Inkscape Gcodetools plug-in English support forum

[Nick]

Generated Gcode in EMC2

Type	Extension of vector graphics editor Inkscape
Developer	Gcodetools develop team
Written in	Python
OS	Cross-Platform (Windows, Linux, MacOS)
Version	1.6.03
License	GNU GPL
Downloads	7800+

Gcodetools

Gcodetools is a plug-in for Inkscape. It prepares and converts paths from Inkscape to Gcode, using biarc interpolation.

This article is unfinished. You can help cnc-club expanding it.
Screenshots and photos are needed. Please post them at this thread.

Features (для просмотра содержимого нажмите на ссылку)

Features

Preview of the generated Gcode in EMC

Gcodetools area pocketing

Gcodetools lathe

Gcodetools engraving by Rene

Bears by Durachko

Export to Gcode

• Export paths to Gcode
• Using circular (biarc approximation) or straight line interpolation
• Automatic path subdivision to reach defined tolerance
• Multiply tool processing
• Export Gcode in parametric of flat form
• Including personal headers and footers
• Choosing units
• Multi-pass processing
• Numeric suffix is added to generated files to avoid overwriting

Lathe Gcode

• Compute trajectories for lathe
• Fine cut
• Define fine cut's depth
• Define fine rounds
• Two different computation functions for fine cut
• Standard axis remapping

Path's area processing

• Building area paths
• Area paths could be modified

Engraving

• Building trajectory according to the cutter's shape
• Defining different cutter's shapes

Tool's library

• Defining different tool's parameters (diameter, feed, depth step, penetration feed, personal Gcode before/after each path, cutters shape, personal tool's changing Gcode)
• Tools can be managed by Inkscape's standard procedures (copy, delete, assigned to different layer)
• Multiply tools processing

Orientation system

• Applying scale along any axis
• Apply rotate in the ХY plane
• Apply translation along any axis
• Apply transforms according to arbitrary points

Post-processor

• You can create custom post-processor by writing down the commands or choose from the list of default post-processors
• Scale and offset Gcode
• Gcode commands remapping
• Parameterize Gcode
• Round floating point values to specified precision

Verifying tools for the scene

• Select and remove small paths (area artefacts)
• Tool's alignment check
• Cutting order check

Plotter cutting

• Export to Gcode for plotter with tangential knife. Forth axis A is knife's rotation.

License (для просмотра содержимого нажмите на ссылку)

License

Inkscape and Gcodetools are licensed under GNU GPL.

Install (для просмотра содержимого нажмите на ссылку)

Install

Windows
Unpack and copy all the files to the following directory Program Files\Inkscape\share\extensions\ and restart inkscape
Linux
Unpack and copy all the files to the following directory /usr/share/inkscape/extensions/ and restart inkscape

Usage (для просмотра содержимого нажмите на ссылку)

Usage

Spanish manuals and tutorials by txapuzas (También he escrito un pequeño manual de uso en español, está disponible en)
Engraving tutorial by Dormouse
Area cutting tutorial
Making gears using Gcode tools and gear extensions
Export to Gcode from previous tutorial
Version 1.1 manual and tutorial

Screenshots (для просмотра содержимого нажмите на ссылку)

Screenshots

Gcodetools plug-in tutorial (2600*1300 px png ~ 700Kb)

Curve to Gcode result

Preview of the generated Gcode in EMC

Get latest version (для просмотра содержимого нажмите на ссылку)

Get latest versions

Latest stable version Gcodetools 1.7

gcodetools.tar.gz

Gcodetools 1.7

(75.25 КБ) 102364 скачивания

Older versions(ver 1.5)

gcodetools-1.6.tar.gz

Gcodetools 1.6

(56.6 КБ) 15103 скачивания

(ver 1.5)

gcodetools.tar.gz

Gcodetools 1.5

(21.32 КБ) 10686 скачиваний

(ver 1.4)

gcodetools.tar.gz

(14.72 КБ) 27256 скачиваний

(ver 1.2)

extensions.tar.gz

(9.01 КБ) 10460 скачиваний

Dev-version

You can try the newest development version by getting it from github repository https://github.com/cnc-club/gcodetools via web interface or using git clone git@github.com:cnc-club/gcodetools.git .
You'll need to run python create_inx.py to create inx files. After that install procedure is the same with the stable version.

