Carving pictures

[mocnc]

ok, please bare with me here. I hope I don't upset anyone for posting this in here, but I wasn't really sure where my question could go. I guess it could go to the program/software section, but to be honest I thought it would just get lost in there. So my question is this.....I want to be able to carve out pictures or sceneary onto wood/glass etc. I would like to know if there are any programs out there that would convert a jpg picture into g-code in order for my cnc to cut it out. I know of a few, but like most they are a bit too much. Deskcnc is the cheapest I believe around $350, and all the way up to artcam or photocarve. I don't mind if I have to do a few steps in order to accomplish my goal, so any help with extactly what programs and procedures I need to do is fantastic. I just want to keep the price down as cheap as I can go. I am planning on using TurboCnc as my main program. I am a newbie here when it comes to programs, so any help...anything would be greatly appriecated.

[ger21]

There are quite a few that will do it, with varying results. I think all these are cheaper than DeskCNC. Keep in mind that for best results, some photo editing is usually required.

Photo V-Carve http://www.vectric.com/WebSite/Vectr.../pvc_index.htm
MeshCAM http://www.meshcam.com
Acme Profiler http://www2.fwi.com/~kimble/scispec/scispec.htm
Image to G-code http://www.imagetogcode.com/
Mach3 will do it and run your machine. http://www.artofcnc.ca

[sdantonio]

One thing you need to define what you say "carve out pictures or sceneary onto wood".

V-Carve works by etching the picture into the substrate, then you "bring it out" by selectively staining the area. This gives you essentially a flat surface.

Another method is to do it as a positive or negative relief carving (either raised or lowered). This would look more like the carvings on old Roman and Greek buildings (http://exchanges.state.gov/culprop/i...i/00000005.htm)

Some pieces of software will do one and not the other. I don't know any that will do both, but I really haven't looked into the software seriously yet.

Steven

[CNCRob]

Another one is ImageCarve, http://www.imagecarve.com/ But it is still $295

[Switcher]

ger21,
Will the trial version of Mach3, genarate the g-code for carving a photo. Or do you have to buy Mach3 to do this?

[ger21]

Yes and no. It will, but it's limited to 1000 lines of g-code, and a photo would normally produce many, many times that. I just tried it (I have the demo version on this machine) and it will give you 1000 lines of code, but that would only make up a very,very small portion of an image.

[Switcher]

ger21,

Thank you for the info
I'll buy the Mach control, just gotta build my machine first!

[ger21]

Carving photos with some of the software mentioned, Mach3 included, is not necessarily as simple as load the picture, start cutting. It can sometimes take a lot of photo editing, as well as a lot of trial and error. And once you get it right, expect it to take several hours per photo.

[rippersoft]

I use Acme Profiler. $20 and you get code to boot. Works well. Produces GCode and has on screen adjustments mill type and offsets.

[tpworks]

Here,s yet another
AlgoLab Photo Vector 1.98.54 Price US $58
http://www.algolab.com/Photovector.htm

[sdantonio]

I just downloaded AlgoLab Photo Vector 1.98.54 and tried it out or a real photo with glare and all sorts of colors and crap.

All I can say is WOW, I'm still speachless (I'm glad I don't have to talk in order to type). It totally blows other converters like wintopo (now my former converter) out of the water.

[chuckknigh]

Take a picture of the result...I'm sure we'd all like to see what you made.

-- Chuck Knight