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coosbaylumberco
Guest
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 Posted:
Fri Mar 25, 2005 8:49 pm Post subject:
Difference of drivers? |
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Difference of drivers?
Most of my work is finalized in Autocad R-11/12 as it gets sent to a laser cutting machine. In talking to the machine software designer, they used the H-PGL driver from Autocad R-10 as a basis for machine operations. Their system is to have Autocad write the drawing to a PLT file and then some conversion takes place and begin cutting.
Although we can get any version of Autocad to write out a plot file in proper HPGL format, there seems to be a difference in version formats. The laser machines move quite slowly, and the line drawing or sorting function has to be different between R-11/12 files and any more modern versions. Doing a file direct from a more modern version of Autocad will cut OK, won't miss any linework, but it is the constant searching around for the next element that wastes our time. Five seconds in time saved on the standard pen plotter equates to about 60-90 on the laser machine. Filtering our new drawings through Autocad R-11/12 to obtain results from the earlier version has "production" benefits.
Is there a difference in how the earlier version of plot drivers work than the later?
Wm.
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Dean Saadallah
Guest
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Fri Mar 25, 2005 9:27 pm Post subject:
Re: Difference of drivers? |
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Is there no acceptable generic HPGL Windows driver out there for these
machines?
Do they really rely only on an outdated dead product for a driver to work?
--
Dean Saadallah
Add-on products for LT
http://www.pendean.com/lt
-- |
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coosbaylumberco
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Sat Mar 26, 2005 7:37 am Post subject:
Re: Difference of drivers? |
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Am using the ADI 4.1 driver. It is visably faster than any later version. It seems to hold the cutting head in one area long time, then go onto the next area. With 4.2 and later, it will cut parts in one area, then move to another, then move to another, and then finally come back to where initial linework was. This is OK if the head was moving at 40-50 IPS, but instead it is moving at less than 1 IPS. That being the high speed of the servo motors.
The line sorting option seems to be poorer on the later versions. Perhaps this is why the laser manufacturer has been sticking with the earlier driver. Overall, I would like to eliminate the extra step in the process, because of the time involved. But once the machine gets going it is just faster afterwards.
Is there a way to incorporate this older driver into a more more version? I tried a few of the older pen plotting sorting softwares and they do little if any good with the modern HPGL driver. But boy, do they work good with the older version.
Wm.
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Tim Scully
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Tue Mar 29, 2005 6:43 pm Post subject:
Re: Difference of drivers? |
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Actually, pen optimization in the old ADI world was done in AutoCAD core, so
the difference is most likely in the AutoCAD version and not in the ADI
driver you used. ADI drivers were no longer used after R14.
Are you sure that you enabled the pen optimization level you require when
you tried the newer HPGL driver (post-R14)? Be sure you have at least "full
motion optimization" selected on the Physical Pen Configuration tab of the
PC3 Editor.
"coosbaylumberco" <nospam@address.withheld> wrote in message
news:22955799.1111804695552.JavaMail.jive@jiveforum1.autodesk.com...
| Quote: | Am using the ADI 4.1 driver. It is visably faster than any later version.
It seems to hold the cutting head in one area long time, then go onto the |
next area. With 4.2 and later, it will cut parts in one area, then move to
another, then move to another, and then finally come back to where initial
linework was. This is OK if the head was moving at 40-50 IPS, but instead it
is moving at less than 1 IPS. That being the high speed of the servo
motors.
| Quote: |
The line sorting option seems to be poorer on the later versions. Perhaps
this is why the laser manufacturer has been sticking with the earlier |
driver. Overall, I would like to eliminate the extra step in the process,
because of the time involved. But once the machine gets going it is just
faster afterwards.
| Quote: | Is there a way to incorporate this older driver into a more more version?
I tried a few of the older pen plotting sorting softwares and they do little |
if any good with the modern HPGL driver. But boy, do they work good with the
older version.
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coosbaylumberco
Guest
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Thu Mar 31, 2005 6:55 am Post subject:
Re: Difference of drivers? |
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Oh, I understand now. The optimization actually took place within Acad, and was not controlled via the driver.
We will continue to use the newer driver for test projects. Then when the final project gets going and we need multiple copies, will pass through the earlier version.
I tried the WinTab driver also, and that was worse yet.
Wm. |
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