Does anyone have a procedure for converting GPS waypoint coordinates to CAD/CAM-able vectors?
I have some GPX data that I can readily convert the track/route data into vectors e.g. .dxf but not the GPX (or KML) waypoint data.
I’ve tried brute-force converting the GPX waypoint data to .dxf through QGIS and a couple other convertors but the resulting .dxf file cannot be opened by CC or VCarve.
Plenty of googling leads to a few random posts across the web implying it can be done, but nothing specific enough to replicate.
Ultimately I’m looking to take the waypoint data, convert it into cutable vectors and text and overlay on a typical 3d topo map.
Thanks for the quick response. Here it is. The data looks reasonably sane in a text editor and re-importing to QGIS, it appears to recognize there are 24 data points but an ‘empty vector layer’.
Worst-case I can use a screen capture of the waypoints, then vector-trace the bitmap, but that’s fairly crude being QGIS->MS snipping tool->CorelDraw BitMap Trace → CC
I think I may have figured it out. It looks like GPS Visualizer (https://www.gpsvisualizer.com) will readily output a .svg with the waypoints vectorized as circles. Waypoint text labels are present, although not vectors themselves. CC and VCarve doesn’t include the text labels on import the resulting .svg, but CorelDraw does.
I’m sort of losing track of my tool-chain at this point but I think it’s:
Acquire topo data from USGS (or other topo source)
Import topo data into QGIS as a layer
Import GPX track data into QGIS as a layer
Trim topo data as desired and add a bounding box (vector) to the GPX track data - so there’s a positional reference of one to the other.
Export trimmed topo data as .stl
Export modified track data as a .dxf
Use GPS Convertor to export an SVG of GPX track AND waypoint data
Import output from GSPConvertor to CorelDraw and and manipulate as desired, including use Convert to Curves to vectorize waypoint text. Export as SVG
Import topo STL to CC or VCarve
Import GPS track dxf to CC or VCarve and resize to fit topo data (call it vector-set 1)
Import GPS track and waypoint .svg and resize to overlay vector set 1 above (call this vector set 2)
Delete vector set 1 (it’s redundant now that we have a vector set with track AND waypoint vectors sized to fit the topo data)
Project vector-set 2 onto the topo map using i) VCarve " “Project toolpath onto 3D model” or ii) Fenrus’ jscript CNC2CNC (requires generating gcode files separately then CNC2CNC projects one onto the other in a new, 3rd combined tool path)
Cut stuff
Well, that’s only 15 or so steps across 5-6 different programs. Easy-peasy - LOL
Incidentally, I originally followed ClayJar’s post on terrain modelling, also referreced in AnyP’s post. That got me as far as using QGIS to create layers and a bounding-box for my track data, but I found that - like Andy - the rest of ClayJar’s procedure was broken or I wasn’t doing something right.
I cheated and did an inlay from the back on mine. but after I did that project I saw an interesting workflow using the modeling aspect in carbide create. I believe it was the subtract command. maybe @WillAdams remembers.
lol thanks. it was a logistical nightmare of zeros and flipped geometry that somehow worked. also it was so much machining time it got me to buy a spindle, no regrets. wish I had it for the project.
Well, my 14-step process didn’t quite work. In particular Step 8 using Corel Draw to vectorize waypoint text was only partially successful. Some of the waypoint labels vectorized readily. Others threw a warning: “modifying the order or removing this object may impact the integrity of the exported .svg file”.
Ignoring the warning results in a file CC can’t load. I suspect it has to do with layers but no idea if there’s a workaround.
I ended up entering the waypoint labels by hand and picking up again at step 9.
Note that the waypoint locations themselves are represented by normal circle vectors and didn’t require any manipulation, so I still consider the GPS Convertor step 7 worthwhile.
but I think it’s: