Need Help!- Bobart, calculating a working toolpath from an embossed image.

[Ranscon]

Could somebody please help me with calculating a toolpath for a Bobart embossed image? I have v23 and am having a very hard time creating a toolpath of an image of a dog's head. I can't seem to get it to put out anything that even resembles the picture. I was planning on using a 1/4 inch 90 degree V-bit but cannot seem to get that to work either. I was planning on using "mill 3 axis V-carve" but it will not let me select the geometry for this. The only choices that let me select the geometry are "mill 3 axis-z level rough and z level finish". These both just give me endmills. I have changed the endmill diameter several times (all the way down to 0.001 inch diameter) and it still will not do what I'm looking for.I will post the image file below if somebody feels like a challenge. I also have it saved as a bbcd file but do not know how to upload it in that format. I am trying to carve this picture .18 inches deep or so into a piece of wood. Also, When I emboss the picture a square appears around it. I would also like to remove this square and have just the picture engraved.

Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Jeff

[BurrMan]

The Slice toolpaths are the ones you want for this. Planar, Radial, Spiral.... We just visualize what would look best with a particular piece. Like for a forest, where many things are linear, we would use Planar and set the direction to match the geometry. Your face there may look best with a radial, Something that centers the face and radiates out.

The V Carve toolpath works on Fonts.

The Z Level paths I dont think you want here.

To post your Bccd file you can zip it by right clicking it and choose "Send To" "Compressed Zip Archive".

The depths will depend on the size of the overall Cut wood picture. To get rid of the "Picture Edge", the size versus desired placment needs to be adjusted so you can use a "Boundry" to eliminate the area of edge emboss from the toolpath generated.

[Ranscon]

Thanks Burrman, I'll try these tomorrow. I've had enough Bobcad for one day. Fifteen straight hours on 2 pictures and have gotten nowhere. Want a good deal on Bobcad v23?

I will load the saved bbcd file if anybody out there would like to give it a try. Thanks again, Jeff

[BurrMan]

Hey jeff,
Hang in there. doing these types of files is not easy. It only gets better from here. Doing artwork takes a bit of trial and error to figure out. Seems every picture is unique!

Also, do you have a high res photo of that dog face? If so can you post it here?

[Ranscon]

I don't have a hi rez pic. I,ve got the cad part pretty well figured out. I'm just having a lot of trouble working with bobart. Are there any training videos out there for bobart. I can not even find the screen that is shown for bobart on bobcads site under tutorials. Is this a different version or something? It says Bobart supports 3 bit types, flat, balled and veed. I cannot find this either. Please help if you know how to find these items.

Thanks again, Jeff

[BurrMan]

Hi Jeff,
I noticed you posted in the BobCad Forum also and I'll finish answering you there. I'll create some video also, then you can get specific questions from that if you wan to go further.

All the tooling is done from the CAM Tab. The BobArt tab is for getting the image and setting up the emboss or extracting the geometry. Once you have the emboss surface, you switch to the cam tab and setup the operation (One of the slice ones, not z level) then do the toolpath.

Again, I'll post a short vid on the other post you made.

Burr

[Allen123]

Ransco.

The dog image you are working with is less than an inch! You might want to work with images that are a little bit bigger.

Not to mention the steps you are trying to take are not the right steps.

3D image machining with BobART.

Click BobART Tab

Rt Click on images and load your picture. ( you do this so the software will know the stock size automatic )

Rt Click on Emboss model

Choose Emboss from image.

Edit your setting for how deep or up you want to go.

( most of the time you are only embossing .100 + or - if you try for more than that the image gets distorted)

Then you will regenerate

What this does is create a model that you can then lay 3D tool path down on.










BobART works on gray scale and this image is very light. Gray scale being you set a value lets say .1 from dark to light and the gray scale between is where the software goes up and down from 0 to .1.

Now you can add additional embosses to puff the shape up, that's what I did in blue

[Ranscon]

Allen123, Actually the dog picture is 4" square in my drawing, But I do beleive I could have started with something a little simpler than this image (very close colors). When I "emboss from image" it comes in at 4" by 3.7". Other than that, it looks like I,m using the same steps as you. I would like to know how you got the border line around the pic so it won't machine the entire square. Did you draw it using "spline interpolated" or is there a better way? Also, the additional emboss. Did you just change the z value? Thanks for the reply, Jeff


Burrman, Yes, I noticed your name there as well. I just registered over there a few hours ago. I will check back with you later over there. I think I,ve (along with glen from Bobcad) well, (mostly Glen from Bobcad) figured out what the other pic I was working on needed. A bit of cleanup before embossing. I tried the other pic with "slice radial" and it did go much better. Looking forward to the video also. Thanks again, Jeff

[BurrMan]

Sounds good Jeff!

I may hold off on any vid for a bit. I dont wan to confuse things and it sounds like Glen has you going! I was just going to post a basic BobArt demo as I recognised you were just in need to see the "proceedure" to use to do an emboss.

The rest as you have seen others is just learning how to get a good result. Getting good at it is just a personal amount of practice. Every picture is different in its own way so nobody could really tell you, "Use these settings" and have it work for all pictures.

Go with what you got from glen for a bit then come back if you have any specifics that others may be able to help with.

Good luck!

[Allen123]

Your Right, I didn't really follow your whole thread. So sorry about that.

You have a BobCAD file up here, but is there any way you can post the image file.

What I was working on was the thumb nail that was in the thread.

BTW I don't think you can call a V cutter of any of the slice tool paths. I think you'll need to trick the system or lie about your cutter in order for it to work.


You know call it a ball but run a v cutter.

[Ranscon]

Thanks again guys, I'll try to post the image again. Also, I have another question, I have a piture of a seashell which I drew last night. When I emboss it the emboss looks like a checkerboard pattern. Any Idea why?

I beleive the images are auto compressed when I upload them here. Allen, how did you import the pics (save in what format)?
Thanks, Jeff

[Allen123]

One thing that I would try that should help is doing a regular emboss along with the image emboss

When you do this to get the .18 depth that you want. Via a radius or ellipse subtracted.

Then the image goes on top or cut out of the regular emboss to add the detail that you want.





I used a slice radial because you can use a boundary to contain the tool path.




Then I tried a planner rough a finish