[bjm323]

Can V23 take a halftone bitmap file and produce g code for engraving? If so, can someone give me a quick rundown on how to go about doing it?

[southernexplore]

Bobart will give pretty good results.

[bjm323]

I have Bobart but am not sure how to go about getting the results I want. I'm looking to do something like this:

[cncjunky]

Bobart will give pretty good results.

Is that right...? I have bobart too with v21 and 22 and have gotten extremely poor results (if you want to call them results). They are trash, even with extremely high res photos. If getting good results with bobart is possible I would like to know myself how to do it. I have tried and tried and got no where. All I get is a boggled up mess. Please help me too.

[cncjunky]

That is also one of the poarestly demonstrated functions in the v22 training videos. They show you how to do extremely simple vetorizations, even the "complex" vectorization in the training video is not even complex at all. They should show you how to take a photo and vectorize that. Again I probably need help to get this thing right, so I can't say that function is garbage, but so far I'm far from empressed.

[SBC Cycle]

That is also one of the poarestly demonstrated functions in the v22 training videos. They show you how to do extremely simple vetorizations, even the "complex" vectorization in the training video is not even complex at all. They should show you how to take a photo and vectorize that. Again I probably need help to get this thing right, so I can't say that function is garbage, but so far I'm far from empressed.

Vectorization is almost a dark art. I don't know of any software that will convert a photo to clean 2D vectors or 3D models without a lot of work. It is best to use a photo editing software such as CorelDRAW first on your photo to get the best results. Next to V21, Corel is the best money I've ever spent on software.

[BurrMan]

BobArt creates surfaces to 3d toolpath. You can get excellent results using it in this manner. With the original picture of the dog, you could get very good results. BobArt will not produce a surface that can be "engraved".

Vectorizing a complex bitmap is not something BobArt is geared to do. It would be provided more for logo/clipart work. Simple geometry.

There are some other programs that are specialized that have some different features that can do engraving toolpaths for laser and such. ArtCam comes to mind. BobCad can do the surface toolpathing just as well as these others, but with the bigger bucks you can get some other features as well. Last time I checked ArtCam was $7000.00 +.

Is there a reason you dont want to do this as a surface?

Can you post the original picture of the dog?

[bjm323]

That picture is just an example of what I'm wanting to do. This is going to be engraved in some thin (.020) brass which is why I really don't want to do it as a surface. That and the picture I was given is not a very good quality picture.

[BurrMan]

The original artwork will make pretty much "all the difference".

Whenever we do a detail face and such, around .004 is the most you can go. We have done good work with .008. (unless your doing lithophanes).

I have posted a picture of a girl we did at I think .015, but used a small ballmill as the original image was good to get the deeper depth.

.02 thick stock would mean your emboss would have to be what.....01? or less. You would need a quality image to get a good emboss at .004 or 8. But I cant say enough about the original image.

If your engraving machine can do a planar toolpath, then you could expect nice results from a good start photo.

If you can post the photo, I'll take a look at it for you. Pretty much that picture of the engrave is usless though ( but it gives a good idea of what you are looking for)

[cncjunky]

Yeah I'm looking to do a 2d vector (are you saying it can convert a picture to 3d model?). Or do you mean inverted embossing a 2d vector? So your saying I need to edit the picture in a secondary program, ok. How do I edit a photo? Also I was told, yeah told like I was a lot of things, that all I needed was a very good picture.

[BurrMan]

Here's a link to the picture of the girl I was talking about:

http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showpo...58&postcount=6

Again, this was done about twice as deep as we normally do a face and used a ballmill as opposed to a v-cutter. with the shallower depth and a v-cutter it could look pretty much like the picture.

[cncjunky]

Here's a link to the picture of the girl I was talking about:

http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showpo...58&postcount=6

Again, this was done about twice as deep as we normally do a face and used a ballmill as opposed to a v-cutter. with the shallower depth and a v-cutter it could look pretty much like the picture.

looks good, so you edited you photo with a secondary program first then vectorized it? What size of ballmill did you use? I have a endmill that is like a 9/16" and it comes down to a "V" shape blade , do you think this would work well to do such thing?

[bjm323]

Like I stated before, the picture is not the best to start with which is why I was going with the "dots".



