I would like to cut my first project (besides the sled and with the new sled!). I was wondering if anyone has any files to share that would help me to kill 2 birds with one stone.
Does anyone have tool organizer box files (or anything similarly productive) that I could cut and simply apply my already cut french cleats? Any such ideas would be welcome. I haven’t been able to find much that I can just put into MakerCAM and then into ground control as easy as the sled file. Also I have been unsuccessful finding out how to design my own things to cut thus far. Thanks for any help!
I found examples of files in Maslow Community Garden, however these don’t appear to be svg files. Is this why I can’t successfully open them in Easel, MakerCAM, or Ground Control?
I figured out how to open the example files from community gardens in ground control! This, however, doesn’t allow me to see bit size, depth of cut. I had one successful attempt & one fail. But then I learned how to design in MakerCAM! My life has changed. All the practice I’ve had “wasting” my time on paint and The Print Shop from my 
Apple II GS in the 80’s has paid off! I GET TO DRAW geek out on the details AND THEN have my robot make it for me. Epic. This is the future, Mcfly! Will anyone else admit to naming their robot Major Tom? In my shop it truly is “Ground Control to Major Tom” . Enough retro babble.
4 Likes
Yeah, we just decided that a few days ago.
3 Likes
Unfortunately I haven’t had any success cutting ever since my victory stated above. I see that things are saving as svg files but can’t load things to ground control (can’t find them) or I figured out , with much effort how to draw in inkscape but get the file to makercam and it is just a few straight lines. The tutorials I am finding are not what I’m looking for or they are over my head. I think I understand them but nothing works like I thought I knew. With such excitement I thought I would be further. Seriously… why can’t I just draw something like it’s in paint, apply some tool paths to the lines, apply depths, diameters, whatnot… find the file and cut. I’d be on my way. Any simple solutions?
You don’t load svg files into ground control, you load gcode (.nc files). In makercam, once you have defined all your operations, you go to CAM->Calculate All. After it’s done, you go to CAM->Export Gcode. From that dialog box, you click “all” and then “Export Selected Toolpaths”. It will prompt you for a file location and the default filename is part.nc (rename it to something else, but keep the .nc file extension). Save it where you can navigate to in ground control.
1 Like
Thank you. I recall these instructions now. I, however, cannot find svg files while in makercam. do you know if I can export gcode from inkscape?
There might be a plug-in for it, but I don’t understand why you can’t load an svg file into makercam
I loaded a picture I drew in inkscape and all it looked like was the border and all 4 pieces were separate as I tried to move it. I took time to draw and design and it didn’t work!
You have to select all pieces if you want them all to move.
I see. The thing is (being only the outside square I had drawn around the picture) I was wondering if I clicked on it: would it “register” or something., You know? So I surmise now that I did something right with that frame in inkscape that I didn’t do with the rest of the design. The frame (in its 4 parts) was the only thing that made it through the process. Frustrating because it was the least of what I put work into.