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Different pocket depth problems (Noob)

Discussion in 'SketchUcam Help' started by SteveRan, Apr 15, 2016.

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  1. SteveRan

    SteveRan New Member

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    I'm a noob - I've made some simple stuff using SketchUcam (inside and outside cuts and a single pocket) - now I want to try something a little more complex. The project involves pockets of different depths and deeper pockets within pockets. Here is a 3D SketchUp of what I want to make - target material XEPS:-

    https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B2sJ6cUJZIiFeGFxRnFGRVdrMWs

    I've tried to use SketchUcam to make this - typing in different pocket depth percentages as I go - but when I view the gCode (CAMotics) the pockets are all the same depth - or sometimes random values. I've even tried creating each pocket separately and moving each in and out of the safe area to generate separate gCode files - same result. I guess the next step is to create separate Skechup files for each pocket - but I really don't want to do that.

    Am I doing something wrong? Or is what I want to do impossible with SketchUcam?

    I'm using 1.4-22 on OSX (El Capitan)
     
  2. swarfer

    swarfer Moderator Staff Member

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    Hi
    I cannot see your drawing on this computer but will look at it later.
    A few things come to mind:

    after typing the depth you want, you must press ENTER so it is set as the current depth.
    you will see the display of the depth change when you have pressed enter, ie, you type
    34
    press enter
    display changes to
    34.00%

    To create overlapping pockets you need to group them.
    start with the smallest and deepest, create the pocket, and group the cutlines together with the outlines.
    create the cutlines for the overlapping pocket, and group it and it's outlines.
    and so on for all pockets, making sure than anything that gets overlapped by a later pocket is already grouped before you create the cutlines.

    Grouping is the only way to prevent Sketchup doing automatic things with lines that cross other lines.

    You can watch some of my videos to get some other ideas for doing multiple overlapped cuts within one file, but using multiple copies of the drawing.
     
  3. swarfer

    swarfer Moderator Staff Member

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    Hiya
    Had a chance to look at your file.
    Instead of overlapping the pockets I did them as multiple drawings.
    I have attached my drawing, plus the 2 final Gcode files. I used a 2mm bit diameter.
    The 2 gcode file are the 3 patches for the left object, joined, and the 4 patches for the right object joined.
    You can join them in any order you like, I would do shallow to deep.
    set the material thickness according to the tag boxes before each 'Generate'.
     

    Attached Files:

  4. SteveRan

    SteveRan New Member

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    Thanks - I have discovered the source of the problem - I had assumed that the pocket depth percentage was typed in after filling the area with hatching - like the sketchup objects - draw the object then type in any parameters. Whereas the pocket depth has to be set before filling the area with a pocket. Apologies for any work this caused.
     

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