Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] High level gcode scripting?

R Rogers wrote:

>>codeSuidae <codesuidae@...> wrote:
>>Greetings,
>>
>>Last night I was writing some gcode to cut pips on the faces of some
>>dice, and as a computer programmer I was quite frustrated by the very
>>restrictive nature of gcode. I found myself wanting to write a script
>>language with a rich command structure that would be preprocessed into
>>gcode.
>>
>>I've investigated the possibility of writing such a thing, and it looks
>>quite simple, so I'm guessing someone has already done it. So my
>>question is: where is it?
>>
>
>Interesting concept if I understand it correctly. Although, a good CAD/CAM program makes very short work of most Gcode generation. The task you are describing as far as programming is concerned would be literrally a few minutes of keyboard time with.
>

Unfortunately a good CAD/CAM program tends to be expensive and as a
hobbiest I don't want to sink more money into expensive tools that won't
be generating income.

Besides that it would be useful for doing tasks that vary slightly from
run to run. For example, someone recently posted a small utility
program to engrave lines in a ruler. Something like that would be a
good script task. The script can pop up a small input with variables
for length, resolution, width and etc, then generate the gcode
automaticly without requiring any CAD/CAM work at all

The particular task I was doing was easily done in gcode with a few
subroutines and M00's and a few variables, but I just don't feel that
there is any advantage to coding a hand-coded script in gcode as opposed
to something more powerful. For those time when I don't want to use a
full CAD/CAM solution, I don't want to step backwards too many decades.

I guess I just like the idea of a free, light-weight tool to
programatically generate the tool paths. I do have another motive too,
which is that my 10yo son, who is of course absolutely facinated by the
mill, would be able to learn some programming tools without using an
arcane language like gcode. The tool would have the ability to process
and include SVG files as well, so CAD drawings could be included as part
of the script.

> I'm just finishing up some UHMW blocks with slots radii running in two directions, very complex 3D surface. (auto door flocking or weatherstrip installation fixture). Bobcad handled it just fine, didn't take too long. Impossible to code by hand. One program had more that 6000 lines of code. Find a good Cad/Cam package.
>

I considered using a CAD/CAM combo, but it seemed pretty silly to have
to model a bunch of holes in CAD, pull it into a CAM program then
process it, figure out how to make it pause so I can rotate the die in
the jig, and etc for a task that consists of nothing more than drilling
holes in 6 combinations of 7 locations. If I had some decent
programming tools it would be a very short script. Even in gcode its
short, but much harder to do (very limited control structures, no data
structures, no IDE assistance, arcane naming, etc).

One of my other projects is a spoon. Obviously I'm modeling this in a
CAD program (well, Blender anyway, which makes a tolerable modeling
program for fantastic price) and using something (probably MeshCAM) to
convert it. As an aside, I'm having very good luck using Blender as a
modeling program. Its not suitable for things that need to be very
precise, but for more artistic endevors, its really good.

thanks for the input,
cs