Here is what it's like after I converted it to halftone.



I'm new to all of this so you can imagine my frustration. I'm also trying to get a better picture. Thanks

[BurrMan]

Yeah I'm looking to do a 2d vector (are you saying it can convert a picture to 3d model?). Or do you mean inverted embossing a 2d vector? So your saying I need to edit the picture in a secondary program, ok. How do I edit a photo? Also I was told, yeah told like I was a lot of things, that all I needed was a very good picture.

cncjunky,
It creates a surface from an emboss that uses a "Heightmap" type of thing. Whites low/darks high or vice versa. THis survase can then be chosen and machined like any model. But it is not a solid that can be booleaned or extruded or interacted with like a 3d model. Just machined.

A common learning curve with using it is the depth parameter. .1 would look like a nice very slight emboss on the screen, but if you zoom into an "EYE" for instance, where usually you will have Black or dark against white (or yellow or red in some cases) you will see what you are trying to machine. If you are using fine grade tools to get detaile, then this would be unacceptable geometry as they are peaks and valleys that look ugly. YOu can counter this with a larger rounded tool, but loose detaile like eyelashes. You could create an emboss of the same picture at say .08 and it would look faint and not deep enough on screen, but if you zoom in, you will see detail changes at the eyelash level. a larger ballmill wouldnt even register it.

Picture resolution versus stock resolution is usually automatically set when first getting your image, but both these numbers can greatly change the outcome of the surface.

Again, trying to vectorize a complex bitmap to have "geometry" is a whole different thing, and is not what the focus of the app is geared to right now.

Maybe thats a future addition, but not likely as SBC has pointed out, this is a complex area for the user, even with the most advanced tools it would be a great deal of work. Most of these programs now have gone the route of height map.

[cncjunky]

cncjunky,
It creates a surface from an emboss that uses a "Heightmap" type of thing. Whites low/darks high or vice versa. THis survase can then be chosen and machined like any model. But it is not a solid that can be booleaned or extruded or interacted with like a 3d model. Just machined.

A common learning curve with using it is the depth parameter. .1 would look like a nice very slight emboss on the screen, but if you zoom into an "EYE" for instance, where usually you will have Black or dark against white (or yellow or red in some cases) you will see what you are trying to machine. If you are using fine grade tools to get detaile, then this would be unacceptable geometry as they are peaks and valleys that look ugly. YOu can counter this with a larger rounded tool, but loose detaile like eyelashes. You could create an emboss of the same picture at say .08 and it would look faint and not deep enough on screen, but if you zoom in, you will see detail changes at the eyelash level. a larger ballmill wouldnt even register it.

Picture resolution versus stock resolution is usually automatically set when first getting your image, but both these numbers can greatly change the outcome of the surface.

Again, trying to vectorize a complex bitmap to have "geometry" is a whole different thing, and is not what the focus of the app is geared to right now.

Maybe thats a future addition, but not likely as SBC has pointed out, this is a complex area for the user, even with the most advanced tools it would be a great deal of work. Most of these programs now have gone the route of height map.

Ok, but all I want to do is vectorize the photo so I can engrave it. Not trying to get a solid, I know that it won't do that.

[cncjunky]

So how do you edit a picture with correl or exc. to make it vectorizeable ?

[BurrMan]

COrel would do the vectorizing. But again, trying to make geometry from pixels is a large undertaking. Prepare to spend a large amount of time editing what comes out, and even then, you have to consider what your trying to do. Represent a picture with lines. What are you going to edit and why?

In a minute I'll post a file of the previous halftone posted converted to line geometry. You would have to ask yourself...."What would I engrave?" and "how deep?". Some of the lines will represent the boundry around a dark spot, some of the lines will represent the outside of the dark spot. Some of the lines will be the boundry around a light spot....And so on. What makes a picture a picture is this.

[BurrMan]

Here is bjm323's halftone dewey file vectorized fairly straight forward.

Noticed some said V22 so I posted both versions.

Wondering how anyone would get dewey to look like dewey from this?

[BurrMan]

Cant your engrave machine cut this toolpath?



(Just to look. Dont try to cut)

[bjm323]

Don't see why not. I managed to get a different picture from my friend. Think I can get a decent surface from this?