Arcdroid versus logic trace

[otisa2007]

I've recently been looking at something like the logic trace for tracing brackets various items that take me hours in cad to reproduce the arcdroid seems to be a reasonabe alternative plus you get another cnc machine to use at around the same price has anyone had any experience with this or know of a better cheaper program than logic trace arcdroid said i can export the dxf to my big table looking for thoughts and knowledge on this any help would be appreciated before i spend 3 grand on something i'm not going to be happy with thanks

[Joe Jones]

The arcdroid is only as accurate as you place the pointer to mark the geometry. The logic trace board is more accurate.

Why does it take you "hours" to draw simple shapes? What software are you using?

Can you attach a sample of a file that you needed to produce, using your traditional methods? I think that if you get the proper drawing software, you will discover that it is a lot better and faster. Either Adobe Illustrator, or CorelDRAW, or any of a dozen other vector drawing programs should help you MORE than an arcdroid for drawing designs.

Joe

[Joe Jones]

looking for thoughts and knowledge on this any help would be appreciated before i spend 3 grand on something i'm not going to be happy with thanks

Honestly, even Google SketchUp will do what you need to do. DesignSpark Mechanical, Lightburn, Inkscape, ... There are other programs like FreeCAD and others that will help you to draw vector files without spending a fortune.

Joe

[otisa2007]

i've done alot of work here lately doing blanks for horse mouth bits and some trailer brackets that have alot of complicated angles just using corel and adobe off a scaned trace on a piece of paper give me random results and i end up in my cad trying to fix it my thought process is it would be easier to trace it not to mention me and coreldraw and adobe don't work well together the export files also don't seem to agree with plasmacam either

[Joe Jones]

i've done alot of work here lately doing blanks for horse mouth bits and some trailer brackets that have alot of complicated angles just using corel and adobe off a scaned trace on a piece of paper give me random results and i end up in my cad trying to fix it my thought process is it would be easier to trace it not to mention me and coreldraw and adobe don't work well together the export files also don't seem to agree with plasmacam either

Wait! You have a PLASMACAM? Are you using DesignEdge software? There is nothing better for designing and drawing what you are doing. If you are using the older PlasmaCAM 3.xx software, it is still very good for this.

Do you HAVE at least basic design software for the PlasmaCam table?

Post some images of the type of things you draw, and show me some samples of your scans, etc. I think what you really need is training on how to use DesignEdge to draw what you need, correctly.

Joe

[otisa2007]

I have the advanced desiqnedge but importing jpegs or using it for precision parts not it's thing but artwork general shapes i love it will never own another table unless i'm missing something design edge has never worked for me trying to get precision parts artwork on the other hand the best in the buisness

[Joe Jones]

Post some photos of the images you are using, so I can see what it is you are trying to draw.

Joe

[Joe Jones]

There is NO PROGRAM out there than can scan a jpg image and produce a precision part from a scan and a conversion from a .jpg RASTER image to a .dxf VECTOR image. You are expecting too much from the software.

If you have the part in front of you, it is easier and faster to simply DRAW the part, using dimensions you acquire from the original part itself.

Joe

[otisa2007]

so far i agree unless i can trace it is where i was headed the bit parts are drawn from my customer some of the trailer brackets i can actually put my hands on a part just something i struggle with

[Joe Jones]

Drawing anything in DesignEdge is very easy. There is no need to scan a part. All you need are the dimensions and angles, which can be acquired using a simple protractor or angle finder.

Joe

[adbuch]

I've recently been looking at something like the logic trace for tracing brackets various items that take me hours in cad to reproduce the arcdroid seems to be a reasonabe alternative plus you get another cnc machine to use at around the same price has anyone had any experience with this or know of a better cheaper program than logic trace arcdroid said i can export the dxf to my big table looking for thoughts and knowledge on this any help would be appreciated before i spend 3 grand on something i'm not going to be happy with thanks

I would take a look at the Scanything program from SheetCam. I have this installed onto one of my cnc router tables and it works great. The total cost including the software, camera, lamp, cables, etc. was less than $300. By the way, I also do have several of the Logictrace digitizing boards which also work well, but probably out of your price range. Still another approach is to take a photograph and do an auto scan with a program such as Inkscape, CorelDraw, LightBurn, Design Edge, etc. Of those programs, I achieve the best results using Inkscape.

viewtopic.php?p=220129&hilit=scanything#p220129

David

[adbuch]

so far i agree unless i can trace it is where i was headed the bit parts are drawn from my customer some of the trailer brackets i can actually put my hands on a part just something i struggle with

Pm me with some sample customer sketches and/or photos and I will show you some of my methods for converting to an actual dxf cut file. I do own a Plasmacam DHC2 with advanced design and am quite familiar with its capabilities compared to the other programs I have mentioned (and also use).

David

[4130metalworks]

I often work with paper or cardboard templates that are odd curves and shapes. For me the easiest way has been to scan the template with a scale for size reference then import that into a program called wintopo. This converts it to a vector in dxf which i then send to my cad program to clean up and get ready to cut
Wintopo has a free version to try

[adbuch]

Thanks 4130metalworks for that tip. I must be doing something wrong. I download the free version and here is my result. The red image is the one I am attempting to trace.

1.jpg

I opened the same image with Inkscape and got this result using the default settings.

2.jpg

David

[adbuch]

This is the image I was trying to trace - just in case you want to give me some pointers. Please don't post your vector trace result, just some instructions on how you would do it with some screen shots of your steps.
Thanks,
David

garden gnome.jpg

[adbuch]

I tried it again with the image as outline only with no color added. It worked to a point, but would need some follow-up editing for a decent file for cutting. I can see how this would work for simple shapes, but I believe that Inkscape or some of the others will provide a better result.
David

Original jpeg image.

4.jpg

Result of auto trace with Wintopo.

5.jpg

Resultant dxf file opened with DesignEdge.

6.jpg

7.jpg

[adbuch]

I found this instructional video on youtube. You will need to click on the "Watch on Youtube" button, since they have disabled playback on other sites.
David

1.jpg

[Joe Jones]

That program has some nice features, but only for people who do not have DesignEdge.

It might be fun to play with though. Maybe it would have one or two "must have" capabilities that I did not see in the demo video.

Joe

[4130metalworks]

Looks like you are well into the wintopo program David. I don't do artwork so unfortunately can't offer much advice, all we do is mechanical parts. It more than likely based on what others use be more beneficial to use inkscape for those.

Do you have a link to the gnome? i'll give it a try and report back

[adbuch]

Looks like you are well into the wintopo program David. I don't do artwork so unfortunately can't offer much advice, all we do is mechanical parts. It more than likely based on what others use be more beneficial to use inkscape for those.

Do you have a link to the gnome? i'll give it a try and report back

This Wintopo program is not something I would use or recommend, as there are much more efficient methods to accomplish an auto trace. I was simply checking it out to see how it works. Here is the link to the post for this particular garden gnome. The vector file is no longer posted as they only stay up for 1 week.

https://www.plasmaspider.com/viewtopic. ... me#p238377

If you only wish to try the Wintopo program, then here is the image I was practicing with. This is the free download file opened with Inkscape.
Let us know how you make out and if you have any questions or comments about the Wintopo program. Thanks!!

David

garden gnome.jpg