convert a 3d spline to gcode to control a camera movement

[flyingpickles]

Hello I am building a camera controller system to control my dslr when I do stop motion videos. I want to make a path (a 3d spline made in cinema 4d) for the camera to follow. I tried to make a helix (like a spring, just a spline) and then exported it as .dxf. I now need to get the coordinates for the vertices in the spline to make a gcode for mach3... I tried to export it as .dxf and then convert it to gcode in lazycam but I have realized that this and many other cam software don´t work in 3d, just 2d and then I can choose the cutting deep. I have also understood that the 3d cam software's rather want to have a "3d model" to convert to gcode and not just a 3dspline. I thought this problem could be solved by just a plugin to cinema 4d or so to export the splines just gcode because I just need the coordinates not any info about cutting speed, tools, etc. If anyone have an idea please help me.

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[ger21]

I have an AutoCAD macro that can export g-code from a 3D polyline. If you post your .dxf, I'll see if I can get you the coordinates. They'd be in g-code format.

[flyingpickles]

Ok, well that sounds good! I hope the .dxf is attached.

[ger21]

The helix is wrapped around the Y axis. Is that what you want, or do you want it around the Z axis?

[flyingpickles]

Well you can flipp it If you want it is just
a test to see if it works.

Best regards flyingpickles

[ger21]

Here you go. I rotated it around the Z axis.

X2.0000 Y0.0000 Z0.0000
X1.9842 Y0.2507 Z0.0200
X1.9646 Y0.3748 Z0.0300
X1.9372 Y0.4974 Z0.0400
X1.9021 Y0.6180 Z0.0500
X1.8596 Y0.7362 Z0.0600
X1.8097 Y0.8516 Z0.0700
X1.7526 Y0.9635 Z0.0800
X1.6887 Y1.0717 Z0.0900
X1.6180 Y1.1756 Z0.1000
X1.5410 Y1.2748 Z0.1100
X1.4579 Y1.3691 Z0.1200
X1.3691 Y1.4579 Z0.1300
X1.2748 Y1.5410 Z0.1400
X1.1756 Y1.6180 Z0.1500
X1.0717 Y1.6887 Z0.1600
X0.9635 Y1.7526 Z0.1700
X0.8516 Y1.8097 Z0.1800
X0.7362 Y1.8595 Z0.1900
X0.6180 Y1.9021 Z0.2000
X0.4974 Y1.9372 Z0.2100
X0.3748 Y1.9646 Z0.2200
X0.2507 Y1.9842 Z0.2300
X0.1256 Y1.9961 Z0.2400
X0.0000 Y2.0000 Z0.2500
X-0.1256 Y1.9961 Z0.2600
X-0.2507 Y1.9842 Z0.2700
X-0.3748 Y1.9646 Z0.2800
X-0.4974 Y1.9372 Z0.2900
X-0.6180 Y1.9021 Z0.3000
X-0.7362 Y1.8595 Z0.3100
X-0.8516 Y1.8097 Z0.3200
X-0.9635 Y1.7526 Z0.3300
X-1.0717 Y1.6887 Z0.3400
X-1.1756 Y1.6180 Z0.3500
X-1.2748 Y1.5410 Z0.3600
X-1.3691 Y1.4579 Z0.3700
X-1.4579 Y1.3691 Z0.3800
X-1.5410 Y1.2748 Z0.3900
X-1.6180 Y1.1756 Z0.4000
X-1.6887 Y1.0717 Z0.4100
X-1.7526 Y0.9635 Z0.4200
X-1.8097 Y0.8516 Z0.4300
X-1.8596 Y0.7362 Z0.4400
X-1.9021 Y0.6180 Z0.4500
X-1.9372 Y0.4974 Z0.4600
X-1.9646 Y0.3748 Z0.4700
X-1.9842 Y0.2507 Z0.4800
X-1.9960 Y0.1256 Z0.4900
X-2.0000 Y0.0000 Z0.5000
X-1.9960 Y-0.1256 Z0.5100
X-1.9842 Y-0.2507 Z0.5200
X-1.9646 Y-0.3748 Z0.5300
X-1.9372 Y-0.4974 Z0.5400
X-1.9021 Y-0.6180 Z0.5500
X-1.8596 Y-0.7362 Z0.5600
X-1.8097 Y-0.8516 Z0.5700
X-1.7526 Y-0.9635 Z0.5800
X-1.6887 Y-1.0717 Z0.5900
X-1.6180 Y-1.1756 Z0.6000
X-1.5410 Y-1.2748 Z0.6100
X-1.4579 Y-1.3691 Z0.6200
X-1.3691 Y-1.4579 Z0.6300
X-1.2748 Y-1.5410 Z0.6400
X-1.1756 Y-1.6180 Z0.6500
X-1.0717 Y-1.6887 Z0.6600
X-0.9635 Y-1.7526 Z0.6700
X-0.8516 Y-1.8097 Z0.6800
X-0.7362 Y-1.8595 Z0.6900
X-0.6180 Y-1.9021 Z0.7000
X-0.4974 Y-1.9372 Z0.7100
X-0.3748 Y-1.9646 Z0.7200
X-0.2507 Y-1.9842 Z0.7300
X-0.1256 Y-1.9961 Z0.7400
X0.0000 Y-2.0000 Z0.7500
X0.1256 Y-1.9961 Z0.7600
X0.2507 Y-1.9842 Z0.7700
X0.3748 Y-1.9646 Z0.7800
X0.4974 Y-1.9372 Z0.7900
X0.6180 Y-1.9021 Z0.8000
X0.7362 Y-1.8595 Z0.8100
X0.8516 Y-1.8097 Z0.8200
X0.9635 Y-1.7526 Z0.8300
X1.0717 Y-1.6887 Z0.8400
X1.1756 Y-1.6180 Z0.8500
X1.2748 Y-1.5410 Z0.8600
X1.3691 Y-1.4579 Z0.8700
X1.4579 Y-1.3691 Z0.8800
X1.5410 Y-1.2748 Z0.8900
X1.6180 Y-1.1756 Z0.9000
X1.6887 Y-1.0717 Z0.9100
X1.7526 Y-0.9635 Z0.9200
X1.8097 Y-0.8516 Z0.9300
X1.8596 Y-0.7362 Z0.9400
X1.9021 Y-0.6180 Z0.9500
X1.9372 Y-0.4974 Z0.9600
X1.9646 Y-0.3748 Z0.9700
X1.9842 Y-0.2507 Z0.9800
X1.9960 Y-0.1256 Z0.9900
X2.0000 Y0.0000 Z1.0000
X1.9960 Y0.1256 Z1.0100
X1.9842 Y0.2507 Z1.0200
X1.9646 Y0.3748 Z1.0300
X1.9372 Y0.4974 Z1.0400
X1.9021 Y0.6180 Z1.0500
X1.8596 Y0.7362 Z1.0600
X1.8097 Y0.8516 Z1.0700
X1.7526 Y0.9635 Z1.0800
X1.6887 Y1.0717 Z1.0900
X1.6180 Y1.1756 Z1.1000
X1.5410 Y1.2748 Z1.1100
X1.4579 Y1.3691 Z1.1200
X1.3691 Y1.4579 Z1.1300
X1.2748 Y1.5410 Z1.1400
X1.1756 Y1.6180 Z1.1500
X1.0717 Y1.6887 Z1.1600
X0.9635 Y1.7526 Z1.1700
X0.8516 Y1.8097 Z1.1800
X0.7362 Y1.8595 Z1.1900
X0.6180 Y1.9021 Z1.2000
X0.4974 Y1.9372 Z1.2100
X0.3748 Y1.9646 Z1.2200
X0.2507 Y1.9842 Z1.2300
X0.1256 Y1.9961 Z1.2400
X0.0000 Y2.0000 Z1.2500
X-0.1256 Y1.9961 Z1.2600
X-0.2507 Y1.9842 Z1.2700
X-0.3748 Y1.9646 Z1.2800
X-0.4974 Y1.9372 Z1.2900
X-0.6180 Y1.9021 Z1.3000

