On 16/09/14 14:13, Pete C. wrote:
Karl Townsend wrote:
BTW, suggestions on the software end for lathe code? I use TurboCAD, and
have been using SheetCAM for milling.
I pretty much hand code lathes. Almost no such thing as a complex
gcode for lathe. I do use a program called NCplot to give me a gcode
of the final profile. It imports a .dxf file and outputs gcode. You
have to edit in tool changes etc. but its quick 'n easy on a lathe. i
should add, I pretty much hand code mills too. just how I was brought
up.

My son is a professional user of Mastercam and Tebis, if I ever needed
it. Maybe you should get Tebis, its purdy good. Cost is only $80K plus
$2K a quarter for support.

Karl
I definitely don't hand code for CNC text engraving...
Years ago I used an obscure Windows API function GetGlyphOutline ()
IIRC, back in 3.1 days, to do a basic TrueType font to G code program
and it basically worked although I had been given the wrong details for
the Z direction so had it reversed. We tried it with the guy that had
asked me to do it and showed that it worked in principal but he got rid
of the machine the next day so didn't have any more opportunity to
correct the Z issue and test. The function was very badly documented and
a Windows guru said as much in his writings but hidden in the depths of
the MSDN documentation was the details of how to use it correctly from
the guru IIRC, the standard Windows API info didn't give up that secret.
I think I still have the C source code around if you're interested. I
have subsequently used the same basic code and added it into a PCB
program I wrote to allow the generation of PCBs with TrueType based
fonts to be done with Gerber or HPGL. IIRC I have recently seen a Linux
program that does TT to HPGL or G Code but can't think of the name but
have seen it a few time before so not likely hard to find.