Originally Posted by
lmlamb
Hi Ed,
The subfile is a pattern that has to be inserted into the basic repeat header program. The name of the pattern can be just about anything that you want it to be as long as the M98 line with the Pxxxx matches the Oxxxx. Later on I'll show you a way to call a subfile externally. But right now it's a bit too early for that. Let's get you used to the operation of the repeat function and the basic file functions before we venture out into the stratosphere.
Regarding the patterns: I buy my patterns from a place called Munnich Designs on the web. Most of them are about 5 or 6 bucks. This lady is very easy to work with. I would recommend that you start with a pattern that is small enough to work with, but that you can repeat several times to see how the operation works. Just download the pattern that you want, then us corelDraw to convert it to a dxf file. Then when you have that done run it through LazyCam to convert it to gCode. You will notice that in LazyCam, there will be lines called "jumps". These are lines that LazyCam inserts to facilitate the operation of a mill, that allows the cutter to jump to a new place to start cutting again. In quilting, these have no useful purpose, as we need to have continous line sewing. You can eliminate them by using the controls on the right side of the LazyCam screen, such as "clean", etc. You will need to play with the commands to learn them. You need to know that LazyCam is in permanent Beta status, and will not become a finished program. However, for what we do, it works very well.
Good luck, and have fun,