[SOLVED] How to select the first edge of a Profile operation?

[Giulio Buccini]

Hi folks,

I'm profiling the outline of a bracket and all works quite well.

Here the little problem:
maybe I'm a precision maniac, but I noticed that is always recognizable where the toolbit plunge to start the path defining the outline of the shape. Just a little difference at the eyes, eh? One can survive with it. But I would like to hide it.

So I thought to my self "easy peasy: just select another edge as the first one of the profile operation."
Well... not so easy in real life...

Seems to me that Freecad does not care about what edge for the profile I select first, it always start from the same one. Incidentally that is in the most "visible" part of the bracket.

There is anyway to start the path from the edge I want?
(Dressups and entry-point does not address my little problem.)

Selection_7630.jpg (92.8 KiB) Viewed 1132 times

[chrisb]

Change the Startpoint and set UseStartpoint=True.

[Giulio Buccini]

Startpoint does not affect the choice of the first edge to start with. It only provide a better way to get close to it.

UPDATE:
oooops... seems that by specifying the startpoint something is changed! Wait a moment...

[Giulio Buccini]

IT WORKS!

Freecad recalculates the starting edge from the point on the path more close to the starting point. Nice!

Selection_7631.jpg (87.28 KiB) Viewed 1078 times

Ending note:
the original straight path is splitted in two straitgh ones in order to "accomodate" the new beginning point of the path. Apart from some additional acceleration/deceleration of the tool, the solution works well.

[Giulio Buccini]

ADDITIONAL NOTE

If you want avoid your path split in two "sub-paths" after specifying a start-point, then simply enter the precise XY coords of the edge-end you want to start with.
In my case, I would like to start milling from the end of the little arc you see in the above images, not from the middle of the straight one.

After investigating the gcode (just move the mouse over the arc) I found that the arc ends at the point

X = 198.136551
Y = 74.748003

So I entered those value as my starting point and... voilà! The original path is no more splitted in two "segments", and the mill operation starts exactly from the point I was looking for.

Selection_7633.jpg (40.43 KiB) Viewed 1061 times

P.S.
Thanks Chris!

[chrisb]

Thanks Chris!

You're welcome!