Not if you keep the plate on the bitsetter. It’s a relative measurement, so as long as every tool touches off at the same height…
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I wiped the top off mine wile surfacing and placed a magnet on it… Just trow this on when I surface to help with the size. No you do not have to recalc the depth
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I keep the button on all the time so it does not matter at all.
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My issue now is just getting over to my machine and actually rerunning the setup for the new Build update. I have been working on building a cabinet and countertop for a new build in and install of a sink, new plumbing, and new drain lines. I’m remodeling one of our rentals and am installing a kitchenette with a new gas stove, new frig, and a new sink complete install.
I decided that I had so much wood, there was no need to go try to buy a cabinet that might work. Instead I decided to build my own with red oak face, and red oak countertop with live front edge. I will need to go over and address the machine update/setup because I want to surface the countertop boards on the S5Pro. My planer would work as well, but it is raining here and has been for the past 2 days and I don’t have a dust collection system in my shop just yet. So, I have to open my big door and let the dust fly out the door. Raining and moisture are not my friends right now.
I decided that a good surfacing program would solve the planing issue and make sure each board is exactly the same thickness, also, they are flat as well would love to go ahead and edge the boards, glue them up, and then surface them. Just don’t have enough clamps long enough to do all of this. Maybe I need to stop procrastinating buying my clamps, or making the wooden ones for longer projects like this.
I purchased an STL file and it was downloaded into my computer. I can see it there. I cant bring it up in Carbide Create Pro. It will also not come up in Inkscape. Seems none of these programs support an stl file, so they wont bring them up at all. Does anyone know how to get around this problem and allow me to be able to open these files? Or would I have to convert the file to a svg file and if so, how do I do that? I wanted to buy a file that I wouldn’t be spending a lot of money on so I could figure this stuff out before I invest more money on anything else.
Can anyone help me figure out how to open or convert these files?
STLs are not directly opened, instead they are imported as a 3D model component based on selected geometry (which provides a centerpoint for the XY positioning).
Please see:
https://my.carbide3d.com/gswccpro/07/
and
and
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Thanks. I will look into all of this to see what I can figure out. I didn’t want to be purchasing files that I couldn’t use. Let me dig into your suggestions here and see what I can come up with and hopefully I can begin carving these designs soon.
I bought the Pro version of Carbide Create and had available the 3D creating, but I stayed away from it because I didn’t understand it yet. Also I still had more learning to do on the other stuff in regular designing. Now I want to get into some of these 3D designs and the stl file imports. I have a lot still to learn on CCPro and haven’t even tried to open Inkscape to try designing in there. But thanks to those that were ahead of me asking the questions I have asked, they have paved the way with all the explanations already getting done. Thanks Will for all of your help here.
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I’ve been using Inkscape for about 6 years, and love it, but it has never been able to import or open a file in stl format. You can open svg or pdf files, or import png, jpg, or others it considers a bitmap. You can modify svg or pdf files, but cannot modify the bitmaps other than trace (when possible). I too bought CC Pro to do 3d images, but I, too, haven’t learned enough to attempt. Going to have to bite the bullet and take on the challenge sometime I guess.
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I finally purchased the painter’s tape and glue so I can finally hold down my parts. I have my first 3D project that got all the way through to roughing and then the material came apart. Then I realized that the tape glue holding was a must at this point.
I realized that Inkscape doesnt read stl files. So, I will have to find another program that I can use to read stl files for alterations and designing, unless I just decide to not bother with making or purchasing any stl files, of just bring the purchased stl files into CCPro to just run.
Microsoft 3D builder will allow you to view and make some simple changes like flip/rotate. It may have more advanced capabilities that I have not exercised yet.
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CCPro can also rotate and flip STL files. It also inverts them if wanted. I haven’t done anything with the 3D portion of CCPro, but now will be getting deeper into it for work designs. The only thing I can’t do in CCPro is alter the design.
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Yes, but I think those operations are a little easier in 3D Builder as you have more control and granularity. It’s free so easy to try. I have also run into cases where an STL from an application did not import correctly in CC. I loaded them into 3D Builder and re-exported and then they worked in CC.
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I have noticed my 3D STL file when brought into CCPro is a bit messed up. I ran the program after finishing adjustments and upon reviewing the design it doesn’t look like the picture of the program I purchased. I was going to try to make some adjustments in the imported part of the programming, but it seems that no matter what I do, the design just doesn’t take out the choppy squareness.
