Re: Digest Number 4

"Dan Mauch" <dmauch@...> wrote:
Subject: Re: Scanning to G code

I have played with several methods to convert bit mapped images to G code. I
tried several of the scan to cad programs and none of them worked to the
degree that I would like to see.

[Me either. The best I've tried was Cybermesh, from Knoll Software in San
Rafael CA. It cost $50 and works as a plugin to Photoshop. It is fairly
easy to use- all you do is choose Cybermesh as an export option, and it
outputs a DXF. But the results were not all one could hope for. The way
these "heightfield" programs work is by assigning a height to each pixel
(it has to be a fairly small grayscale image) and assembling the results as
a surface, mapping it either flat, cylindrically, or spherically.
The best heightfield program is supposed to be Artcam from Duct3d in the
UK, which allows one to assign edge profiles to user-selected areas, but at
$7k, it's out of my price-range. I'd love to hear of an inexpensive
heightfield program that worked similarly well- unlimited file sizes,
selective smoothing, and edge manipulability would be what I'd look for.]

I tested the first version of deskart from www.deskam.com you can d/l a demo
copy from them. I wanted to make very tiny images about .5"x.5" The first
version I tried tookbitmapped digital pictures then load them into deskart
then shrink the size down to .5X.5 . I have a small sherline mill that I
have converted to CNC. I tried machining machinable wax with the image. The
results were poor. There were several problems. Some were mine some were
with the software. Here is what I found. Deskart did not have an anti gouge
control and was somewhat limited. On my part the .014 cutter was too big for
that size image. I wanted 300 dpi so what i really needed was a .003
diameter cutter.
Second the sherline max speed is about 3000 RPM which is too slow. I need
about 50,000 RPM.
Subsequently, Deskart has been revisedand version 2 is now out. It has
antigouge control and sveral new features. I hope to test this in the next
week.
Dan

[I'd be curious to hear what you thought about the new version, and I'd
like to try it myself. Is it publicly available, or is it a beta program?]

Andrew Werby

Andrew Werby - United Artworks
Sculpture, Jewelry, and Other Art Stuff
http://unitedartworks.com