Translations

Gcodetools is included into Inkscape v 0.49 so it will have native translations as other Inkscape's extensions. Until it is released you can use some self made translation packs:

• Spanish translation: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/23923366/gcodetools_es_00.zip

Credits (для просмотра содержимого нажмите на ссылку)

Credits

Developers:

• Nick Drobchenko (Nick)
• Vladimir Kalyaev (Dormouse)
• Henry Nicolas (Alfcnc)
• Chris Lusby Taylor (ChrisInNewbury)

Translators:

• John Brooker (greybeard from cnczone.com)

Develop (для просмотра содержимого нажмите на ссылку)

Develop

At the moment following features are being developed:

• Plasma cutter extension
• Turning lathe extension
• Plotter extension

You can help us improve Gcodetools in several ways

• Writing a report / bug report
• Improve help and manuals
• Publish G-codes / SVGs / other code
• Publish photos / videos
• Make a bug report
• Help develop new features
• Suggest a new feature

Tested on (для просмотра содержимого нажмите на ссылку)

Tested on

Linux
Ubuntu 9.10 14.04 + inkscape 0.48 (older Gcodetools versions also work with 0.46, 0.47)
Windows
Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 + inkscape 0.46, inkscape 0.47
MacOS
There are some reports on successful work on MacOs.

[rubyred]

If so - then Go to File - Inkscape preferenses - Tool - and set Geometric bbox.

Thanks for the quick response
I attached svg and ngc files below. As you can see in my first post there is some weird X0.0176 codes which they should X0.000 for a rectangle. I did the geometric bbox settings now the weird X Gcodes gone, they are X0.000 but still my rectangle shrinking after convert. I'll appreciate your help.

[Nick]

Ok, now change units at top right to mm instead of px

[rubyred]

Ok, now change units at top right to mm instead of px

in inkscape ? if change the units to mm and draw a 300mm X 100mm rectangle and than convert the output is 3000mm X 1000mm. Where did i do something wrong

[Nick]

The sheet size in your svg is A4 - it is 297x210mm, how do you thing how big should be your rectangle?


Note px (pixels) as units at the right of highlighted area on the screenshot

[Nick]

in inkscape ? if change the units to mm and draw a 300mm X 100mm rectangle and than convert the output is 3000mm X 1000mm. Where did i do something wrong

Attach your new svg and ngc...

[rubyred]

in inkscape ? if change the units to mm and draw a 300mm X 100mm rectangle and than convert the output is 3000mm X 1000mm. Where did i do something wrong

Attach your new svg and ngc...

Here, 300mm X 100mm rectangle and the ngc output is 3000mm X 1000mm it's not evet exactly multipled by 10. it is now a 299.9mm x 99.97mm rectangle

[Nick]

hmmm.
What I did:
open your file
move your rect to origin (y,x 0,0)
changed size to 300x100
path to Gcode

And got
G01 X299.999966 Y99.999988 Z-0.125000 F400.000000 which is almost exact 300x100

Код: Выделить всё

(LASER Header)
(Generated by gcodetools from Inkscape.)
(Header end.)


G21 (All units in mm)

(Start cutting path id: rect2985)
(Change tool to Default tool)

G00 Z5.000000
G00 X-0.000006 Y99.999988

G01 Z-0.125000 F100.0(Penetrate)
G01 X299.999966 Y99.999988 Z-0.125000 F400.000000
G01 X299.999966 Y-0.000027 Z-0.125000
G01 X-0.000006 Y-0.000027 Z-0.125000
G01 X-0.000006 Y99.999988 Z-0.125000
G00 Z5.000000

(End cutting path id: rect2985)


(Footer)
M5
G00 X0.0000 Y0.0000
M2
(Using default footer. To add your own footer create file "footer" in the output dir.)
(end)
%

[rubyred]

Nick, you changed the size in mm right ? if i open this gcode in grbl controller machine wants to go 300cm not mm.Can you tell me "path to gcode" settings step by step ? maybe im doing something wrong.

P.s.I want to use gcodes for 2D cutting via GRBL.

[Nick]

grbl controller

Does grbl controller use cm as standard units?
Are you sure that there no option to change them to mm?

Anyway you can edit Right Orientation point to be not (100,0,...) but (10,0,...)

[rubyred]

Hi Nick, its me again. How are you ?
I have some questions again if you dont mind.

First is there an option to generate gcode without Z axis, maybe you remember i told you i'm trying to use gcodes for 2D styrofoam cutting.

Second question is what is the feed rate for, i try to cut some drawings with previous settings but when the machine comes to a some detailed figure it goes step by step and thats not good for styrofoam cutting. Because every moment between steps the hot wire (that machine cuts sytrofoam) melting the sytrofoam and ruining the figure. It has to be fluid cut to not melt the sytrofoam

[dormouse]

To: rubyred
I am writing to you to ask you to attach two different NC files: a) correct (your own, without pauses) and b) incorrect (gcodetools-generated one)
So we are going to compare them and understand the difference.

