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Author Topic: Best way to make & route text.  (Read 16621 times)

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Offline Drools

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Best way to make & route text.
« on: July 29, 2009, 12:30:29 PM »
I just finished my router build and I would like to test it out with some easy text, a couple of 9x12 signs for work. Nothing too stressful on the machine.
What I can say is this process has been stressful for me! I have AutoCAD 2008 and I have done the text there and saved it as a dxf. Then I tried to open it with lazyCAM, well the resulting gcode was nothing more than 2 squares on the screen.
I downloaded inkscape and did the same thing however LazyCAM did not display anything and I received a OpenGL error from LazyCAM.
I tried several other apps some worked but only to produce the word "DEMOVERSION" and other software just did not produce gcode Mach3 liked.
Is there an easy way to do this?

Thanks
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vmax549

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Re: Best way to make & route text.
« Reply #1 on: July 29, 2009, 01:36:48 PM »
Look up DeskEngrave it is free (;-)

(;-) TP
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Offline ger21

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Re: Best way to make & route text.
« Reply #2 on: July 29, 2009, 01:39:13 PM »
In AutoCAD, use the Express Tools explode text function, then save as v12 .dxf, and it should work.

The Best way is to buy V-Carve Pro. ;)
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Gerry

2010 Screenset
http://www.thecncwoodworker.com/2010.html

JointCAM Dovetail and Box Joint software
http://www.g-forcecnc.com/jointcam.html

Offline RICH

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Re: Best way to make & route text.
« Reply #3 on: July 29, 2009, 03:51:45 PM »
There is a section in the LazyCam Manual , in Members Docs, which deals with text.
LC and DeskEngrave work but are limited for text.

if you are going to do a lot of text or engraving, take Ger21's advice. Text can be a real PITA because of font. And some specialized programs should make it easy. I haven't tried v-carve pro.

RICH
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Offline Chip

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Re: Best way to make & route text.
« Reply #4 on: July 29, 2009, 04:32:06 PM »
Hi, Drools

Exploding the text should do it, Hera's a picture of LazyCam screen.

Chip
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Offline Drools

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Re: Best way to make & route text.
« Reply #5 on: July 29, 2009, 07:13:51 PM »
Yep I got it working that far but it looks like there are 2 layers and only one layer shows up in Mach3 control screen.
Is that normal?
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Offline RICH

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Re: Best way to make & route text.
« Reply #6 on: July 29, 2009, 07:35:07 PM »
DROOL,
When you export from AutoCad you will get two layers because , can't turn off Layer O ( def??somthing )in Cad
and the text ,I'm guessing, is on a layer.If you select the layer in the Project infomation, that layer and all the
enties in it will highlight in the dispaly screen.  Expand the chain, is there anything in it?, if not you can probably delete it.
I don't know what you did, so tuff to tell, take a look at the manual.
Post your DXF file.


RICH
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Offline ger21

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Re: Best way to make & route text.
« Reply #7 on: July 29, 2009, 07:45:56 PM »
Or put everything on layer zero and use the purge command to remove the extra layers. Defpoints layer is created when dimensions are used. If all dimensions are deleted, you can delete the defpoints layer.
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Gerry

2010 Screenset
http://www.thecncwoodworker.com/2010.html

JointCAM Dovetail and Box Joint software
http://www.g-forcecnc.com/jointcam.html

Offline Drools

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Re: Best way to make & route text.
« Reply #8 on: July 29, 2009, 09:12:12 PM »
very frustrating, the words look fine in lazyCAM but when running AutoClean and exporting to Mach3 it gets messed up.
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Offline RICH

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Re: Best way to make & route text.
« Reply #9 on: July 29, 2009, 09:19:20 PM »
Will take a look at the files.

RICH
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