How to edit my gcode file?
Starting out by saying my overall tech level is like a 4/10 so please bear with me. Sometime last winter/spring, I converted my son's hockey team logo into an STL file, played around on Tinkercad with it, and created a simple flat ornament out of it. I have the perfect gcode file of this logo-- except now I want to enlarge it a bit before printing for a couple of his teammates. My son and I cannot for the life of us figure out how to get back into edit mode in Prusaslicer with this file to do so? It's no longer listed in my Tinkercad account for some reason, and I also can't figure out what free website I would have used to convert the original file from jpg to stl, as the few I tried tonight didn't have nearly the detail my gcode file has. Does anyone have any advice? We can only open the file in "Prusaslicer viewer".
RE: How to edit my gcode file?
I'm assuming that you have the .stl file that you sliced in PrusaSlicer the first time.
Import that into PrusaSlicer and then you can scale it using the boxes on the right side of the screen.
Then re-slice it and save the new .gcode file.
RE: How to edit my gcode file?
I do not, so I want to edit my gcode file.
RE:
Unfortunately editing gcode isn’t that simple, it’s just a text file of the commands the printer has to follow. While it can be edited to alter simple things like temps it’s not really suitable to recreate a model from. Think of it like the spool file,that’s sent to a traditional paper printer, you can reprint but you can’t edit.
Thats why we always say get used to saving project files of your work in PS. As those allow you to go back and easily edit and tweak things.
RE:
Ugh. Frustrating since I literally just want to make it a wee larger. Can anyone recommend a site that converts a jpg into a detailed stl then for me to re-do the file? I've tried 3 different sites and none of them look even remotely like what I did last winter/spring. They have the basic shape but no details.
I've no idea which sites you visited last spring - but your browser history might. Check your file properties to narrow the date.
Cheerio,
RE:
There are some sites which CLAIM to be able to create a valid .stl file from a .gcode file, but they will do anywhere from a very vile job to a so-so job depending on which site and the phase of the moon.
To give you an idea of what's involved in editing a .gcode file to do what you want, there will be typically thousands to hundreds of thousands of lines in any nontrivial .cgode file. (A spatula that I recently printed, a fairly simple object, has 180,000 lines in the .gcode file.)
To expand the object in the X and Y planes, you would need to adjust the X and Y coordinates of each and every printing and moving command to position and print longer beads. This is not even considering the speed of the moves, etc.
That's the easy part.
For the Z plane, you would either have to increase the Z distance at each and every layer change, and put up with the loss of resolution and possible lack of filament volume, or else tediously re-jigger each and every layer to print exactly what you want where you want it.
This would be hours upon hours upon hours of calculations and work (yes, if you're fluent in programming you could write a script to semi-automate some of the grunt work) followed by iterations of failed test prints, back to editing/re-doing the .gcode (LOL, banging the nozzle into the build plate with a bad .gcode command?), rinse, repeat.
If you can't find or replicate the .stl file, the path of least work may be to re-draft the object.
RE: How to edit my gcode file?
Ugh how frustrating! It would be very easy to duplicate again if I can find a site that makes a comparable stl file to what I was able to find earlier this year. Can you recommend a site that converts a jpg into a detailed stl then for me to re-do the file? I've tried 3 different sites and none of them look even remotely like what I did last winter/spring. They have the basic shape but no details.
RE: How to edit my gcode file?
RE: How to edit my gcode file?
Thank you for the response!
I did not ask you to tell me which site I used; I asked you for a referral of a detail oriented converter if you can recommend one? I do try to keep my laptop in shape so browser history has long been deleted as well as my trash bin that would have my original STL file. I do have the original jpg but have thus far been unimpressed with the sites I've tried as they seem to only convert the basic shape with no details/textures. If you know a good converter, I'd love to try it!
I've no idea which sites you visited last spring - but your browser history might. Check your file properties to narrow the date.
Cheerio,
RE: How to edit my gcode file?
I use inkscape.
I try to make safe suggestions,You should understand the context and ensure you are happy that they are safe before attempting to apply my suggestions, what you do, is YOUR responsibility. Location Halifax UK
I asked you for a referral of a detail oriented converter if you can recommend one?
You probably already have one on your computer.
I would first convert to png with your preferred 2D graphic application then use the 'surface' command in OpenSCAD.
That way you have complete control of scale and resolution.