Like I said, I did run a test piece to see how well it would do. The problem I see with running test pieces is the length of time it takes to just get to a finished product to figure out errors in designs. I will try this other program and see how well it does in workability and transferability.
I think someone already may have touched on this topic, but I’m going to ask it again instead of digging into the posts to find it. I’m limited on time so, it’s not so easy to go searching and hunting.
Anyways, my question, when a design (STL file) has been imported and the options are given for adjustments in height and scale and such, I saw adding stock raises the carving to be done. If I wanted to cut a 3D design on a piece of wood that is 1 1/8 inch thick and my design is only setup to be full thickness of .450" and I added .200" to the material height, and I set Z zero to the top of the part, will the program be ran on top of the material down only to the .650" and leave the remaining material under it? Or will the machine cut to the thickness I stated in the setup of the program and remove .475" of material to the thickness of the proper cut depth? Or will the machine crash after setting Z zero to the top of 1.125" and then would it come rapidly plowing into the material?
Can the machine be manipulated into thinking the material is only .650" thick and cut at the top of the material down to the .650" and leave the remaining .475" material untouched?
I started using the blue painters tape and super glue to hold material and am now trying to run 3D programs. It holds well after the board’s surface has been prepped for taping and glue up. Problem I have with the glue is, the tubes I bought are only half full of glue and it gets frustrating to think there is more glue in the tube and I find out that the tube has a big bubble in it and all the squeezing I do to the rest of the tube yields my no more glue. Anyways, I’m hoping to figure this cutting stuff out about the designing part of the program before I go and crash another bit. I screwed up my surfacing bit when it crashed into the material holder and hit the metal screw inside.
If you set your stock thickness to 0.650, then import the STL at 0.450 with a 0.200 Base Height,
Then the program will cut from the top of stock, 0.650 deep. Regardless of how thick the actual stock is.
If you set your stock thickness to 1.125, then you will remove 0.475 before cutting into the 3D model
Models are built from the bottom up. Programs are calculated from the Top of stock down.
To your previous post: It would be really helpful to open the STL in a program that can view it & measure it. It may be that the model is just not that detailed or smooth. STL is faceted geometry. It’s a whole bunch of planar triangles that represent the shape of the object. Tolerance controls the size of the triangles. Imagine representing a circle as a polygon. the more sides, the closer it looks to a circle. But it will never be a circle.
So you’re starting with the model that is an approximation of the actual part. Then you’re applying toolpaths that are an approximation of the model.
You could also measure the actual size of the STL model. (that gets scaled when you import to CC)
If it already has the base height built in, and you add more base height, you’ve scaled the 3D detail on the top down and flattened it out, so you won’t get as deep a carve which could lose some detail.
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Model the design so that it has 0.475 inches of thickness at a minimum:
(using the “Maximum” setting)
I see what you mean with the triangle thing about the STL file. When I import the STL file and then click “show 3D model” the detail is seen in many types of triangles. The picture representation of the design before importing is crisp and smooth. There are no flaws in the design. Then once it is imported into CCPro, the design becomes distorted and much of the detail is lost. Even when I go to a smaller endmill to cut finer lines, the detail still is lost.
The program design has no material addition to it and looking at it before doing any adjustments, the thickness is preset to around .1515. If I add thickness to the carving It distorts even more. Then if I add base height to make the carving thicker, it makes the sides cut these rough textured lines along the side of the material. Seems that no matter what adjustment I input into the adjustments before okaying the imported design, nothing really gets better. I zoom in to view the design and see all the triangles you speak of.
So, what I have in the design verses what I actually import into CCPro are two different designs. The details are removed and many things become majorly distorted. I’m ready to start producing these 3D carvings so I can place them in some local businesses to help promote business with the locals, but I can’t get the details to come in better and I also can’t seem to remove the cutting lines, no matter how small I make the cross over cut.
My last attempt at the 3D carving, I had the overlap set for .012" and was running a 1/8" tapered ball nose endmill. Yes, I know that really that was still big for the carving but the lines left behind per pass was like I set the set over for .08" or .09". There are cut lines all across the material throughout the whole carving, which means I would have a ton of cleaning up to do just to make the carving look somewhat closer to the original design, even though that wouldn’t be possible with the design distorted from the beginning at import.
I think I am a bit confused as to what you are showing me here.