[draftingrus]

I have a drawing that I want to use to create a lathe program from. I didn't get the desired results from mastercam, so I have been trying to go directly from AutoCad.

Is there a way to extract AutoCad information into an Excell Spreadsheet or Access Database? I spent way too much time using the "list" command and copying and pasting to Excell - but it is taking quite a bit of messaging to get some sort of coherent G Code format....

Any easier way to get it done?

[nh_eng]

I can't think of a more complex and difficult approach to generating gcode. That is why CAM programs have been written. It would help if you could explain what it is that you are feeding your gcode into. The proper CAM tool to use really is dependent on the application - i.e. what is going to consume the g-code. It is simply x-y router paths, or 3d surface milling, etc?

[ger21]

If you know any visual basic, a VBA macro is not too difficult to do it. You could actually send the data directly to Excel from AutoCAD.

I have an AutoCAD macro posted here that exports g-code directly. If you can't use the code directly, you might be able to modify it using find and replace.
Here's the thread
http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8226

and the macro
http://home.comcast.net/~cncwoodwork.../AC2GCv039.zip

[draftingrus]

Hey NH and Ger

Thanks for the response - the Lathe I am sending the data to is a bit of a toy - a Rhino ST/6 http://www.rhinorobotics.com/st6.html. It does not recognize the G70 or G 90 series of code (for controller generated roughing passes.

Ger - i will follow the links and see if the code you wrote does the trick. I used the offset command to delineate the material boundry and roughing cuts - I used the shape for the finish cuts...or at least that is the plan ... well, better get back to it