I now have my taig machine up and working and have made a cut of the roadrunner g-code provided with the mach3 software.  After going through this process  my question is who would ever spend the time it takes to write 1500 lines of code to cut a roadrunner image.  Don't get me wrong, I'm glad they did, so I could check out my machine.   It seems like it would take forever to learn to write  code to do that.  Am I missing something?  It's been fun getting to the point that I can actually cut something.  I don't have the time to learn or to write thousands of lines of code to do something simple.  Their are so many people on this site that are doing  cool things with cnc.  How do I get to the point that I can cut something without spending years learning to write g-code or is that just part of the process?  If it is I'm afraid I may never get there.

There are CAM programs that will generate the code required to do anything from simple to very complex. So there is no reason to sit down and
write thousands of lines to do something. That does not mean one should just use a "tool" to do the tedious work.
An understanding of gcode is required to run the  cnc machines. CNC is not plug and play.

There are no short cuts to CNC and it can be a never ending learning curve depending on what one is doing or wants to do.

I would suggest that one skip all the BS and searching the internet for some magic button and just invest in Smid's CNC Programing Handbook
since it can be rather easy reading, well at first,  and takes one from beginning to complex. It's 500+ pages will be an excellant reference for years to come.

While your reading that book, download and start reading the MACH Manuals.

You can try out all the different wizards, LazyCam, and other free programs which generate gcode.

RICH

Thanks, I will get the book and look into the cam programs.  Is their a cam program that you would recommend?

CAM programs are like different flavors of ice cream ....what i like you would hate.
So take your time, have a taste of the different flavors. and then buy a  gallon of your favorite flavor  and enjoy!

RICH

Thanks, but that doesn't help much.

Try CamBam
RICH