Double Line Fonts

[park_pickering@ncsd.k12.wy.us]

I am working on using turbo cad to make some simple signs. I am a high school teacher and have had my machine for about 3 months. My problem is when I explode the fonts in TC and import to sbp I get double lines instead of one. The machine traces around the outside of the letter. While it does work it messes up the spacing or leaves a ridge in the middle.

Any thoughts will be greatly appreciated.

Park Pickering
park_pickering@ncsd.k12.wy.us (mailto:park_pickering@ncsd.k12.wy.us)

[Robin]

This is a standard problem. For an inexpensive solution you can try:

1. to find single line (stroke) fonts
2. "fill" the insides of your letters with hatching (search the forum's archives for details)
3. use a vbit and the great typeset program:
ftp://ftp.shopbottools.com/Utilities/typeset.zip

Even a basic CAM package will have solutions for this, don't you have Vector?

[jkforney@yahoo.com]

Park
Try using Vector Cadcam that came with the shopbot. I have used it for years and I have never had the problem you describe. It also writes native shopbot code and does not require translation. If you want to use Turbo cad I would email Bill Pulumbo. He's my guy for turbo cad.


John Forney
P.s. Try Vectorcam.com and look under Vfontz and Vcarvz. They are 3d v grooved centline font and closed shaped dxf file programs. The have 30 day non crippled demos.

[danhamm@abccom.bc.ca]

Park,
There are quite a few TTfonts single line,that engrave quite nicely with a 1/8 straight or V-tip
plunge bit,,. if you are going to use ordinary fonts, most are 2 line use a 1/2 or 3/4 in. round over bit at the depth of the round over..this will give you a nice carved look without all the fuss.. Dan

[park_pickering@ncsd.k12.wy.us]

Thanks for you're help! I will give your suggestions a try. I think that I just need to approach this from a differant angle and start thinking differently. I have looked at Vector a little and quite frankly was scared of it. I am not familar with the terminology they use, but it looks like I should spend some more time with it before I write it off.

Thanks Again

[jkforney]

Park
A new written manual will be available soon. I have been helping with the proofreading and I have learned a bunch while I was helping out. The new manual will be a very positive step forward. Of course, all the manual is available on the CD Rom. You can contact me by email or on this forum with questions. I have been using Vector for 3 years and find that it does everything I need. By the way there are single stroke fonts that come free with Vector 9. I don't know which version you have but if you need to upgrade call shopbot.

Also, I have been considering writing a list of FAQs and solutions. If anyone has specific questions about Vector please email them to me. I would like them in a "How do I" format and be rather specific. Do not send questions like "how do I use Vector" or questions that have nothing to do with Vector. Some of you lurkers that use vector and have specific solutions to problems in your shop need to give back to the group. Post some of your tips and tricks.


John Forney

[fuzzygrub@sinclair.net]

Park
Just for fun you might download "DESKENGRAVE" from the deskart\deskcam folks. Its free and simple to use. Create the basic text string you want and save on a scratch disk. It's a pretty basic program so you may have to save multiple text strings and merge them together to get the verbage and layout you want. If I can do it, anybody can. Remember to save as dxf though, the g-code convertor seems to do whatever it pleases.

[bwclark@centurytel.net]

Keithotero,

What do you mean by "the g-code convertor seems to do whatever it pleases" ?

Are you having trouble with the G-code converter not converting a G-code file of yours? If so, I will be more than happy to help out. I maintain that converter and will be more than happy to fix it if it is not working properly.

Bruce Clark
bwclark@centurytel.net (mailto:bwclark@centurytel.net)

[fuzzygrub@]

Mr Clark,
First off, that was an unfair comment on my part. As of 1 year ago more or less, I knew absolutely nothing about CNC. I found a site featuring SHOPBOTS and I purchased one figuring there must be something worthwhile that could be created by the synergy of computer ideas and machine control.
G-codes, DXF, Raster to Vector,Who knew? Well anyway, in the learning process and thousands of hours trying every idea that I found, good and bad, I finally come around to trying some of the basics, like the tif2sbp convertor, and enjoyed them tremendously. The biggest problem that I've found in the learning curve is that if you don't grasp a concept early on you consider it screwy. Lack of instructions, no education, no concept of what a program is supposed to do, lead to this conception. Ignorance in all it's glory. Anyhow, Mr Clark, you of all people, have my total respect and admiration for trying to make CNC easier for the layman (IDIOT)(ME). Just because I don't know how to use a program properly, I shouldn't give it a bad rap and for that I apologize.(sincerely)
Second:
Although most of the conversations on this forum are from total novices or absolute pro's, you must realize that there are many of us inbetweeners in here, mostly quiet, trying to gleen whatever pertinent information we can. Most programs, especially free ones, don't have much in the way of an idiot's guide to use, and again I apologize.
Please keep up the work(for all of us)
Thanx keith

