V-carve Inlays?

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twchambers
Posts: 6
Joined: Wed Jan 18, 2023 1:54 pm

V-carve Inlays?

Post by twchambers »

Following up from these 2 previous posts, I was wondering if any further progress has been made to allow v-carve inlays...
https://forum.freecadweb.org/viewtopic.php?t=52051
https://forum.freecadweb.org/viewtopic.php?t=61820

Using a combination of;
Pocket; end mill with offset
Profile; V-bit, to give sloped edges, and
V-Carve; to get into sharp corners

I can make a good female shape, but my problem lies in making the male shape.
I tried another profile operation with an appropriate offset, but the created path has rounded movements, where ideally they should be sharp to interface with the V-carves in the female part.
jbraun
Posts: 253
Joined: Fri Sep 18, 2020 5:41 pm

Re: V-carve Inlays?

Post by jbraun »

Hopefully my old posts play no part in encouraging this activity, F-Engrave makes inlays so much better and easier.
FreeCAD v-carve is a center cutting strategy so prismatic cutting and area clean-up are not part of it's intended use.
twchambers wrote: Mon Jan 30, 2023 2:07 pm I tried another profile operation with an appropriate offset, but the created path has rounded movements, where ideally they should be sharp to interface with the V-carves in the female part.
Is an offset necessary ? A profile tool path with compensation turned off makes sharp corners.
Keep in mind tools that don't come to a true point complicate the math.
For English help on youtube check out Joko Engineering or Mango Jelly Solutions.
Look for recent videos, this software is updated at a rapid pace.
twchambers
Posts: 6
Joined: Wed Jan 18, 2023 1:54 pm

Re: V-carve Inlays?

Post by twchambers »

Thanks for the reply. I'd initially avoided F-engrave as it's primarily Windows and I'm running Linux, but I'll try wine, or can dig out a Windows machine if needed!
I'll also go back and review the paths and see if I did need an offset after all. Otherwise, I'll give f-engrave a go!
jescombe
Posts: 90
Joined: Tue Mar 09, 2021 4:19 pm

Re: V-carve Inlays?

Post by jescombe »

twchambers wrote: Tue Jan 31, 2023 8:45 am I'd initially avoided F-engrave as it's primarily Windows and I'm running Linux, but I'll try wine, or can dig out a Windows machine if needed!
I've never used it in anger, but F-Engrave is python based, and it does seem to work fine on Linux (just needed a couple of dependencies installed on Fedora, and pointing at a suitable fonts directory)..
jbraun
Posts: 253
Joined: Fri Sep 18, 2020 5:41 pm

Re: V-carve Inlays?

Post by jbraun »

Just in case you're new to tool paths something should be mentioned. A tool path 'rolling around sharp corners' is the normal and proper way to cut a sharp corner. "Just in case" meaning it's hard to guess you're experience level from a single post.
As jescombe suggests you can just download the source folder then "python3 path/to/fengrave.py" in a terminal. It should complain if you need to install some helpers.
For English help on youtube check out Joko Engineering or Mango Jelly Solutions.
Look for recent videos, this software is updated at a rapid pace.
twchambers
Posts: 6
Joined: Wed Jan 18, 2023 1:54 pm

Re: V-carve Inlays?

Post by twchambers »

Don't worry... I've got a basic understanding, but definitely wouldn't call myself experienced! Help gratefully received.
I did indeed get f-engrave working with no issues. Just one dependency to install, which was "PyClipper".
Russ4262
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Re: V-carve Inlays?

Post by Russ4262 »

Evening,
Been playing around with inlay creation scripting apart from v-carve(from scratch), but not close to finished product yet. Good progress though. Successfully building some (not 100% on all models) solid geometry for the two parts of an inlay, the pocket and the inlay. Need to apply some shrinking(offsetting) to top portion(inlay) so it fits in the pocket. No path assembly algorithm yet, rather I am using Path.fromShapes() and a helper script to extract quick and dirty paths for visualization, while adding the fromShapes() object to a Job with a ToolController.

Still much to do, like create the accompanying clearing geometry around the outside of the inlay portion to be cleared away with say a Pocket operation. Need to add specific depth/thickness inputs separately for the pocket and inlay portions. Will need to consider multi-pass cutting if that would prove helpful, though inlays are usually thin. And the to-do list continues...

Secondary benefit of inlay code is ability to generate some paths for complex slots, some that are not simple linear lateral plunges. The inlay code finds the midline, so for complex slots, that is great.

Images and project file attached.

No timeframe to provide. Just piddling for the fun of it.

Russell
Attachments
Test_Inlay_2a.FCStd
Project file
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captain_morgan
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Joined: Tue Mar 12, 2019 5:42 pm

Re: V-carve Inlays?

Post by captain_morgan »

It would be really cool to see the code so far, several weeks ago I'd spend a couple nights digging into the f-engrave algorithm in the hopes of starting a port to FC. More eyes on the code could maybe help this land earlier. Very excited at the prospects of inlays directly in FC.
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