Or you still thinking about it like Logan? 
RICH

No, the thinking is done, Im codeing it now..course if it dont work then Im back to thinking.

Art

ART,
Is it  working or back to thinking?
RICH

Rich:

  It seems to be working. But the results are still preliminary. Im working on an algorithm to
do it faster and then I need to consolidate it to a path.

  Its amazingly complex. To take two polygons, ( a tool and a profile), and calculate how that
polygon can traverse the edge of the second polygon , where it will hit and where the optimal route is
is more complex than is believable.. I have to take into effect the possability of undercuts too which makes it a bit
more difficult.
 
   Its looking like we'll do any mixture of rough and fine cuts, rought is no longer necessary to do a fine, but then the fine
will take a great many passes, the number of final passes is dependent on the amount of material left over from the roughing.
In fine passing, you specify the final pass size as well as pass size. The algorithm will look to see when a pass hits no material,
and will make the next pass the first finish pass, so the number of finish passes will totally depend on if it is roughed or not.

  To that end I have added a finish button and removed the sensing of "finish pass allowed".

Cant promise when , but thats how its working out so far. Ill post when I have the initial test version ready.

Art

Art, 

I hate to waste your time with another email to answer, but my curiosity is overwhelming.  Your statement, that using a finish pass without roughing would work but would take many passes, has me wondering.....

I've been assuming that the finish pass would not use a raster algorithm to cut with, like the rough pass does, but instead would be vector based and would follow the final profile using diagonals and arcs as needed.  Am I wrong?

Regards,
Dave

Dave:

   True. You see similar outputs from some programs that dont really do roughing.. its an offset series of passes that evolve eventually yo the actualy profile
by the time the tools gets to the target profile. The problem with many of those profilers is they dont take the tool into account, so the finish pass is simply the drawn profile.
That of course doesnt work as youll collide in many spots between tool and profile.
   What Im attempting is first calculating where the tool will actually fit, that being the finsh pass, and then offsetting outwards and doing pass after pass outwards until a pass
hits no left over material. Then the order will be reversed, and the finish passes output as a toolpath.

  SO it will be posssible to simply do finish passes, but thats not a great way to rough really.. though for some they'd see no real difference in time, in theory roughing, then finishing is the way to go, the roughing tool being capable of removing more material in a pass..

Art

Art,

I guess I'll have to see it in action to understand it.  Of course collisions between the tool and profile must be predicted and avoided, but I expected that the program would simply tell me when/where I needed to change tools to avoid collision.  This is my first foray into machine tools so I am a neophyte and know nothing about the industry's standard practice.

My profiles are pretty simple and my tools are narrower than any of the standard cutters.  Collisions haven't been a problem for me.  This is wood.  Right now I'm roughing down to zero and using sandpaper in lieu of a finish pass.  Sounds like I might do well to continue this.

Thanks,
Dave

Just a comment FWIW,
Your  tool selection will be important. The only tool that can be used to do it all, in general and depends on the profile, would be a point tool. So from a practical machining point of view, planning on how to do the cutting
is still required by the operator. So if the tool can't completely do all the finishing passes, then i quess you'll see what is left and need to apply the proper tool to accomplish them.

Here is a thought for you ART, realy lazy mode but maybe doable........
LT has a mode which has some basic tool set with some simple defined parameters, it automaticaly applies those tools to the profile / breaks the profile / generates the pathing, based on those tools and reports back that it can cut the profile with say these tools / parameters, and here is what's left and what can't be done. If you don't like that what LT did, then get out of that mode and define your owne tools to be used for pathing.  Just a cloud above my head!

RICH

Hi Guys:

 Just thought Id post a note so you know work progresses.. That algorithm failed, but now..3 new algorithms later.. Im producing fairly good finishing passes.
Unfortunatley, this pointed out some failures in the roughing, which Ive now rewritten for greater accuracy.. my roughing wasnt near as accurate as the finishing,
and I didnt notice till the finish path was laid on top of it.. anyay..better now.

   Cant say how long till I nail down the finishing.. but its half way there anyway..

Art

Thanks for the update ART. At least you nipped it before having to read a hundred posts.
Half way is still better than just getting started. LOL Give a yell when you want us to break it!
RICH