P.S. Better if a) is corrected b).

[rubyred]

To: rubyred
I am writing to you to ask you to attach two different NC files: a) correct (your own, without pauses) and b) incorrect (gcodetools-generated one)
So we are going to compare them and understand the difference.

P.S. Better if a) is corrected b).

Hi, i don't have correct nc file because i'm running the styrofoam cutting machine with another program called winpcNC and it uses plt files. I'm trying to abandon this program thats why I want to use GRBL Controller and gcodes.

[dormouse]

Do you have a valid ("no-pause") GRBL Controller g-code example? Is this GRBL Controller able to make no-pause movement over lines?

[narvf]

So gcodetools is now included in inkscape 0.91. Congratulations!

[alfcnc]

Yes very nice that's it's include in 0.91.

But i try the version of Debian experimental repository :
https://packages.debian.org/experimental/inkscape
And the include gcodetools done always errors....
I add orientation point it's OK.
I want adds any tools always this...

Traceback (most recent call last):
File "gcodetools.py", line 6753, in <module>
gcodetools.affect()
File "/usr/share/inkscape/extensions/inkex.py", line 268, in affect
self.effect()
File "gcodetools.py", line 6665, in effect
self.get_info()
File "gcodetools.py", line 4287, in get_info
recursive_search(self.document.getroot(),self.document.getroot())
File "gcodetools.py", line 4242, in recursive_search
recursive_search(i,i)
File "gcodetools.py", line 4245, in recursive_search
points = self.get_orientation_points(i)
File "gcodetools.py", line 4332, in get_orientation_points
point[1] = [float(r.group(1)),float(r.group(2)),float(r.group(3))]
AttributeError: 'NoneType' object has no attribute 'group'

So i have install the last dev version from git and try with this debian inkscape and this work for :
Add orientation points.
Add tools.
perform a path to gcode..
But when want engraving always the errors :
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "gcodetools-dev.py", line 7805, in <module>
gcodetools.affect()
File "/usr/share/inkscape/extensions/inkex.py", line 268, in affect
self.effect()
File "gcodetools-dev.py", line 7735, in effect
self.engraving()
File "gcodetools-dev.py", line 6666, in engraving
print_([ [ [p[0]]*3, [p[0][0]+p[1][0]*de10,p[0][1]+p[1][1]*10]*3] ])
NameError: global name 'de10' is not defined

Do you think this come just from problem of Debian version ? or this could be gcodetools errors ?

Thanks

[alfcnc]

After some research i just come from to see that when put orientation point on the sheet the z depht point was set to -2.35921990392e-15
So i have effectively not set the Z in the orientation point dialog but just keep it to zero.
If i edit the orientation point that have been set to the sheet and set it manually to 0 or -5 or others all stuff work...
After that i try to set the z to -5 on the orientation point dialog and add orientation point to the sheet and then the orientation point is good set with -5.
If i reset Z to 0 in dialog and perform a new orientation point all is perform good now ???
So i don't know why when have first start of 0.91 when put the orieantation point this one set the Z to -2.35921990392e-15 on the sheet.. perhaps
a bad var init somewhere ? So i don't arrive to reproduce the problem after have set the Z in the dialog orientation point windows one time.

bad_orientation_point.png (8.9 КБ) 8402 просмотра

[Nick]

-2.35921990392e-15

probably this form does not covered by regular expression which defines Orientation points.
hmmm got to fix that....

Do you think this come just from problem of Debian version ? or this could be gcodetools errors ?

this should be gcodetools error. I'm not sure what exact version is included into inkscape 0.91...

[alfcnc]

In my inkscape Inkscape 0.91 r13725 Gcodetools says about ver. 1.7
And if i set the z value manually to this -2.35921990392e-15 the same problem is reproducible.

[NightV]

So gcodetools is now included in inkscape 0.91. Congratulations!

WOW!! good news! Nick, my congratulations!

[AAronvb]

Very Nice, Nick and team..
I have been using inkscape for a few years and never knew I could do this with it. I Have.. This is easier, https://www.facebook.com/groups/AAronsVAWTCNCproject/ . This is where I am at with this. I'm going to spend a lot of time reading and trying things before I start asking questions. The learning curve is going to be steep, I have no former experience with CNC/CAD or the like and this machine. All new to me. I'm in the process of d-loading the programs I need to make this work properly for me. Thanks for doing this!