[0001D] CNC Monster IS RUNNING!

After days and days of work, we’ve got the CNC Monster functioning and make cool stuff!

This post is a continuation of a previous post that explains the software developed the Maya MELPhotoConverter, that traces a jpg with one continuous polyline. I plan to use this to do test runs on the Monster, since I don’t have Z-axis functionality yet.  One continuous line allows me to produce cool drawings from simply uploading any digital image.

I know I still haven’t posted the source code yet for the Monster, but I will.  I’m still working out some bugs.  So far, the UI is functioning well, except for the “STOP” kill switch.  I need to do some more advanced stuff.  For now, I’m just running this from the debugger, so I can kill it at any point.  Plus since I’m running an XML that has basically no more than 1/4″ line segments, it will stop without requiring me to pull the plug.

As you can see in the above image, my UI path preview works really well.  I’m so glad I invested the time to do that.  It helps immensely.  And the program also colors the path green as it runs, so I can get a crude progress image.  I might develop a zoom so that I can hone in on the progress.  (I’ll post the source code for my Maya MEL Path XML Exporter soon… And here’s the link!).

We are trying to convert this image:

Due to another glitch in my Monster application, it runs 180 degrees.  We need to resolve that sooner than later.

Here are few videos of the progress.  The first uses a blue marker, but that proved to be too wide of a line.

The second run uses a standard ballpoint pen, which turned out to just right.

I still have some more fine-tuning of the CNC Monster (the lines wobble too much due to a slight variance in the X-direction axis–to be resolved with two to-be-installed rollers) and also, I need a slightly darker pen.  I might even go find my Rapidiograph pens, wherever they are.  I’m gettin too old for this.