[flyingpickles]

YES!! it works perfectly. What macro did you use to generate the gcode?

[ger21]

This one that I wrote.
The CNC Woodworker - AutoCAD 2 G-Code

[flyingpickles]

Hello, now I have tested your macro and yes it works just as I want it to work so big thanks for that! The next question is: do you know a good way to make the polygon lines with a specific number of vertexes in an easy way? When I do a camera path, every line in mach3 will be a position for the camera to stand still and take a photo. So if I want a rotation around an object for 10 seconds and the final result shall be 24 fps then the polygon line shall have 240 vertexes. And I want the software to do it automatic, like just enter the number of vertexes for a line so they get the same distance
between them so I don´t need to add vertexes manually to the line. Or if it is possible to make this with your macro but as I have get it it makes one g-code line for every vertex.

best regards: flyingpickles

[ger21]

If it was me, I would write a VBA macro to create the polyline.
I don't know of any built in automated methods.

[victorofga]

with gcode, you can use individual line segments and add on each end a delay..
in milliseconds.. then you need to set ""federate"" to synchronizing with camera

so it will move from point to point and wait till camera shoot..

you also can use M command what turns on off spindles, so that command could initiate the shoot

of course there are automatized way too.. but im not a programmer..

[flyingpickles]

Hello well that could be a way, but I think that would be difficult in my case because I am going to use 8 axis (X,Y,Z) for one computer and pan, tilt, roll, focus and zoom with another computer so I will control the system with two computers which I will control with a third one that has a mouse movement macro recorded that makes the two computers with mach3 go to the next line in the gcode. This is done with a network remote software. The third computer is also the one that will handle the app for taking photos. So because there are two computers with mach3 I need to have full control over the amount of vertices so I can sync the movements to each other.

[Mhoppe]

Hello well that could be a way, but I think that would be difficult in my case because I am going to use 8 axis (X,Y,Z) for one computer and pan, tilt, roll, focus and zoom with another computer so I will control the system with two computers which I will control with a third one that has a mouse movement macro recorded that makes the two computers with mach3 go to the next line in the gcode. This is done with a network remote software. The third computer is also the one that will handle the app for taking photos. So because there are two computers with mach3 I need to have full control over the amount of vertices so I can sync the movements to each other.

I would look at NCplot. It will visualize the toolpath and if you input fanuc macro b, it will generate the raw gcode for you as well. The macro itself for a helix is fairly simple, I or someone else here could write it if you need a hand. Or as someone else suggested, a VBA macro would work. I believe Ncplot also can do something with a DXF but I haven't messed around with that feature much myself. To control the number vertices, you would simply need to define the angular sweep of the profile and divide that number by the desired number of vertices to obtain the rotation per segment.

[victorofga]

he need a lot more than a simple helix gcoded...

might be a way to hack a cheap quadrocopter control.. that can tilt n rotate camera also has plus channels for controlling the rotors