[danhamm@abccom.bc.ca]

Keithotero,
You have my respect, for the very well thought out
response to Mr. Clark..
I to would like to use your lead and thank
"BRUCE CLARK" and others. You probably don't realize that newbie's like us, even before we get
our machine's, go over this forum thread by thread time after time, "and your help" by the programs you have written and other posts which
are always very well put together, (we have come to know you well.) "I now personally want to thank you.."

Now saying this, I have noticed going through the
forum that it tends to be a little "uptight" at
times also there doesn't seem to be much leg pulling to lighten things at times.
With this in mind "Bruce Clark" if you need a
(grin) parachute or anything... Dan H

[gtw]

Everyone seems to be doing okay with their CNC machines. We are still trying to make (or have made) some dxf parts files for our products. I
would like to do them myself, but am just getting familiar with corel 9. I really could use some advice on how to do these - or get an e-mail address of some one that could do them for us.
Thanks.
Shirl

[studebaker]

Sure, I'll do it in autocad and save to DXF. Do you have faxable or electronic working drawings?

[bwclark@centurytel.net]

Keithotero,

Hey, we were all newbies at one time. It was thanks to the original ShopBot forum that I ended up purchasing a ShopBot in the first place. I too have asked many questions. Went through all the heartaches and headaches of an original cable drive ShopBot. Been there done that...moved on to the r&p machine when it became available. Have not looked back since.

The point I am trying to make is, ASK QUESTIONS! It nothing else, it get the brain thinking and starts conversation. Even if it has been answered a 100 times by an "old pro" it provides an opportunity for a "new pro" to step and and give back to the forum.

Oh, thanks for the praise, but it is really not needed.
But thanks anyway!

Mr. Hammerstron, I think I am a very light hearted and "fun" person to be around. BUT I take my software programming very seriously. If a program that I wrote does not work properly, it it costing the user time, money or both. Things few people have enough of (I sure don't). Also factor in the headaches and frustration (especially from a new user who does not know _why_ his file may not be cutting/working correctly) and you can end up with a user who has a very bad experience/impression with something that basically is a GREAT machine.

Now, I do agree that there could be a better "newbie" user manual for all the converters. I doubt that I am the person to do it, as I must not have done a good enough job with the write up I did for the converters in the ShopBot manual.

Bruce Clark
bwclark@centurytel.net (mailto:bwclark@centurytel.net)

[danhamm@abccom.bc.ca]

Bruce,
Your shopbot dxf filter is the only one I use,
I am a corel user because of nessesity and speed,
I have found work arounds for most of corel's
problems and your dxf converter works perfect
every time, I have tried vectors and a couple of others, they have their advantages if I was in the
furniture or that type of business, but for the
graphical or sign business uh uh..IMHO
Dan H

[bwclark@centurytel.net]

Mr. Hammerstron,

I need to clarify, I did not write, do the write up in the Shopbot manual or even use the DXF converter. That is the work of Gordon Bergfors of Shopbot. He gets the credit for this one.

Bruce Clark
bwclark@centurytel.net (mailto:bwclark@centurytel.net)

[ed_ufford@rsd.edu]

DeskEngrave-- Has anyone else tried to save a DeskEngrave file to DXF format then had trouble opening it in AutoCAD??? AutoCAD spits out an error saying the file in invalid even though I am telling it, "Hey Autocad I want you to open this DXF file!" and not the standard dwg file.

[gerald_d]

AutoCad can be fussy about opening .dxf "look-a-like" files. The AutoCad company invented the .dxf format and so they are probably entitled to be fussy


Your problem is one of the few reasons that we also have freeware TurboCad. TC is less fussy about .dxf's and we open problem files in TC first, then re-save as dxf, then open with AutoCad.