Please Test My Stick Fonts and Let Me Know If They Work For You

[toplakd]

All ttf fonts must have closed loop


Can you add this two fonts into the package?

Dejan

[GeorgeRace]

Dejan, I looked closely at the fonts you want added.  Both have open spaces between loops if you enlarge them enough, so I don't consider them to be "stick fonts" like the ones that I am doing.  No matter how large you make my fonts, there are no double line path's visible in any of the characters.

With my fonts, even though your cutting tool will make two passes over each letter, they are EXACTLY on the same path, no mater how large you make the letters.  To me anything else is not a "stick" font.

I would like to keep the fonts package as truly single line if at all possible.

George

[toplakd]

I just noticed that.

When I say the fonts must be 1m (meter) high there is a visible gap of 1mm (milimeter)

Dejan

[davek]

OK, so I just used a trick I've used before on your fonts. I used "remove overlaps" on them. A quick look at the G code file and it seems to not be going over them twice.

It would be really sweet if someone wrote a script to automate that.

Highlight text
convert to polylines
Make a new layer and make it active
remove overlaps
delete text on original layer (or just delete original layer maybe)

Then you could just type away and run the script and have a single pass stick font.

These fonts ARE pretty neat.

I'm using 9.7 still.

[GeorgeRace]

Hi davek, I like your approach to making them single pass.  If you don't mind, I will include that information on the web page that I am building for the fonts.

I find that using the double cut, going both ways over each of the letters, gives me a bit cleaner looking finished letter.  I do a lot of very small sized, 1/4 and less, and always look at the finished cut magnified to see how clean it is.  I also use a very small "bull nose" end mill to do the engraving.  Really makes it come out very clean and smooth on 6061 T6 aluminum that I am using.

It's kind of a double edged sword, needing to have the fonts be able to install themselves under windows as TrueType, and still having them appear to be a truly single line font.  All the fonts are built using a 100% overlap in the font design, which tricks my TrueType font design program into thinking they are really looped TrueType fonts when they really don't have an inside and outside loop.

Thanks for the tip on making them truly single pass in CamBam.  I like the idea of a script to do the extra work for you, that would really be neat.  Maybe someone out there reading this will build one to use in CamBam. 

I am using 9.8i and find it to be very stable, at least so far.
George

[davek]

Ya, my computer is too slow for the newer Cam Bam. I need to bite the bullet and come striding into the year 2009. 

[Orifice62]

Hi George,
I like the fonts (Very Nice). So here is my project I've been working on with your fonts. Its not quite done. I haven't done any MOP's yet still working out the details.

I still have to make three more wheels for my clock. I hope the picture works.
So Thanks again

Bret

P.S. If my picture doesn't work I Hope the clock does

[airnocker]

Hey George, I used your fonts on several new projects (and really like the way they look) but noticed some printable character symbols are omitted like the "@" character.

Could you brief us on which of the ASCII character set was omitted?

Thanks

[GeorgeRace]

The included ASCII Characters are all of the alphabet, upper and lower case plus ! $ & ( ) + ; : " ' ( ) . ,
The missing are:  @ # ^ * _

CamBam Font 9 does include the missing ones above.

They will work and look good with most of the converted fonts.

Hope this helps,
George

[CanAm1]

Hello,

First off, great fonts… I am having a great time using them in different projects.
I have come across a strange issue. I made up a small “cheat sheet” that I engraved for spindle speeds and such and I used font 7. Some of the letters are not coming out correct. In the word “Size” the letter i winds up coming out capitalized when I do not want it to, but comes out lower case and OK right next to it. Also the letter “u” in the word “up” and “cut” wind up having their tops filled in looking like a small letter “a”. I have rebuilt the file from scratch a couple of times and this issue keeps popping up. I have noticed that when I generate the machine paths they look different on the words size and mill. Maybe it means something….
Any help would be appreciated.

I’ve included a copy of one of the files and I am using Mach3.

Mark

[dh42]

Hello Mark,

I try your file, and all appear to bee good ....  strange.

I try a CutViewer simulation, and it's ok too ...

I use Mach3 postpro

++
David

[CanAm1]

David,

In reading your response it just dawned on me that there may be a reason to selecting the post processor to match your machine software. I don't remember doing that when I switched over to 9.8. It just might make a difference.. I'll have to give it a try tonight after work.
Thanks for your inputs..

Mark

[dh42]

Hello Mark,

A wrong postpro can explain problem on the CNC but not with the display in Cambam (text or toolpath).

I think about Tools/options/TextCurveTolerance parameter, but I will be strange that it can change uppercase / lowercase.

for info I have 0.05 in TextCurveTolerance and I try with both 'mm' and 'in' for the default unit.
I try to write some text with font n°7 and no problem found

even with 0.5 in TextCurveTolerance and tiny size (5mm) I have no display or toolpath bug ....

++
David

[GeorgeRace]

Hi Mark:
I just tried running your .cb file and it really look very nice.
Do not see any of the problems that you indicated.

I think you may have something wrong in the Post Processor as others have already indicated.

Please let me know if you find there is indeed a problem with the font.
Thanks,
George

[CanAm1]

George,
Thank you for the kind words..
Well, I reloaded the processors, tried both mach3 and mach3cv, tried Davids "text curve tolerance of .05" and still get the same thing. It appears my explanation did not get across right. My little cheat sheet looks fine in cambam, but when I generate the tool paths the letters in issue do not look the same from the standpoint of lines, colors, arrows, it does look like a bunch of geberish.. The real test is when I load it into mach3. This is when I can tell things are not right. Anyway, I went and changed to font 3 and my symtoms changed. The 2 "U" letters in question look fine now in mach3, but the goofed up "I" has changed words. Instead of being a capital in the word size it has now changed to the word mill. Really strange... Again, any help is really appreciated and I will see if I can come up with some screen shots or something...

Mark