unexpected bitmap inversion

[andyseubert]

image_in_coreldraw.PNG (11.23 KiB) Viewed 6384 times

image_in_coreldraw.PNG (11.23 KiB) Viewed 6384 times

Hi,
I am attempting to engrave an image onto rubber stamp material. The material is immaterial to my problem, however.
In LaserCAD I have a bitmap that was sent to lasercad from coreldrawx6

In coreldraw, the image is a bitmap black and white.
I send to lasercad using the macro and at first the image looks normal.
However when I sent it to the laser, it engraved it inverted.

Also I was able to reproduce the problem by clicking on the Estimate work time button, close the estimated time and click anywhere in the lasercad window.
At that moment the image inverts.

I have successfully engraved many bitmaps and this is the first time I have had lasercad do this problem.

Any ideas?

image_in_coreldraw.PNG (11.23 KiB) Viewed 6384 times

image_inLaserCad-at-first.PNG (9.17 KiB) Viewed 6384 times

image_inLaserCad-problem.PNG (8.94 KiB) Viewed 6384 times

[waltfl]

click the invert button in laser cad and format the DSP memory.
greetings
waltfl

image_in_coreldraw.PNG

image_in_coreldraw.PNG

Hi,
I am attempting to engrave an image onto rubber stamp material. The material is immaterial to my problem, however.
In LaserCAD I have a bitmap that was sent to lasercad from coreldrawx6

In coreldraw, the image is a bitmap black and white.
I send to lasercad using the macro and at first the image looks normal.
However when I sent it to the laser, it engraved it inverted.

Also I was able to reproduce the problem by clicking on the Estimate work time button, close the estimated time and click anywhere in the lasercad window.
At that moment the image inverts.

I have successfully engraved many bitmaps and this is the first time I have had lasercad do this problem.

Any ideas?

image_in_coreldraw.PNG

image_inLaserCad-at-first.PNG

image_inLaserCad-problem.PNG

[andyseubert]

Thanks Walt for the suggestion, and I am able to get the right inversion style to the laser if I click download at the right moment, but each time I do an operation like download, check the time elapsed, or something like that, the image gets inverted.
This is definitely a bug in the lasercad program and not in the DSP I believe.

I might try a different kind of bitmap instead of jpg but it seems like a bug that should be fixed.

Consider this a bug report. I'll just deal with it but it's definitely a recipe for unexpected results and wasted material.

Thanks

[NickWL]

I'm getting the same thing with vector drawings from Corel. They display fine in LaserCad but 'print' inverted about the y-axis.
They are a mixture of cut and engrave which may have some bearing on the matter.
I settled for flipping the picture and getting on with it, but it's a worry not knowing what it's going to do - especially when there are expensive materials on the table...

[Tech_Marco]

To NickWL, your problem is not the same as Andy. In your case, you just need to make sure the "Position Relative" has been setup properly with the HOME position. If your HOME is TOP-LEFT, chose TOP-LEFT on Position Relative or Workspace

Marco

[Axeman]

Do you have the stamp options working on yours Andy? I haven't been able to get mine to do that "angle" going away from the primary image yet...it makes it rather difficult to make a rubber stamp properly yet.

[andyseubert]

I am able to produce satisfactory rubber stamps and I am ignoring the grade engrave setting as I have not been able to get it to make any noticable difference.

Yesterday, though, again I had my drawing engraved oppposite of what was on the screen

this time, the image on the screen did not change, but the laser engraved the image inverted.

Here is a photo of the screen
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/atug4 ... =s219-p-no

Here is how it engraved
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/srCxi ... =s219-p-no

(hopefully you can all access the images)

In this case I was experimenting with my design but this means the system is unreliable and will almost certainly waste material in the future.

Marco, what advice do you have for me? I am becoming more concerned.

[Tech_Marco]

Can you post bigger image as I can't see it well

Also, send me your files and let me try it on my system. It is very odd that the LaserCad could do image inverting by itself. I never experienced that before. Possible because I'm not really doing a lot work but doing basic testing only as what a tech does.

If you asked me why, the only thing that came to my mind is that it could be software compatibility issue that the software you used to create that image somehow embedded codes that lead to the conversion by the LaserCad. Are you using Window 7 or 8? What graphics software did you use and any graphics conversion involved between graphics software?


Marco

[andyseubert]

Here are larger images


and the resulting cut





I produced these particular ones like this:
the image "collegenet" is a corporate logo given to me in a tiff format
I placed that into coreldraw x6 (32 bit) and from coreldraw I used the AWCLaserCutStart macro to send the file to the laser

The other image is another corporate logo that I produced in Adobe Illustrator and pulled into coreldraw as a .jpg file.

I sent both at the same time to lasercad using the macro in coreldraw.
I am using windows 8 (enterprise edition so no 8.1 or update 1 yet...) 64bit
I did not save the file because it was a demo/experiment

[andyseubert]

I will attach the images here

the second logo file is too large -- the forum won't allow the attachment.. It's a .png and not a .jpg as I originally said, if that makes a difference..

[Tech_Marco]

I think the LaserCad is confused by the layer sequence. You may fix it by using 2 or more layes to segeate the files in layers and it should fix the problem

Too bad you don't have the file for me to test it. Today I'm going to office for finish some work and I can do the test there. Or, if you save the job file in LaserCad it works for me

Size limited to 1500x1500 here. Otherwise, it will occupy too much space and take too long to load up the thread


Marco

[andyseubert]

I will save it in lasercad for you as soon as I can and attach it.

What do you mean by segregate into layers? In the first example there was only one object in the file; a black and white bitmap.

I have updated to the latest firmware in the DSP so I will do more tests with large-ish bitmaps when I can. Perhaps the newest firmware will fix this. I don't know.

[andyseubert]

ok Here is a bitmap file that is doing the same thing. This behavior makes me worried that I will lose valuable materials.

The bitmap was created by a friend probably in photoshop. I opened it with coreldraw x6 32bit on my windows 8 system.
From coreldraw I did no modifications but sent it directly to lasercad with the macro.

If I click to check how long the job will take it inverts the image without my intending to.

I caught it lasing the wrong part and stopped it before it ruined my material in this case.

I also made a video of lasercad doing the problem and attached it here as a .zip file.

Please take a look and let me know if you can get this definite bug fixed.

Thanks

[Tech_Marco]

The problem was that you enabled the "GradeEngrave" on your power setting. If you disabled it, it will work fine.
See attached image I engraved on the of a piece of wood

Speed: 700mm/s
Power: 18% on 80W


Marco

[andyseubert]

Thank you Marco,

Can you explain why that setting would make any difference?
I was able to successfully engrave my file as well.. engraving the file was not the problem. Unexpectedly engraving an inverted version is the problem.

I have re-done the file (now with a .bmp file though) and this time laser cad does not invert the image unexpectedly.

indeed in the file I sent, it's true that if I un-check the grade engrave that it stops inverting the image.

Is there an explanation of what exactly grade engrave causes to happen? I am making this into a rubber stamp which (i thought) is the situation in which you would want what grade engrave implies.

Thanks for your help.