Need help matchin text to arc

[randommachinist]

The issue is this, I imported a logo off the internet using the rast2vec application in x8. So now I have a bunch of arcs and lines for the text, which I want to engrave into a part I'm doing. The problem is that I want the text to match to match a pretty large arc to give it a slight bend in the middle. I just don't know how to get all these lines and arcs to match up to the radius I drew. Anybody got any input on how to do this?

[Guest]

I think you can perform that type of operation in ncplot. Probably in Mastercam as well but I am not sure how.

[Henk]

3-ax toolpaths:

 

• Create an surface from that arc.
• Then project the lines and arcs on that surface.

 

OR:

• Create an 2D toolpath
• Then an 'Surface Finish Project' toolpath

[Richard Thomas - Mastercam UK]

How about creating a draft surface from your arc underneath the text and then projecting the wireframe down to the surface (or just using the original text with the Surface Finish Project toolpath)

 

EDIT: Henk beat me there by a few seconds

[Myth Project]

I think what he's looking for isn't rolling the lettering around a shaft or cylinder (as you would do with project), I think he's looking for more like making it circular like the way words are written around the edge of a coin.  Am I right Random Machinist?

[Myth Project]

Ok, if you're wanting to do what I think you wanna do, have your letters where you can read them in front plane view.  If drawn in "Top" view go to right view, rotate 90°.  Ok, now go back to "Top" view.  You wanna go to XForm, Roll.  Select your letter geometry, pick the starting point as the end of one of your outer letters.  Roll about the Y Axis, put in your diameter you want this rolled to, and BAM! you now have letters created about an arc.  You just need to rotate them back to where you can read them from the top, and I'm sure you can figure that part out.  Hopefully, (if this was what you were going for, this helps)

[Jayson Kramer]

are trying to engrave them on a rotary or just rap the geo?

[randommachinist]

Wow, thanks for all the quick responses guys! Myth Project knows exactly what I'm trying to do. I'm going to try your suggestion when I get the time and see if that works! It just seems like I was messing around with xform roll quite a bit yesterday and still was getting what I wanted. Maybe I was just doing it wrong.

[Myth Project]

It's trying to roll it around a cylinder, by making it where your letters are perpendicular to the cylinder it'll roll the way you want.  If you have any issues let me know and I'll try to help. (tested the process before posting the lil "how to")

 

Best of luck!

[JoshC]

I may not be understanding the question entirely but i will share how i handle Rast2Vec results, Set Rast2vec to fine lines and arcs and make sure accuracy is on fine when you producce the geo. 

When the geo has been produced i change the geo to a thin Line width and place it on a seperate level. I then re-draw most of the geo using a 3 point arc and lines (both snapping to the existing geo). 

Place as many 3 point arcs first using a bold line width which you can easily see on top of the rast2vec geo since that geo was thin width, after you get all the arcs in place you can start placing some lines on screen. Then just turn off the rast2vec level and start trimming the liens and arcs to one another and applying fillits elsewhere.

 

The last step is to scale the drawing, I personally create a bounding box rectangle about my geometry and measure the longest distance, then I X-form Scale with the a simple math problem, the scale factor should be a/b=scale factor with a=size you want it to be b=current size.

It may be more work than you were hoping for however i can get very smooth geometry and its actually very easy to accomplish. The 3 point arc does a great job with creating clean arcs and replacing the Choppy areas.