[EntityX]

Hi, I recently purchased a CNC 3040T-Z 4 axis (but I use only XYZ) and I'm damning to understand how to create an the g-code from an image (really simple) to insert into Mach 3 and start the machine.

Can anyone help me?

Thanks

[ger21]

Get some software like Photo V Carve.

[handlewanker]

Hi, as I'm a newby, as in total new to CNC, and am going down the same path, I found a tutorial by Bob Warfield on the CNC cook book forum.... page....whatever.......and he gives 10 G codes that you can use to get started and understand the compiling of them to make the machine move as you want to.

Using those 10 G codes and MDI on Mach 3 enable me to move the table and spindle where I wanted it to go to get the feel of it.

Jogging will move the slides, but an MDI input for a start out will make them move with control.
Ian.

[jeffery926]

Take a look at our image to gcode program PicEngrave Pro 5. It's considerably less the PhotoVcarve and has more features.

www.picengrave.com - PicEngraver Pro 5 + Laser

www.PicEngrave.com - Gallery

[EntityX]

the image that I have to turn in gcode is this:Imgur: The most awesome images on the Internet

microholes

[EntityX]

Any help? please

[ger21]

Is your image just the letters made up of dots?
There's no easy way to do what you want, that I'm aware of.

[EntityX]

Is your image just the letters made up of dots?
There's no easy way to do what you want, that I'm aware of.

I know is possible..

[wtopace]

Do you have any CAM software at your disposal?

You can try downloading Fusion360 (free for hobbiest users), re-drawing your image in CAD and then using proper CAM to generate tool paths and finally posting it to gcode. This would give you the ability to center drill the dots or trace the lines with a 2D contour or whatever else floats your boat.

Best of luck!

[EntityX]

Do you have any CAM software at your disposal?

You can try downloading Fusion360 (free for hobbiest users), re-drawing your image in CAD and then using proper CAM to generate tool paths and finally posting it to gcode. This would give you the ability to center drill the dots or trace the lines with a 2D contour or whatever else floats your boat.

Best of luck!

For now I have no software... can you advise me please?

[wtopace]

For now I have no software... can you advise me please?

My advice- Learn and use Fusion360. There is no "easy button" here. CNC machines are very very dumb, all they can do is follow instructions. Instructions that you provide.

3D CAD/CAM Software for Product Design | Fusion 360

[Maroslav4]

Fusion is great for start with cnc programming or if you dont need make some special modify on the toolpath. I can say that learn this software take me about 2 or 3 days. But when you want some machining from 2D geo or picture and etc. I use for this Alphacam and Alphacam art.

[jeffery926]

There is an issue with the jpg format it's saved to. I can't even open it in MS Paint.

[awerby]

DeskProto has a heightfield function, which will raise a 3D relief mesh from a single grayscale photo (typically sending the light pixels high and the dark ones low), and then write the G-code to carve it. It's not a free program, but the demo will work for a month before you need to pay for it.

[kurtnelle]

Hi, I recently purchased a CNC 3040T-Z 4 axis (but I use only XYZ) and I'm damning to understand how to create an the g-code from an image (really simple) to insert into Mach 3 and start the machine.

Can anyone help me?

Thanks

It's actually quite difficult to do. First you should convert the image to a vector (svg) image. This can be done with Illustrator's Live Trace Tool. Most other Vector graphics applications have a similar feature somewhere in them. Then you will need a SVG to g-code convertor. I'd suggest googling that. Sorry but I don't know any off hand. I have written just such a program which takes a black and white image and then controls my DIY pen plotter so that the image gets drawn with a pen on a sheet of paper. I've had raving success with that. In all cases I started with a vector image first.

Good luck!

[Maroslav4]

Send me this yout picture please.

[email protected]

[CNCPen]

If you have an iPhone or iPad you can try CNC Dot Art. You can literally make a selfie with the phone and send it to the machine. Yo can even take the picture with the phone from the screen.

[garyo1954]

My advice- Learn and use Fusion360. There is no "easy button" here. CNC machines are very very dumb, all they can do is follow instructions. Instructions that you provide.

3D CAD/CAM Software for Product Design | Fusion 360

How would you use Fusion 360 to make a relief of a picture?

Thanks!

[wtopace]

How would you use Fusion 360 to make a relief of a picture?

Thanks!

Probably not the best way - probably nothing earth shattering - probably not even the "right way", but it works and I already sent some code to the OP to try to help him out. I think he may have had a few issues with the canned drilling cycle or something, but I haven't heard back from him in a while.

I imported his image onto my sketch, scaled it properly added a point to the top-left corner of the picture (to be used in setup as G54), added holes the correct size for his drill bit to all of the dots (with the assistance of some rectangular arrays and such and copy/paste). Switched to cam, added a drilling op, select all holes the same diameter... done.

For me, it was quite a bit faster than writing some kind of specialized software to detect image contrast, assign positional coordinates and generate g-code. I guess if I were better with OpenCV or something, maybe, but the above didn't take more than half an hour start to finish.

[garyo1954]

Probably not the best way - probably nothing earth shattering - probably not even the "right way", but it works and I already sent some code to the OP to try to help him out. I think he may have had a few issues with the canned drilling cycle or something, but I haven't heard back from him in a while.

I imported his image onto my sketch, scaled it properly added a point to the top-left corner of the picture (to be used in setup as G54), added holes the correct size for his drill bit to all of the dots (with the assistance of some rectangular arrays and such and copy/paste). Switched to cam, added a drilling op, select all holes the same diameter... done.

For me, it was quite a bit faster than writing some kind of specialized software to detect image contrast, assign positional coordinates and generate g-code. I guess if I were better with OpenCV or something, maybe, but the above didn't take more than half an hour start to finish.

Thanks for the quick reply!

I started looking at Fusion 360 today. My initial concern was the cloud storage, but seems from reading some these posts that has been solved. I'm excited to try it in comparison to VisualCAD/CAM (which I find very intuitive/easy to learn).

The OP is talking about an stippling effect from what I could understand. Stippling is an art where one uses dot of varying shades of grey to make a picture. That sounds like a lot of work, can't imagine the g code involved.

I see what you're doing. I should work. Good, better, best doesn't matter when you get started. Its the getting started doing something that makes you feel good. And you can always refine your technique as it become more clear what you are doing.

My thought would have been to make an STL or iges in Inkscape before bringing it into Fusion. But you solved that problem.


Thanks again!

G