Cutter programming language

[txturbo 3]

Does the laser point use HPGL or something different? I’m want to cut directly From Fusion 360 or Autocad.

[txturbo 3]

I think I have it figured out now. I was saving as a dxf file and was getting a blank file when I imported into SBE. Just took me awhile to find the right settings.

[darcshadow 1,604]

dxf files are not ideal for vinyl cutting. They don't actually have curved lines, the "curves" are just short segments, and often times lines are not connected so the blade lifts and drops at the start/end of each little segment. DXF can work, but if you can save off as an EPS you're life will be much easier.

[darcshadow 1,604]

And to answer the first question, according to the LP Manual it can use DM-PL or HP/GL and it automatically identifies what is being used.

[txturbo 3]

11 hours ago, darcshadow said:

dxf files are not ideal for vinyl cutting. They don't actually have curved lines, the "curves" are just short segments, and often times lines are not connected so the blade lifts and drops at the start/end of each little segment. DXF can work, but if you can save off as an EPS you're life will be much easier.

That’s part of the problem. EPS isn’t an option when I export or save it.

[haumana 1,185]

is .svg an option?

Inkscape is always an option to design in. It's a free, open source, but fairly powerful design software.

[txturbo 3]

9 hours ago, haumana said:

is .svg an option?

Inkscape is always an option to design in. It's a free, open source, but fairly powerful design software.

No it isn’t. I downloaded Inkscape a couple of days ago but haven’t tried it yet. That was next on my list. I was trying not to add another software between steps. The design software can export G-code for 3D printers and CNC but not a vinyl cutter or graphics format.

[txturbo 3]

I guess what I really need to figure out is how to get my vinyl cutter to show up in windows as a plotter. I can send files directly to large format plotters which use the hpgl format. But when I try to plot a design my vinyl cutter isn’t showing in my list of available printers/plotters. 

[Dakotagrafx 7,293]

4 minutes ago, txturbo said:

I guess what I really need to figure out is how to get my vinyl cutter to show up in windows as a plotter. I can send files directly to large format plotters which use the hpgl format. But when I try to plot a design my vinyl cutter isn’t showing in my list of available printers/plotters. 

Your plotter uses a usb emulation chipset, won’t show up as a regular usb device

[txturbo 3]

Will it show up with a serial connection?

[txturbo 3]

2 minutes ago, Dakotagrafx said:

Your plotter uses a usb emulation chipset, won’t show up as a regular usb device

Will it show up with a serial connection?

[Dakotagrafx 7,293]

never tried but should if you are using a direct serial connection to the computer and not an adapter

 

[txturbo 3]

29 minutes ago, Dakotagrafx said:

never tried but should if you are using a direct serial connection to the computer and not an adapter

 

Ok. I guess I’ll try that next. I have an old computer that has a serial port. I guess I could set that up just for cutting.

[darcshadow 1,604]

Your plotter will never show up as a printer.

Fusion 360 can not natively export to SVG, but it can be done with a plug in.

https://www.instructables.com/Export-a-SVG-File-in-Fusion-360/

[darcshadow 1,604]

I've not looked into this further, but be warned, even this may not result in smooth curves. If you want truely smooth curves in your files you'll have to design in a vector program, not a cad program. If you're designing everything to scale you probably won't have any issues, but if you design something that has a circle say 1" in diameter and then want to scale that up to cut it to say 10" diameter, the tiny lines that made up the circle will now likely be long enough that you'll notice the circle is not a circle, but rather an n sided polygon.

[haumana 1,185]

My LP has never appeared as any device in Windows, whether it was connected via serial or USB. I kind of felt like it was a stealth device

Nobody looks forward to learning new software, especially me. That being said - the cutter is a very simple machine, and if you really want to cut out as many steps as possible in order to cut/plot to it, then Sign Blazer will get you there if you don't want to spend any additional money. It's free, it's a little antiquated, but it works. Time and time again, when people require troubleshooting, I will recommend they try to test their issues out in Sign Blazer. You can design it, and you can cut/plot from it.