> > > * Andy's suggestion of a tool table synchronization sounds very good, > indeed. >
We have manual import/export now. Our tool system is undergoing some major changes recently and the serializers have been improved. We can certainly make the user experience around sync better. > * I am also with Rod that we could well think about syncing with FreeCAD's > dynamic visualisation. Maybe part of some joint work on CAM could be to > prepare parameterised models for the most common sorts of mills/lathes > which would then allow to detect a different set of errors while simulating > the G-code processing already from within FreeCAD? Or could any FreeCAD > visualisation be embedded in the LinuxCNC Qt-based GUIs? > There's someone who has built a robot workbench. <https://github.com/drfenixion/freecad.robotcad> I haven't played with it yet but I'm told it works with the new integrated assembly workbench. So a user can model a robot, build the assembly to test manual moving of joints. Then export a ROS2 definition. Being able to do the same thing for a CNC machine with simulation would be a killer feature, especially if it worked with non-trivial kinematics. > * G-code compatibility - what can we do to ensure that anything that > FreeCAD generates can indeed be interpreted by LinuxCNC in an automated > fashion? I am dreaming of a set of objects for which FreeCAD obviously > knows what they look like and can generate a surface mesh from them. And we > would somehow trigger LinuxCNC to also generate a surface mesh from the > G-code that is generated. And then there is a difference between the two > that should be minimal. > We're also working on our post-processor architecture now. What we have isn't bad but has a ton of duplicated code and isn't very user-friendly for customizing a post. Our LinuxCNC post-processor is the reference post that most of the others are built on. I've been working on CAM now for about 12 years and nobody has ever asked for bspline gcode. Is this desired by commercial users? > * Outreach - we should point to FreeCAD and its CAM from our website. And, > @Rod, FreeCAD is already shipping with the LinuxCNC LiveCD? > > From what I observe, this mailing list is a good place for the exchange > between LinuxCNC and FreeCAD. As an extra, I happen to be put in charge to > have our series of video conferences restarted. May I ask you to present a > demo on how FreeCAD works and the CAM with it? > I'd be happy to do a demo but might not be the best person. There are a couple folks working with us that are using and teaching it in makerspace environments right now that would do a better job. As far as outreach goes, I'd like to encourage more youtubers and content creators to go deep on linuxcnc + FreeCAD. Getting a Mango Jelly <https://www.youtube.com/@MangoJellySolutions> or Open Source CNC <https://www.youtube.com/@opensourcecnc> can really accelerate interest. I'm not an electrical engineer but I've converted a couple machines to linuxcnc and I would have killed for some high quality, novice oriented content on conversion and setup. Even now, I'd kill for someone who really understands DWO/TCPC to educate me. > > Best, > Steffen > > > > Gesendet: Mittwoch, 13. August 2025 um 12:21 > > Von: rodw <r...@vehiclemods.net.au> > > An: "EMC developers" <emc-developers@lists.sourceforge.net> > > Betreff: Re: [Emc-developers] Building closer community FreeCAD & > LinuxCNC > > > > I just had a browse through the Freecad docs and noticed there was a > kuka robot sim that was unmaintained. I wonder if there is scope to > integrate sims for some of our kinematics models that have vismach support? > Refer to Advanced topics in our docs. Having integrated 5 axis CAM for TCP > with this would be cool. > > > > > > > > On 2025-08-13 19:42, andy pugh <bodge...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > On Tue, 12 Aug 2025 at 23:22, Brad Collette <shopinthewo...@gmail.com> > wrote: > > > > > > > Are you guys interested in a closer > > > > relationship and exploring some joint development? Is this the > best place > > > > to communicate? > > > > > > I think that it would be useful to integrate more closely. > > > One thing that could be of immense value would be as system to > > > automatically keep the tool tables in synch, > > > > > > I don't actually use FreeCAD. I know that I should, and I want to, but > > > I have used Autodesk products professionally since the 1990s and it's > > > hard to commit to the switch. > > > > > > -- > > > atp > > > "A motorcycle is a bicycle with a pandemonium attachment and is > > > designed for the especial use of mechanical geniuses, daredevils and > > > lunatics." > > > — George Fitch, Atlanta Constitution Newspaper, 1912 > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > Emc-developers mailing list > > > Emc-developers@lists.sourceforge.net > > > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-developers > > _______________________________________________ > > Emc-developers mailing list > > Emc-developers@lists.sourceforge.net > > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-developers > > > -- Brad Collette 573-427-7132 GPG A093 832E 39F6 7F5E _______________________________________________ Emc-developers mailing list Emc-developers@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-developers
