I am having trouble generating g code with the area feature of the Gcode tools in the extensions menu. I have been able to generate a path from the gcode, but not an area. (Note, I believe gcode is using "area" to mean a "pocket," which is the conventional term in English for creating a contiguous area that your tool will cut away material)

When I click on "Area" from the g code menu I see tabs for "Area", "Fill Area", and "Area Artifacts." I'm not sure what to use here. When I click on live preview I get something that looks like its generating a tool path,, but when I click apply I don't get a gcode (or ngc) file at the directory I specified. It tells me that the area tool is working and then nothing. Sometimes it doesn't even tell me that the tool is working. I just click "apply" and it turns off my preview, deselects the item, and then nothing.

I can to path to Gcode and get a gcode file on the same selected item. Any ideas what may be happening here?

I know about the cncclub.ru/gcodetools post, but I was hoping you guys could help me here without having to read through 29 pages of forum posts that may or may not cover my topic.

Thanks!

Well, I know we have a couple of members who visit here regularly (let's say approx twice weekly), who might know about that extension, and a few more who visit now and then (let's say monthly). I'm sure you'll eventually get an answer.

But meanwhile, maybe you could use that forum's search, to narrow down which posts in those 29 pages might be helpful. Might also search this forum's Cutter/Plotter board. I know I've seen messages about that extension.

Also, that first post on the cnc club board looks like a manual (brief though it may be) that explains the interface, along with a "usage example". Specifically, #7 says the Area to Gcode is quite slow, and not recommended for paths with more than 50 nodes. So maybe you just need to wait longer for it to finish. In any case, maybe that 1st post could be helpful.

Sorry I can't be more help. But good luck!

Thank you for the reply. I will try to use their search function to narrow down what I need to look through as you suggested. It looks like it started as a tutorial but evolved into a bit of a Q&A and the entire interface has since changed.

I'll check out the cutter/plotter section for sure!

Here's a related problem that arose when I tried to use another CAM program to generate toolpaths for the inkscape file I created. I imported the SVG file into my CAM software and it looks like all the units are in pixels instead of mm or inches. Is this conventional with SVG files?

Is this conventional with SVG files?

I don't think so. But it's the default for Inkscape. You can change to any units you like though.

It looks to be a problem with the inkscape SVG.... if you could call it a problem. My CAM program by default assumes that the units are in mm. Even though I had designed in inches and had my document properties set to inches in Inkscape (I was prepared to convert to mm in my CAM software), the pixel unit was retained. I ended up saving my Inkscape file as a DXF. This got the units (and my origin!) correct, but it broke apart the sketches into individual lines and splines.

I can live with this I think, but I will continue to see if I can get inkscapes g code extension to work for me properly through the resources you've suggested. The extension is quite limited from a CAM perspective, but it definitely gets the job done for the simple path cuts that I've done.