gcode2dplotterart 0.0.4

GCode Abstraction for creating 2D Plotter Art

2d-plotter-art-gcode

Introduction

A wrapper around GCode to generate GCode for 2D plotter art. Add points, lines, circles, and more.

Resource

GitHub

Setup

pip install -i https://test.pypi.org/simple/ 2d-plotter-art-gcode==0.0.3

Setup plotter

The plotter stores parameters about the plotter you'll be using.

plotter = Plotter( 
  units="mm",          # Units of the plotter in `mm` or `inches`
  x_min = 0,           # Minimum plotter location along the X-Axis
  x_max = 100,         # Maximum plotter location along the X-Axis
  y_min = 100,         # Minimum plotter location along the Y-Axis
  y_max = 0,           # Maximum plotter location along the Y-Axis
  feed_rate=10000      # Feed rate of the plotter
  output_dir="output"  # Output directory for GCode files, defaults to `output`
)

Universal Gcode Sender (UGS) is a useful tool for finding these values. Use Jog Controller functionality to move the plotter head around to find the minimum and maximum values. Similarly, Feed rate can be set with the jog controller.

Add Layer(s)

A layer is a collection of plotter instructions that will be executed together. Each layer will generate a separate G-code file. It can be useful to separate layers by color. Each GCode file can be fed into UGS separately, allowing time to change the tool head.

from gcode2dplotterart.Plotter import Plotter


def four_squares():
  RED_LAYER = 'red'
  GREEN_LAYER = 'green'
  BLUE_LAYER = 'blue'

  plotter = Plotter(units="mm", x_min = 0, x_max = 280, y_min = -200, y_max = 0, feed_rate=10000)
  
  plotter.add_layer(RED_LAYER)
  plotter.add_layer(GREEN_LAYER)
  plotter.add_layer(BLUE_LAYER)

  plotter.layers[RED_LAYER].add_line(0,-100,100,-100)
  plotter.layers[GREEN_LAYER].add_line(100,0,100,-100)
  plotter.layers[BLUE_LAYER].add_line(0,0,0,-100)

  plotter.save()

if __name__ == "__main__":
  four_squares()

Preview GCode

Browse the output directory to find the collection of files.

To understand the GCode, you can read more about the instructions here: https://marlinfw.org/meta/gcode/