Touch Probe to Drawing

[jcdammeyer]

This video shows the touch probe creating a CSV file of touch locations and then importing that into Fusion360 and then using the tools in Fusion360 to create a drawing.
Can Alibre do this?

 

[DavidJ]

Well you can import points form .csv into a sketch, then join points with either straight lines or a spline (or do the 'joining up' manually).

 

[jcdammeyer]

Well you can import points form .csv into a sketch, then join points with either straight lines or a spline (or do the 'joining up' manually).

Whether it's a .csv or .txt I get unsupported file format. And I made this square just 4 points on 4 corners. What am I missing?

 

[DavidJ]

I used your file (after changing extension to csv) - resulted in the sketch in this file. I chose straight line join - note I would have to manually fill in the 4th side.

I have seen issues if there is confusion between your file and Alibre/System on the decimal separator used.

 

[jcdammeyer]

I used your file (after changing extension to csv) - resulted in the sketch in this file. I chose straight line join - note I would have to manually fill in the 4th side.

I have seen issues if there is confusion between your file and Alibre/System on the decimal separator used.

I originally did try and import it as a .csv. This is what I get. I can't find anything in system options that suggests separators. So what am I doing wrong?

 

[DavidJ]

Basic stuff first - you are using the 'insert from file' tool on the 2D sketch ribbon?

Do you have file name extensions visible in Windows? if not any attempt at changing extension will create havoc.

 

[jcdammeyer]

Couldn't find anything on the ribbon but did find the insert from file in the sketch dialog and that worked for me. Expected to find this option on the "Insert" menu, not "Sketch".

The video also showed the ability to rotate the sketch so the vertical part lined up with the Y axis. He rotated the entire sketch by the parameter D4 which was the angle relative to vertical. I've never been able to figure out how to rotate or for that matter move a sketch.

 

[DavidJ]

You don't appear to have the Ribbon active.

Rotate and Move

Articles

help.alibre.com

Articles

help.alibre.com

 

[jcdammeyer]

Couldn't find anything on the ribbon but did find the insert from file in the sketch dialog and that worked for me. Expected to find this option on the "Insert" menu, not "Sketch".

The video also showed the ability to rotate the sketch so the vertical part lined up with the Y axis. He rotated the entire sketch by the parameter D4 which was the angle relative to vertical. I've never been able to figure out how to rotate or for that matter move a sketch.

You don't appear to have the Ribbon active.

Rotate and Move

Articles

help.alibre.com

Articles

help.alibre.com

This is what happens when I try the rotate. Think of the probed part as not quite being square to the Y axis. Just want to rotate it around the origin 0.28 degrees. Unlike Fusion360 I can't select the degrees parameter but it doesn't matter as the rotate operation fails.

 

[DavidJ]

You can't just rotate it because of the 0.28° angular dimension.

You can alter that to zero, or delete it and then rotate the sketch.

 

[jcdammeyer]

You can't just rotate it because of the 0.28° angular dimension.

You can alter that to zero, or delete it and then rotate the sketch.

AH. So unlike Fusion where the D4 parameter is the angle from vertical I need to copy that .282760° angle value onto the clip board. Then delete the angle. Then go through the rotate process and sure enough now it works.

Removing all constraints and dimensions I cannot however move the drawing. There's something still keeping it in place. I removed all the reference lines. I click on the 3 lines that make up the sketch. I select the From location as the origin and then click outside the drawing for where I want to move it. It shows it moved until I click OK and then tells me it can't.

 

[DavidJ]

If you can't work out what is holding the sketch (probably a coincident constraints), just select the copy option. You can delete the source geometry afterwards.

Coincident constraints don't have a symbol, but can be broken by Ctrl+ drag.

 

[jcdammeyer]

If you can't work out what is holding the sketch (probably a coincident constraints), just select the copy option. You can delete the source geometry afterwards.

Coincident constraints don't have a symbol, but can be broken by Ctrl+ drag.

Thank you. The problem was the bottom corner was already constrained to the origin. I wasn't able to undo that for some reason. The Ctrl+drag didn't work.

Under normal circumstances bringing in an array of points created by probing a device means the machine origin won't be exactly at one of the points. And if so probably best to delete that point first.

However although clumsier than Fusion this was all doable. I'll try running Andy's G-Code and profile something on the mill that is real rather than a fake square or triangle created with a text editor.

 

[jcdammeyer]

So an update. Didn't break my probe.
The G-Code got stuck in that bottom right corner. Just sat in a loop going around and around always missing the corner. I places a screwdriver blade even with the side and the probed contacted that and then continued.

However when it got to the start it didn't know it was finished so kept going.


Here's the end result. Cleaned up overlapping points. Added a sketch node where I wanted the bottom corner X=Y=0 to be. Then moved it to the origin after getting rid of a few more unexpected constraints.