Is there a way to ramp the pressure of engraved lines in CC such that lines can be feathered in and out versus starting and terminating abruptly with the same pressure?
One kludge that come to mind would be to declare the drag bit as a v-bit and make the lines pointy slivers but that would be arduous in using the technique for extensive shading.
Take a look at the texture tool paths. You can set a starting and max depth that could do the trick for you. Check the simulations in NCviewer or similar because the texture can add some artistic flair (inconsistencies) to the max depth actual used.
Thanks. I may find a us for that but it’s not exactly what I’d like. The most salient deficiency appears to be the ability to flatten out the max depth in the middle such that the ease-out doesn’t immediately follow the ease-in. I would also prefer to be less confined to dictating shapes to contain the “shading” as well as constrained to parallel lines versus following hand created lines for organic shapes.
This might work for some of my needs if there’s a way to eliminate the ramp from one side. Imagine shading a sphere, you’d want the lines to start out heavy in the shadow area and lighten approaching the highlight.
With Carbide Pro…
Start with a rectangle for your stock, a circle to be etched, and an offset circle for the shading pattern
Model the rectangle as flat. I’ll use a height of 0.25"
Model the larger circle as an angle, with a limit height, and subtract. I’m using larger values so you can see the results. You’ll want something a lot more subtle.
Select the smaller circle & create a 3D Finish toolpath.
Now that I look at this, I think you’d want to ADD the angled shape so you are full depth around the lower left edges, and higher going to the top right. If your add height is higher than the range of your etcher it will be above your part surface & not etch at all.
Thanks for all this Tod. I do not have the Pro version, some of these parameters like Shape: Angle are foreign to me. Overall, though, I’m not sure how this applies to my needs. Using your example, the larger circle should not be engraved at all. The smaller circle, which should be a crescent coincident with the larger circle, should have the engraving at max depth on the large circle’s edges feathering out toward the center of the larger circle. I don’t understand the purpose of the square.
I’m beginning to think the best idea might be to use multiple passes, at different depths, with slightly altered line lengths. One thing I fear with this scenario is any variations in registration; even an incidental rotation of the bit, could show as a distinct widening on subsequent passes.
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