Maslow is all open but if anyone already had an all-open software toolpath.
Maslow = Open
FreeCAD = GNU
Arduino = Open
Inkscape = GNU
LinuxCNC = GNU
Mach3 = ?
GroundControl = ?
Fusion360 = ?
MakerCAM = ?
I will try to stay away from any closed source if possible, Simply because I don’t have any Apple or Microsoft machines at hand. And that would add to the overall butget of the machine.
FreeCAD has a path workbench and that should be able to generate gcode, but i never have worked with that. So it would be cool if there are others who have some experience with it.
Date: Sun, 17 Sep 2017 22:33:39 +0000 From: vertex maslowcnc@discoursemail.com Reply-To: Maslow CNC Forums
Maslow = Open
FreeCAD = GNU
Arduino = Open
Inkscape = GNU
LinuxCNC = GNU
Mach3 = ?
GroundControl = Open
Fusion360 = proprietary (autodesk, browser based)
onshape = proprietary (browser based + apps for android and ios) I use it from
linux and android
MakerCAM = ?
I will try to stay away from any closed source if possible, Simply because I don’t have any Apple or Microsoft machines at hand. And that would add to the overall butget of the machine.
FreeCAD has a path workbench and that should be able to generate gcode, but i never have worked with that. So it would be cool if there are others who have some experience with it.
Inkscape also has a plugin that can generate gcode.
I wish I had the time to turn this into wiki material one day.
It might be helpful to have a list of all possible toolpaths and an indication how much freedom they offer.
online tools are kinda cool but then you always need a working internet connection, for me that would be far from ideal, though for others that could be just great.
I would prefer ‘real’ freedom. And be able to work offline with 100% free software in the entire setup.
Not sure how fare I will be able to get, though it looks already brighter then I expected.
This could be a real feature for a machine like this.
@bar Looks like I’m the only person who has considered FreeCAD at this point in time. Since I just get started I don’t know if FreeCAD is a viable option yet.
I think FreeCAD can already be added to the wiki as Design tool. The Path workbench appears to be in it’s early stages, however I managed to let it generate some gcode already, and I didn’t have to try very hard to achieve this. So that’s a very good sign.
FreeCAD can save in many different file types so it is also an option to use many other tools to generate Gcode.
The table in the wiki should also show on what OS the application can run. Android, Apple, Linux, Windows. And if it is Webbased if is possible to access the application from all Operating Systems.
For instance, Last time I tried sketchup it failed to load form any Linux based machine. So tools that are webbased are not always usable on all platforms.
FreeCAD can run on Apple, Windows, Linux
Another thing is that FreeCAD needs somekind of Machine config file. This then tells the Path Workbench about the tool dimensions, homing positions and other machine specific settings and gcode scripts.
So this needs a few people with more deeper knowledge to have a look at.
If I manage to reset my github password then i’ll give it a try to edit the wiki. I can’t keep track of all the online accounts, another reason why I prefer to work with locally installed software.
I’d like to know how FreeCAD’s CAM works out. It was based on HeeksCAM which I used quite a bit some years ago. HeeksCAD/CAM suffered some sort of open source spat that revolved around where the source code should be hosted and seemed to result in Dan losing interest afai could tell.
The project has been almost there for maybe 5 years or so, seems from afar like it got over-featured and fizzled. At one time Anders Walin (OpenVoronoi) was involved but the last time I looked he hadn’t posted for quite a while. Hope they sorted it out, I liked HeekCAx back when it all just worked
FreeCAD sure has a lot of features, but non the less they managed to keep things intuitive with the workbench approach. I don’t use it a lot, but when I do use it, then everything feels familiar and sraightforward.
AutoCAD was my first intoduction to this kind of CAD, and everytime I get a Autodesk application under my nose I still don’t have a clue where to start. So from that perspective FreeCAD is a winner to me.
I never worked with HeeksCAD, simply because I couldn’t figure out how to install it properly.
I just bumped into an application called LibreCAD, The GUI looks nice (no bloat) but never worked with it so can’t tell if it is any good.
Have you successfully generated working gcode with FreeCAD?
Lots of features can be great, but only if they work, don’t interfere too much with each other, and don’t distract the developer’s from actually creating a working/usable product.
Not being able to install something that worked is why I gave up on heeksCAD. Dan got away from the competing OS versions and started offering a paid version for pocket change, but by that point I was mired in 3D printing and the Zenbot was sitting idle.
No not yet, I first need to build a machine.
But the gcode I generated looked promising at first glance.
I need to look much deeper into this to include tool settings and machine config.
