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  1. #1
    Hi,
    I work for an architectural firm in London, in the Modelshop department. I'm looking for a software package for our new 3-axis CNC that can do a particular task that would save us a lot of time.
    After sending a 3D landscape file to the CNC that it has roughed and finished, I want to be able to cut multiple building locations out of this landscape with a set depth. The problem I have is that the drawing of the buildings, as they haven't yet been designed, is just a 2D outline.
    A company that we outsource to has a CNC software that allows you to place a 2D drawing on top of the 3D landscape, and will translate that 2D into the 3D by a set depth, and obviously recognises the form of the landscape. At the moment we're doing this in a seperate software and is quite a lengthy slow process.
    Does this make sense? Can your software help?

    Cheers

    Ed

  2. Quote Originally Posted by Ed Bartlett View Post
    Hi,
    I work for an architectural firm in London, in the Modelshop department. I'm looking for a software package for our new 3-axis CNC that can do a particular task that would save us a lot of time.
    After sending a 3D landscape file to the CNC that it has roughed and finished, I want to be able to cut multiple building locations out of this landscape with a set depth. The problem I have is that the drawing of the buildings, as they haven't yet been designed, is just a 2D outline.
    A company that we outsource to has a CNC software that allows you to place a 2D drawing on top of the 3D landscape, and will translate that 2D into the 3D by a set depth, and obviously recognises the form of the landscape. At the moment we're doing this in a seperate software and is quite a lengthy slow process.
    Does this make sense? Can your software help?

    Cheers

    Ed
    Ed, welcome to the forum.

    I dont know of any software that will do this directly but there's always more than one way to approach a problem. Just so I understand the problem, am I right in assuming you want the building cutouts to be a set depth relative to the landscape surface at that location? If so, why is that important? Why not make all cutouts the same depth relative to some arbitrary horizontal surface, say the max landscape height? I can see that might make the building models slightly more complex in that each will need a spacer under them equal to the height delta at that location (assuming they are created seperately and slotted into the landscape later).

  3. #3
    Thanks for such a quick response Kip!

    Can you expand........? Do you know of a CNC software that will do this?

    Thanks

    Ed

  4. #4
    Quote Originally Posted by irving2008 View Post
    Ed, welcome to the forum.

    I dont know of any software that will do this directly but there's always more than one way to approach a problem. Just so I understand the problem, am I right in assuming you want the building cutouts to be a set depth relative to the landscape surface at that location? If so, why is that important? Why not make all cutouts the same depth relative to some arbitrary horizontal surface, say the max landscape height? I can see that might make the building models slightly more complex in that each will need a spacer under them equal to the height delta at that location (assuming they are created seperately and slotted into the landscape later).
    Thats exactly what i was trying to explain yes.
    I've taken that approach before and was working out to be taking too long. The solution we're looking for is to cut down on time significantly. If only the company that does it for us would tell us the name of the software it could be solved! But obviously then we'd stop sending them work so they're keeping it to themselves!

    Ed

  5. #5
    These two images show the problem i have. The 3D is what i'm aiming for as a finished result. I have the landscape 3D file but using the 2D drawing of the outlines of buildings, it becomes more complicated.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Click image for larger version. 

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  6. Quote Originally Posted by Ed Bartlett View Post
    These two images show the problem i have. The 3D is what i'm aiming for as a finished result. I have the landscape 3D file but using the 2D drawing of the outlines of buildings, it becomes more complicated.
    What form are the 2D and 3D files in when you send them to the 3rd party or to the CNC machine?

  7. #7
    At the moment we start with the 3D file as a .stl file. We run it through Mill Wizard to get a .goo file that is read by our machines. The 2D files are .hpg when we send them to the machines.

  8. Quote Originally Posted by Ed Bartlett View Post
    At the moment we start with the 3D file as a .stl file. We run it through Mill Wizard to get a .goo file that is read by our machines. The 2D files are .hpg when we send them to the machines.
    So ideally you want something to read the .stl (stereolithography file) and .hpg (hp graphics vector language) files and create a merged .stl file where the Z-axis in the original .stl file is depressed a fixed amount inside the outlines of the elements in the .hpg file.

    Oh joy, brings back my Computer Science MSc Graphincs Programming Module... many moons ago!

  9. #9
    Thats sounds like exactly what i'm after............

  10. Quote Originally Posted by Kip View Post
    I'd set the heights of the individual buildings in cad-cam turn 3D on and hit go to generate G-code....Maybe I'm seeing it too simple but I see nothing in-between to get trashed by fast traverse? (no toolclamps for instance...I do great at milling toolclamps lol)
    Kip, I think Ed's point is that they dont have the heights individually, they need to work them out based on the height of the landscape at that point which means merging the files.

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