On 05/13/2013 02:01 AM, Rafael Skodlar wrote: > emerging personal 3D printing.
G-Code is largely irrelevant for 3D printing: it's nothing more than an intermediate "machine language" between the slicer and the printer. The complexity of the motions required to produce a single layer of a model prevents anybody from writing or even modifying that code by hand: the slicer output is essentially a write-only code blob. A typical G-Code file for a small object contains half a megabyte of instructions; some of my models exceed 10 MB. For example, a 6 MB file has 141000 lines of G-Code. The slicers add short, hand-written G-Code routines to the beginning and end of the automatically generated G-Code blob, as well as insert shim routines at each layer and tool change. However, those routines perform stereotyped functions, such as axis home, nozzle wipe, motor disable, and camera trigger, that would be configured and written by the "machine integrator" rather than the "machine operator". In the current DIY 3D printing world, one person may play both of those roles, but that era is coming to an end. In any event, unlike a subtractive machine tool, you can't pause a 3D printer, hack the G-Code, and fire it up again: time, tide, and molten plastic wait for no operator! To a reasonable approximation, a 3D printer's software stack eats solid models and produces plastic shapes, with no human intervention along the way. The typical user has no idea what G-Code is and really shouldn't get involved at that level: the "high level language" describes the object geometry, not the production method. -- Ed softsolder.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Learn Graph Databases - Download FREE O'Reilly Book "Graph Databases" is the definitive new guide to graph databases and their applications. This 200-page book is written by three acclaimed leaders in the field. The early access version is available now. Download your free book today! http://p.sf.net/sfu/neotech_d2d_may _______________________________________________ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
