DXF2GCODE tutorial

CAD/CAM Software Tips
21

Could you post the precise error message you are seeing?

22

I am using Windows 10. Older Dell laptop with 8 gb ram.

23

Its telling me some kind of VC run time errorVC%20Runtime%20Error

24

I giggled that error message and amongst the cruft found directions on how to reinstall the Visual C runtime

25

That DLL file should be copied over to your PC when you install Python 3. Also there is a note in the README.txt: Note: Please do not install python3 version 3.7.x as at the time of writing there is no pyqt5-tools package available for this version of the python. You may want to stick with Python 3.6 if you donā€™t have Python installed, yet.

26

Python is new to me. Would I just open dxf2gcode and python automatically open or do I just open python and then dxf2gcode?

27

The short answer is that Python would just be in the background. You may need to install some other programs if you wish to try working from PDF or ps files (pdftops, pstoedit, ghostscript).

Also, worth mentioning is that the main branch of dxf2gcode does not support pocket milling. There is an older branch in git that does, but sadly for some reason it was never merged into the main branch.

28

hope this helps

Thank you

29

Thank you! Iā€™ll check those out.

30

Thank you!

31

I just tried DXF2GCODE for the first time and I found it pretty easy to use. However, I donā€™t see any way to create new layers, or to rename existing layers.

32

As far as I know thatā€™s correct. DXF2GCODEis a tool that converts DXF to GCODE and thatā€™s all. Creation of layers and renaming of layers is left to the original CAD software that made the original DXF file.

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33

I finally used post #1 as the basis for a Wiki post. I made some edits, but thereā€™s still a lot to be done to make it complete.

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34

Thatā€™s what I wasnā€™t getting. Thanks!

Iā€™m a week and a half from being able to test this on our Maslow, but it generated the gcode nicely, and it looks good in a text editor. I might try running it in a simulator.

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35

Yes, try it in a simulator. But donā€™t use ncviewer.com, it has a problem with the number format that DXF2GCODE outputs. I have submitted a bug report to ncviewer (thatā€™s where the problem is), but nothing happened.

36

If cutter compensation is on, the clockwise/counterclockwise feature does not work. It will only go clockwise no matter which direction is set. Is this a problem with anyone else? Ive tried DXF2Gcode from about a half dozen sources and Iā€™m getting the same problem with all of them.