Re: Ref: PC to controller comunication protocols

> The number of folks putting together controller software is

impressive.

Well, here's another.
I have built a windows app with a nice gui that allows loading dxf
output directly, displaying the toolpath, allowing a few simple
adjustments,such a mirroring and offsets, then launches it to a
microcontroller on my stepper driven 2 1/2 axis machine.

I started going further, such as bresenham and ellipses, but then i
asked - "would anyone want such a system?" i have started working with
Inventor 2008, and realized the import of a full 3rd axis and the
ability to read whatever filetype it will export, and the whole project
continued to grow in my mind.

Now i see so many on this list are working on similar projects, that I
am not sure if I'll continue. What i would appreciate knowing is if
anyone thinks the idea of skipping the g-code altogether might have
been a good idea.....It seems to me that textiles and garments are cut
everyday on commercially produced machines that do not rely on any
single standard - has anyone worked with OptiTex software, for example?

As for microcontrollers, there's a number of pic 18's that will handle
all the line and curve calculations. It really shouldn't matter how
it's written - I've done much larger projects based on PIC 18's in
assembly, C, and basic....yes, basic - there are many ways to not need
to rely on floating point and to crunch a fair number of decimal places
even in picbasic.

So, should I continue with my project? What is the collective view?