It was fairly straightforward, draw a shape in the sketcher, go to the path workbench select the shape and click on the button that generates the gcode.
The path workbench is still very basic, Most 2D stuff seems to be there (enough for Maslow work I guess) though it looks like it will expand into 2.5D and maybe 3D milling in the future.
That said, this could well be the right time to get into this, and get to know all the basics.
I really need a machine. So I better get busy with the electronics now.
I have used FreeCAD successfully on Ubuntu Mate for 2 small projects, a shelf with cut-outs for LED lighting and a DIY plywood carry device. Still in the learning phase. After a few hours I usually try something stupid and I crash it, but that should be expected from a program under development. Specially the Path-Workbench has gone through major changes, so most tutorials are outdated. Best chance is to filter your search for example YouBooze by ‘This Year’.
The forum is very responsive and welcoming to newcomers.
I’m always surprised to find a youtube tutorial for most things i’m trying to figure out.
If there is anything that I would recommend to the Maslow team the it’s to make video tutorials on about everything that can be done.
I often see the mistake on other projects that there are heaps of video’s that show stuff like:
“look I made this”
instead of video’s like :
“Look this is HOW I made this”
It’s not an easy thing to build something and then also invest the time to explain how to use it.
FreeCAD has got that right most of the time. Although now with all the changes then it’s indeed important to add the year.
It’s good to know i’m not alone on the FreeCAD front, hope to see more in time!
It’s not an easy thing to build something and then also invest the time to explain how to use it.
As an old curmudgeon I prefer written documentation, no need to rewind/fast forward to find what you need or listen through a lot of irrelevant material or cat pictures. No annoying background music with poor level control either.
Bar doesn’t do the music or animals, he quickly added
The video’s show instantly what is hard to explain in words. Written documentation becomes a health hazard when english is not a native language. We all know Chinglish, but there is also Spinglish, Germiglish, Duglish, Itanglosh, Frenglosic, Swenglish… Even if the speech is swedish, in a video you can see on what button he clicked and what the result was. Ultimately a native english writer can then write the final manual.
The linguistic issues will never go away, so whatever is available and gets us to the next step is very welcome to me. English aint my native lingo either. Chatting is one thing, Writing a manual can however become a real pain.
Good tech writers are hard to find, just like good almost everything else.
Screenshots, circles and arrows, and a few words can work well a lot of the time. Bar did a good job on the Maslow’s manual for example.
My house to shop underground conduit, run when Ethernet was half inch yellow coax and way beyond home gamer prices, has a hundred feet of mains wiring. No good for Ethernet, and the wireless doesn’t work through the block walls. Lots easier to print the dead tree version and take it out there
There are some pretty good Ethernet-over-coax converters these days if the old cable is still there. Mine’s gone, but I’ve had pretty good luck with a powerline Ethernet link out to the shop.
That said, I still print the pertinent pages and the workbench is heaped with dog-eared sheets…
The frozen yellow garden hose was never there, both PCs and networking were too expensive in those pre Internet days. I did a lot of rg-58 Ethernet in the coax days (mostly missed big coax and vampire taps) for customers and work, still have leftover parts for occasional ham radio use.
Low voltage wiring can pick up ac from running parallel to mains wiring. We saw this in our sheep barn when the ground on the frostex heat tape broke in a plug and the sheep wouldn’t drink from the waterers any more. You could get a noticeable tingle when touching the stainless waterers until it got fixed. Running cat whatever next to power wiring is a big no-no. Probably going to run a cheap p-p wireless link after the other shop building gets sorted out, easier than renting a trencher
Documentation is 50% of the machine, so i’m glad that Maslow’s docs are in very good shape.
paperless workbench is still a bit of a challenge.
i’ve had a look at groundcontrol so far that looks all understandable, as long as you run it full screen, the text was a bit tangled-up in the small sized window.
maybe you can etch the copper out of the coax and blow a fiber trough it?
Not a bad idea. I ran 4 inch drain pipe from the house to the barn, then water, power, phone (never hooked up), and some 1/8 nylon twine pull string. Must have been in the early 80s.
I should price out enough fiber and electronics to run GB ethernet through there.
Just arrived back home, 30+ hours of travel with about 23 actual flying on the way back, 11,000 miles or halfway around the world. 737, 757, 777, 787, crj-200, and A320s for a trip to the south island (another 4 hours) on the trip, 23K total miles, plus maybe 500 on the not high speed train including the Raurimu spiral. Wellington to Christchurch was the ANZ pilot’s last airline flight before retirement
