NativeCAM is Features renamed

A huge thank you to FernV Andy and tommylight for all of the help in getting nativecam up and going. The LinuxCNC user community is great!

FernV wrote: You do NOT want to mill the workpiece contour and many lines show to help have a
better idea of the final result.
When you toggle the button, it either shows or hide those lines.

I wonder if there is a way to send the workpiece polygon directly to the Gremlin preview separately from the G-code?
(I think that the preview would need a new interface, though it might be possible to add shape primitives with only the XID of the frame).

It would also be nice to be able to feed DXF's in as an "overlay" for the part. I have added in some filter lines that pass DXF's through DXF2Gcode so I can trace the outline of the part with no tool offsets. Then, with the ghosts from executed toolpaths on the screen, I load the real NC code and check where the tool visibly tracks against the ghosts to make sure I didn't do anything stupid and obvious. It is a little like putting grace marks on a part. It is painful, but sometimes worthwhile. In summary -- Being able to push non-toolpath graphics directly to gremlin would be fantastic!

andypugh wrote: I wonder if there is a way to send the workpiece polygon directly to the Gremlin preview separately from the G-code?
(I think that the preview would need a new interface, though it might be possible to add shape primitives with only the XID of the frame).

If you are talking about playing the script without having to 'Skipblock', I have not found a way

Regards
Fern

yeltrow wrote: It would also be nice to be able to feed DXF's in as an "overlay" for the part. I have added in some filter lines that pass DXF's through DXF2Gcode so I can trace the outline of the part with no tool offsets. Then, with the ghosts from executed toolpaths on the screen, I load the real NC code and check where the tool visibly tracks against the ghosts to make sure I didn't do anything stupid and obvious. It is a little like putting grace marks on a part. It is painful, but sometimes worthwhile. In summary -- Being able to push non-toolpath graphics directly to gremlin would be fantastic!

Maybe this could help a little

If you use DXF2Gcode and have a gcode file, you can use a 'Group Offset' subroutine and in the items add 'Insert a gcode file'
You can then offset/rotate your gcode file. Then deactivate to mill

Fern

Hi
Do you know if there is any way to install nCAM, in the left side of the axis GUI, close to MDI?

thanks..

grijalvap wrote: Hi
Do you know if there is any way to install nCAM, in the left side of the axis GUI, close to MDI?

thanks..

I never tried but if you look the 'GladeVCP command line options', maybe the -g could do it

Fern

I am pretty sure there are only 3 options for the placement of a Gladevcp with Axis, on the right side, in a tab, or as a separate window. It is not possible to place it to the left.

I think this can be a good place to put nCAM since no other tab is used while design with nCAM.

Do you know if there is any way to make this request to the AXIS designer?

thanks..

Axis is a quite old interface, it is not easily modified, and I don't think it is actively in development (merely maintained). UI development has moved on to the more easily modified Glade based UIs.

If you have your eye on the "blank" real estate on the left side of the Axis screen, much of that space is reserved for optional functions that only appear when those functions are configured, and it is space that just grows and opens up when Axis is used on a large screen (it was designed to work on the much smaller low resolution screens, common more than 10 years ago.)