Matt
Well-Known Member
So this was a project I was doing, and while the parts I was making wasn't anything special, I thought I'd share the process I used to make it.
So I started out by modelling the part with a piece of cardboard I had traced and cut out with some scissors, Pic 1.
I then used an app on my Android based phone called DXF Camera, there are various ones out there that shouldn't hard to find. I opened the app and took a picture of the part(pic 2). The app automatically made it into a DXF file that I emailed to myself and then was able to open in the CAD. While the camera is definitely awesome to use, there are some caveats, if you look at pic 4 of the part close up, that is what the edge of the part looks like all the way around. This seems like a big hangup but in this case wasn't, I will explain shortly. For best results, make sure the object you want to take a picture of has a lot of contrast with the background and has as sharp an edge as possible.
I had it on a speckled background and the texture of the cardboard caused some issues with the accuracy of it. So, how I got around this is I used the imported object as a platform to use the Node Edit tool to trace the outline of the part, took a few minutes to trace, if that. Once my trace was finished, I then had to size the object. I used a ruler to measure the widest parts of the bottom round corners to get the length, had the part proportions set to stay fixed so when I changed the value I was measuring for, the rest would be sized accordingly. After I adjusted the sizing I then had to just add my Male Toolpath, output it, and I then had my gcode I was able to take to the machine to run(see last picture)
I will admit that if you look at the comparison picture you will see that the metal cutout came out bigger. This was an error on my part, when I made my measurement, I had gotten 6.25", but when I went to enter I got in a rush and entered 6.75." It did come out even all the way around and was still usable for the application we had for it, but just something to look out for in your own projects.
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