I recently went from a Shapeoko 3 standard to a 4XXL and I was wondering about my old files from Carbide Create. If I want to run an old design, do I need to change the machine in the setup and re-save the g-code?
It seems like if the machine is working from the same zero point it should not care, but I don’t know how things get calculated in it’s little brain. Does the setup only control the available Drawing space for the design? Or does it change the way the gCode is written?
The generated G-code is not impacted, as it “only” describes the movements of the endmill, and whether or not these movements fall within the actual work area of the machine is not GRBL’s problem, it will move as instructed. Well technically, GRBL has “soft limits” that can be defined, where it will refuse to move beyond those limits, but by default on a Shapeoko soft limits are turned off for a number of reasons.
In the case of running a smaller (SO3) size project on a larger (XXL) machine, you shouldn’t have any problem. BUT, there are other reasons for choosing not to reuse previously generated G-code files and re-generating them from the design file, the main one being stock thickness (unless you are running the old gcode on a stock that is exactly what you entered in the design at the time, you may be asking for trouble)
To back up @Julien (who needs no backup) I sometimes use the same gcode on a Nomad and a Shapeoko XL (with BitSetter) and it works just fine.
Perfect. I just could not quite wrap my brain around it, but that makes sense. Thanks.
To make it make a bit more sense, the G-code file just contains a bunch of instructions like “move up 10mm, move left and forwards 40mm, move down 10mm”.
A Nomad or Shapeoko 4XXL can “move up 10mm” just as well as a Shapeoko 3 can so the G-code file still makes perfect sense to it.
I have had a few problems with 3.x cc and current versions. I have had to delete toolpaths and generate new ones. Not every file but some. The 3.x files work as far as openimg but simulations are not right.
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