engrave text

[BijuGeorge]

Hi,

 

I want to create a text engraving through my CHook. I am able to create the text using either as told here

 

http://www.emastercam.com/ubb/ultimatebb.p...t=000355#000001

 

or here

 

http://www.emastercam.com/ubb/ultimatebb.p...t=000002#000000

 

The first method creates the text but I don't know how to get a pointer to all the line and arc entities of the text, so that I can add a contour toolpath on it. The second method creates the whole text as a single entity and I have the pointer to the entity, but before I can add a contour toolpath I'll have to break it into lines and arcs and I don't know how to do that. So please either tell me:-

 

1)How do I get a pointer to all the line and arc entities of a text that I've just created?

 

or

 

2)How do I break a (v8_note) note entity into lines and arcs? Is there a function that takes a pointer to v8_note entity and gives a set of pointers to all the broken lines & arcs?

 

Thanks in advance.

[Takashi Sato from Ai Solutions.]

Hi

 

You can see the time when the entity is created.

ent e;

e.time;( time_t time; ///< Date entity was created in db)

 

So, I think you can see which entity is just created.

[BijuGeorge]

Takashi,

 

I am afraid that would not be a good approach because my CHook creates other entities as well besides text, and as the whole process of creating entities is very fast I don't think checking the time when they were created would be a good way of checking if the entities comprise the text. Thanks for your reply though.

[Takashi Sato from Ai Solutions.]

ow,

 

drw_string (ref_pt, 1, ¶ms, 1.0, color_not_in_use, 1, (MC_BYTE*)t);

 

how about using the color which is not in use, and selecting the entities by color.?

[BijuGeorge]

Hmm... that is doable and I'll try it but it is kinda hackish. Isn't there some clean method using which I can directly get the pointers to the entities I want , like a function or something, without resorting to these "tricks"?

[BijuGeorge]

Takashi,

 

I've tried your method of using a color not in use but this function(drw_str) draws only straight lines of the text in the color specified the curves are drawn in the default color so this method can't be used.

[Takashi Sato from Ai Solutions.]

sorry, I have not tested that code.

and then I got an another idea.

 

1. remember the address of db_end.

2. create geometry

3. get_ent from previous db_end..

 

 

ent e;

DB_LIST_ENT_PTR dPtr, foundPtr, endPtr;

dPtr=db_start;

 

endPtr=db_end;

 

 

//create lines..

 

 

dPtr=endPtr;

do

{

get_ent(&dPtr, &foundPtr, &e, ALIVE_BIT, L_ID, &succf );

//do select?

 

}

while(succf);

[BijuGeorge]

I was thinking on the similar lines but my lack of familiarity with the sdk prevented me from converting my ideas into code. Now you have shown me how to code, after trying it I found it working. Thanks Takashi. You are great. Cheers!