Hi Again Dennis!
Well, you're right about the approach!
All MMI (man-machine-interface) I saw, just recieve the G-Code (or hpgl whatever) and then send it to the controller. The maximun is the viewing of the machine's position on screen.
Yours is really a incredible tool!
When I started reading the description of SuperCam I said: Man! I gotta do this too!! hauhauha
But nop, it is really too complex for me!
The good in Open Source is:
"Do a tool that does one little thing, but make it does perfectly."
It means that is better to do a program that can be embled to others, so they, together, can create a bigger tool.
For example, I had not to be concerned about many file input formats. I programmed the interpretation just to Postscript. The other formats are converter to PS by pstoedit, wich is porwefull Linux program that deals with ps.
For that reason, the first usefull run of OpenCAM took one or two days.
OpenCAM is just a little bit more than a g-code creator, it is a layer. With your experience, I think you can realize that any output format can be used, since you configure it in the .cam file.
I hope I could ask you some questions (most about gcode features) 'cause I know I'm really a newbie ^_^
Tks!
Celso
Oh, almos forgot!
About the testing:
There are a few requiriments to run the 0.0.20 alpha of OpenCAM the first of all:
A Linux Operating System
Secondly, you must have the GAMBAS instaled.
Gambas is to Linux as Visual Basic is to Windows, but is better ^_^
gambas can be found @:
http://gambas.sourceforge.net
the Source Code of OpenCAM can be downloaded @
Here! Get the Source! Get the Source!
Unzip the file and open the project inside gambas
To do this, just open gambas and select Open Project and click in the folder "opencam" you unzipped
Press F5 and it will run.
Gambas can create executables, but to distribute them, you have to embled some libraries and I did not figured out yet wich :P (no donuts for ya again)
Well, again, tks for the help!
Whoever tries to use it, May the force be with ya! O_o