Well I just spent 5 hours with Fusion trying to get our logo to CAM. I have had pretty good luck with Fusion creating CAD parts and posting the Gcode. I have a nice logo for my business and wanted to use the new XR to cut it out Went to Youtube college for hours to learn how to use Inkscape, create the SVG out of my raster images of our logo and then imported into Fusion to do the CAM portion. It would not create complete cut paths.
I thought well I have some broken lines or overlapped lines. Used Inkscape to break apart the paths and then rejoin them. Tried converting back to a raster and trace the bitmap again. All to the same end. When I got to Fusion and tried to create a tool path some of the elements would not be pathed. Sometime it was this chunk of the logo, sometimes another. Inspected SVG at the node level in detail. I could not figure out what was wrong. No mater what I did to the SVG, when I inserted it into the sketch it looked fine. I could extrude it, it looked fine. But when I tried to create the 2D Profile it would generate but would NOT include all the cuts. Even though it showed all the paths prior to creating the profile…
Beat my head against the wall for 5 hours trying to figure out what I was doing wrong.
Finally I went and bought SheetCam. Imported the same SVG files that Fusion refused to create a complete toolpath from. Worked like a charm. Watched a couple videos on Sheetcam to learn the basic setup. Within 20 mins of downloading sheetcam I had a working/complete toolpath
I was really wanting to stick with 1 program. I need the Fusion for CAD parts so I have to have it…but I guess the CAM function of Fusion is REALLY not suitable for pictures/images
I am always trying to see how to manage “problem designs” in Fusion. So I am always trying to learn. If you don’t mind, I would like to look at the f3d file to see if I can find the issue. I will promise to never use nor share the image and will delete all copies once I looked at it.
I have to disagree with you on that part. If you set up sheetcam right and design in the same colors (at least with affinity designer) and work off a template essentially, I can swap back and forth from affinity and upload a design change in probably 10 seconds.
The only time I really ever need to however, is when using purchased files, converted files, or certain cheaper font when I add a stroke width and expand it. Those three conditions are the most likely to produce flipped nodes, or rogue nodes as I like to call them. Sheetcam points those out so well it’s easier for me to let sheetcam tell me where they are than to try and zoom into my design and find them before CAM.
Not knocking fusion, I need to learn it better because I want to do 3d printing. But the problems with artsy 2d designs just makes it not worth it to me.
Inkscape is fine for learning; but it’s rough for detailed work. It has a couple of features that affinity designer doesn’t, but it’s just not as smooth or precise.
Curious; why would you convert to back to raster and then retrace the bitmap? You should only trace a bitmap once to get it as an svg then work it from there. Sometimes manually tracing is faster and cleaner anyway.
Well I am completely at a loss. I got on here and went to Fusion tonight so I could export the F3D file for Chelan Jim. Just for giggles I created a 2D profile and Fusion created the cut paths perfectly. I am at a loss. Same file, used the same tool, same setup, same profile. Same exact ones that I had tried a dozen times last night that would not create paths for the full cut. I did have a flashing update for Windows this morning and updated it. Maybe some sort of driver on the PC needed updated to match Fusion?
TW
There is definitely a lot I need to learn about vector files and how they interact with fusion or even CNC in general. Have worked in graphics design for 20 years but it was all web based (I ran an ecommerce site since 2002) so 99% of my work was with files compatible with web browsing.
Even now I am just learning how to work with vector files natively. So far I have just used to the tools that I am already familiar with (corel / adobe / etc) and create a raster image, open it in Inkscape, do a bitmap trace and then export the vector file. Then insert into the Fusion Sketch as a SVG or DXF file.
I am not sure how much I will actually be working with the artsy files. Plans are to kind of focus on parts & fabrication but I still need to be proficient in this aspect of the business too.
Ah that makes sense. Working with raster you don’t have to worry about bridging and connecting paths the same way you do with vectors. I wouldn’t have thought that was a viable workflow but it totally is if you’re exporting at a high enough resolution for the trace. That’s cool.
Well you still have to deal with bridging and paths unfortunately either in raster or vector…still got to get them all connected. As long as the rasters are 2 color black & white it doesnt even have to be that high of a resolution. Inkscape does a great job tracing and smoothing all the lines out if it is a black and white image.
As I get better with the vector files I will probably use the other software a lot less .
This is what the logo looked like in jpeg before I converted it to a vector. Color gone, shadows gone, text connected to the outer ring, rings & antlers all bridged together. Which was actually easier to do in inkscape after I traced it. Like I said, I am sure as I become better with the vector programs I will start using it rather than having an extra step of tracing the file into a vector.
Totally, you can can just do it a little differently without messing with nodes.
If you’re not already paying into the adobe ecosystem, try affinity designer. It’s a one time license, and runs so smooth and precise. I’m guessing you don’t have illustrator.
I started with Inkscape years ago. I will still open it on the rare event I want to bitmap trace something. But I will kick that trace right back affinity.
I’ve had a similar issue before where a restart of F360 solved a problem.
Another method has been to just draw a box around my sketch, copy, paste it into a new sketch. Problem solved.
Went to Youtube college for hours to learn how to use Inkscape, create the SVG out of my raster images of our logo and then imported into Fusion to do the CAM portion. It would not create complete cut paths.
