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@@ -23,10 +23,14 @@ the right sequence of commands for your machine to engrave it. This is not the first program that can do this, but existing solutions are unsuitable due to their high cost. -Examples below: +The program's output has been thoroughly tested on a ShopBot Desktop +MAX, which produced the results shown below, and a ShopBot PRTalpha. +Various users have reported successful results on X-Carve and Shapeoko +machines, among others. -<img src="https://www.fwei.tk/blog/d-day.jpg" width="100%"> -<img src="https://www.fwei.tk/blog/baby-yoda.png" width="100%"> +<img src="https://www.fwei.tk/blog/d-day.jpg" width="100%" /> +<img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/built1n/rastercarve/master/examples/pen_plotter.jpg" width="100%" /> +<img src="https://www.fwei.tk/blog/baby-yoda.png" width="100%" /> # Installation @@ -98,8 +102,13 @@ location. Double check that the bottom right corner is in bounds. right corner and work its way down to the bottom right in a serpentine fashion. -The program's output has been tested on a ShopBot Desktop MAX, which -produced the results shown earlier. +## Ramping + +Some tools (e.g. ShopBot) have an option to control acceleration ramping +speeds. The intricate nature of many raster engraving toolpaths generated +with this program tend to trigger unneccessary speed ramping on these +machines, leading to very slow cycle times. The solution to this is to +set more aggressive ramping values. (ShopBot users can use [VR].) # Advanced @@ -172,6 +181,53 @@ not be used, since the spindle will fail to start and damage the material. Use this flag with caution on other machines. ``` +## G-code Customization + +The G-code produced should work out-of-the-box on ShopBot machines. Other +machines may need some fine-tuning. + +The default G-code preamble is + +``` +G00 G90 G80 G28 G17 G20 G40 G49 +M03 +``` + +The `--preamble[-file]` and `--epilogue[-file]` options allow you to specify +a custom G-code header or footer to override the default. Note that in writing +a custom preamble/epilogue, you should *not* include line numbers; the program +will automatically insert them on each line of the supplied preamble/epilogue. + +If the default preamble is giving you issues, try the following stripped-down +version: + +``` +G20 +M03 +``` + +This will only tell the machine to use inch units (`G20`) and nothing else. It +should work with virtually any machine. + +## Metric Units + +Passing the `--metric` flag will replace the default `G20` directive with `G21` +to force metric units. If this is passed, all measurements given will be +interpreted as millimeters. E.g., `--width 100` will be interpreted as a width +of 100mm. (That is to say, the `--metric` flag is comparatively dumb; no +internal unit scaling takes place.) + +Note that the `--metric` flag cannot be used in conjunction with +`--preamble[-file]`. If a custom preamble is necessary, just include `G21`. + +## Pen Plotting + +The generated toolpaths produce excellent results when used with pen plotters +instead of engraving bits (see above). The machine setup is a little more +complicated, though: the Z height must be set to half the maximum engraving +depth *above* the material for the black and white regions to be drawn +correctly. + # Related [Vectric PhotoVCarve](https://www.vectric.com/products/photovcarve) - |