SketchUcam

First some background:
Some very clever people wrote a lot of code that was Phlatscript that became SketchUcam. I will have to track down the names and add them here.

A few years ago I was trying it out and discovered a bug, fixed it and posted the file.
Then I discovered some other bugs, and had some ideas for improvements....
Those bug fixes and improvements became version 1.0 and now v1.3a is current and I am working on V1.3b.

Now, please watch this intro video and read the help (big blue question mark on toolbar) to accelerate your skills from 'what is it' to 'I cut this out!' in the shortest time.

 

no idea, but as the thread name implies, I know that SketchUcam will work just fine

 

SketchUcam V1.4 has been released, get it from the official download page

 

phlatforum.com is the official host for the software and is the only host for it.
why?
because keeping multiple hosts updated and in sync is a massive pain in the ***, and is in fact the day job I get paid for.

even if we hosted it on Sketchucation (the central repository for Sketchup plugins) you would have to sign up and log in. The benefit of signing up for phlatforum is that every question you have has already been answered there since that is where SketchUcam was invented.

 

um, tabs are not supposed to be cut, they are left behind to keep the part in place so it does not jump up and jam the cutter.

 

Sketchucam 1.4a is now available
http://www.phlatforum.com/xenforo/threads/sketchucam-download.3128/
Now with Laser control!

 

I have not seen this in testing on Sketchup 2016 (free). I do not have Pro, though I doubt that really makes any difference.

Please attach your file, either here or in a private conversation with me.
You will need to tell me exactly what you were doing, the order of operations might be important.
Is this a new file, recently created?
What OS?
How much RAM?
I also might need to know what other plugins you have installed that might interfere.

 

ah yes, the bit HAS to fit between the lines of slots with at least 0.002" clearance. maybe more. do experiment.


To do letters with a single line you have to use a single line font. You will have to google for one.
or, you can use a narrow font, where there are 2 lines but they are very close together, and then delete one of the lines.

The reason for this mess is that truetype fonts are 'always' loops so that they can be filled.
Works nicely on laser printers (-:

try these...
CamBam Stick Fonts
OneLineFonts, The source for single line fonts

 

import to *Windows*, then you can use them in any program, including Sketchup

 

That is the correct file. You install it in Sketchup from the Window|Preferences|Extensions dialog.

Full install instructions are on that download page under 'Scenario 1'.

 

Julio, please do not post the same thing many times in reply to many posts.

The link is working just fine, but you do have to register and login on
PhlatForum
before you can get the download.

 

No, I will not put it on any other server.
Did you register?
Did you login?
If you did then maybe try a different browser, I have seen such errors even when logged in with Firefox, but Chrome or IE or Safari will work at the same time. (but waiting 10 minutes will fix it, usually)

We do not want it on multiple servers because it makes it so hard to keep track of updates and make sure only the latest is available.

 

I have been working on a new Halloween Project and have been trying to cut through 2 inch foam which is actually 52.5 mm on average (at least from my supplier in the Pacific Northwest - Home Depot). I drew up the item I wanted cut (a gravestone) and everything looked great in the drawing. I sent the g-code to GRBL Panel and it was working great and returned to the zero point at the end. However, it would not cut deeper than -35.somethingish mm. When I looked at the file in Notepad, it made a statement about -35.somethingish mm being a limit of some sort. I apologize that I do not have the code on this computer to post it. Is this a limit due to it being designed for the Phlatprinter? I improvised a workaround by just lowering the z zero appropriately and recutting. But, I was hoping for a real solution if one exists. I could not find a setting or anything in "help" mentioning this setting.

Thanks,

Craig

 

Hmmm.... Maybe if I set the table as the zero height, it will cut if the limit is only a negative cut limit. Kinda scared to try it though with the price of the material.

 

In the help there is a red link to the bit where it says 'what to do after install' which has a discussion on the importance of setting z_min and z_max correctly.

For example the z axis I have just built can move 127mm so I will set
Z-min = -127
Z-max = 127

Note that this might allow for hitting end stops, up to you to do the thinking, but at least the gcode will be correct

Anyhow, the upshot is that you have your z-min set to about -35mm, maybe -1.5" ? and you need to change it to suite your machine.

 

Thanks!

I am an idiot. I had only been clicking the links in the main body of the help page (holes in grid, etc...). somehow I had missed the menu at the top right.

On the plus side, I tried using the table as z-zero. I like it. It guarantees I don't cut into the table. The foam I am cutting is not perfectly flat, so this seems to be a better solution.