Ace Convertor

[WOODKNACK]

Anybody really know how to use the converter? I was wondering when you click on PRIORITY after you have a DXF file loaded, What does CLOSE ENOUGH do? can you confinsate for the width of your cutter here instead of doing it in cad? If not then what does this do???

[dkowalcz]

Originally posted by WOODKNACK Anybody really know how to use the converter? I was wondering when you click on PRIORITY after you have a DXF file loaded, What does CLOSE ENOUGH do? can you confinsate for the width of your cutter here instead of doing it in cad? If not then what does this do???

Yeah, Doug's manual is a little terse.

Close Enough controls what the delta is between two entities to be considered "joined" for the optimization. Optimization in this context means not retracting to Z between two entities that share an endpoint.

There's no cutter comp in ACE, where the DXF lines are defines the toolpath.

Best advice I can give is to draw a simple square, run it through ACE, then look at the gcode generated. That's how I learned to use it. Not a bad program once you get the hang of it.

I'm trying to get the rest of the source from Doug so I can modify it a bit.

[chasbear]

I keep hearing about ACE converter and going to the Yeager site to find it, but I don't see it listed anywhere there. I was beginning to assume it must be discontinued and is now pulled from that site, but since I see here this current post about it, I thought I'd ask . . . howcomzit I can't find it?

Also, I can't think of anything better than for Mr. dkowalcz to be involved with it, I love your TurboCNC!

[WOODKNACK]

downlad his trial version of cncpro and I believe its in there.

[chasbear]

Thanks, Wood, I'll check that out!

Charles

[WOODKNACK]

I have a problem that is really getting to me. When I draw something up in my cad prgram and then convert it over using ace converter, there seems to be alot of places in my gcode where my machine just hangs for a minute or so. anybody got any ideas. I would really like to fix this problem or at least solve it!

[HomeCNC]

I think I placed it on the FTP site here as well.

[WOODKNACK]

why wont it read fonts from my cad program? i convert it with ace and nothing is there? any ideas.?

[HomeCNC]

Fonts in most cad packages are not geometry. You must find a conversion utility or trace over the font with lines and arcs.

[WOODKNACK]

thanks

[balsaman]

I use Corel draw to do text, then select the text and convert to curves, then save a dxf file. Also I think the express tools pack for autocad (as found on the CD), will convert text to geometry as well.

Eric

[NeoMoses]

DeskEngrave is the best little program I've found for making text G-code. It's available here: http://deskam.com/deskengrave.html and it's free! Definately worth taking a look at if you want to engrave text.