topic Re: ISO LISP coder, to make rollingball like lisp for text tool path/polyline in Visual LISP, AutoLISP and General Customization Forum

ISO LISP coder, to make rollingball like lisp for text tool path/polyline

twixx7M5U7 — Wed, 06 Aug 2025 15:01:17 GMT

looking for a tool that will behave like Rolling ball but will find the midline (tool path) of all text (pocketed out text/font) in a selection box/area. I am new to AutoCAD so my terminology may be off. I have a need to be able to take a font/text string highlight all the text I want, and perform a rolling ball like “lsp” to find the center of the font and place the lines (your centerlines) on a new layer so my CAM software can engrave the font not mill it? hope this makes sense. Hope someone can help.

Even better I need to automate this at some point, if possible,

Background that may help.

I use CIM-TECH (Soild-CIM) software with AutoCAD for converting my SolidWorks multi body part into an AutoCAD dwg, then creating tool paths to features it recognizes, and I can assign rules to the tool paths. Well for CIM-TECH to engrave (one single cut on a sketch/line) not mill out (uses edge offsets) it needs a single line sketch. SolidWorks does not transfer sketches to AutoCAD, so I cannot use the engrave feature in Solid-SIM. It will transfer over a milled-out font/text, but Solid-CIM sees this as a pocket and mills it out, (super long machining time and does not work with ball or tapper mill. If I could get you or someone to make a tool “lsp” like asked above this would solve some issues and save us time. If you need any sample drawings or models to help. And yes, I would donate if not too expensive.

Re: ISO LISP coder, to make rollingball like lisp for text tool path/polyline

Kent1Cooper — Wed, 06 Aug 2025 17:36:48 GMT

So just to clarify: Do you want to convert the red here to the white?

Re: ISO LISP coder, to make rollingball like lisp for text tool path/polyline

twixx7M5U7 — Wed, 06 Aug 2025 19:45:56 GMT

yes please, would love to be able to do this for a selected group of text=features with that wite line on own layer, but what you show is exactly the outcome i need.

Re: ISO LISP coder, to make rollingball like lisp for text tool path/polyline

Kent1Cooper — Wed, 06 Aug 2025 19:54:39 GMT

Your example looks (very nearly, though not exactly) like it might come from a Style that uses AutoCAD's ROMAND font. If you change that to ROMANS or SIMPLEX, when Exploded the result will all be single-line.

Re: ISO LISP coder, to make rollingball like lisp for text tool path/polyline

twixx7M5U7 — Wed, 06 Aug 2025 21:19:26 GMT

it's not a font in Autocad, it is a drawing derived from a solid model from SolidWorks, So there is no underlying font. That would be nice....

The font used in Solidworks is "SWRomns", i can use most fonts there, then it is extruded cut to the feature, brought into Autocad (dwg) file thru Solid-CIM, it creates both a drawing and a model drawing, neither has a font.

if there was a Lsp that reconized the feature's font used and applied the font to it (as in your image) on its own layer, that would work also.

Re: ISO LISP coder, to make rollingball like lisp for text tool path/polyline

Sea-Haven — Thu, 07 Aug 2025 01:56:30 GMT

It may be that your looking for text 2 geometry by Seant it explodes text. It recognises TTF fonts etc as well as the Acad ones. re TXT2geom and this problem it may be faster to remake the text using correct font. There is a explode text command also. TXTEXP.

I exploded till the text solid did not explode any more then with a little bit of care got this. Is it what your after ?

Re: ISO LISP coder, to make rollingball like lisp for text tool path/polyline

twixx7M5U7 — Thu, 07 Aug 2025 13:14:11 GMT

Thank you,

I need one line on one layer in the center of the feature, that I can use for a aingle tool path. Like "Kent1Cooper: shows

Re: ISO LISP coder, to make rollingball like lisp for text tool path/polyline

twixx7M5U7 — Thu, 07 Aug 2025 13:15:27 GMT

Thank you

How did you do that? was that hand drawn or automated?

Rob

Re: ISO LISP coder, to make rollingball like lisp for text tool path/polyline

twixx7M5U7 — Thu, 07 Aug 2025 13:16:30 GMT

more like a "Geometry to text" is what I am looking for

Re: ISO LISP coder, to make rollingball like lisp for text tool path/polyline

Kent1Cooper — Thu, 07 Aug 2025 16:20:19 GMT

@twixx7M5U7 wrote:

.... How did you do that? was that hand drawn or automated? ....

[It was just hand-drawn.]

Re: ISO LISP coder, to make rollingball like lisp for text tool path/polyline

twixx7M5U7 — Fri, 15 Aug 2025 15:58:14 GMT

I tried, but when it explodes it is the same as the edges, not a single line?

i found PDFSHXTXT command, but it doesnt reconize capitol "I". "3" and "-" hyphen???? this is when i use swgdt.ttf in my solid, Ivew been looking for singleline/stick shx fonts for auto cad and the assosiated/match "ttf" font in SW , bbut no charts or even an icon index for the shx fonts? so I cannot look to see if they may match for using PDFSHXTXT.

ANY SUGGESTIONS?

Re: ISO LISP coder, to make rollingball like lisp for text tool path/polyline

Sea-Haven — Fri, 15 Aug 2025 23:34:18 GMT

I posted txt2geom for you did you download it ? It has a version for Acad and Bricscad.

Re: ISO LISP coder, to make rollingball like lisp for text tool path/polyline

JamesMaeding — Sat, 16 Aug 2025 00:22:44 GMT

@Kent1Cooper

Yep, he wants a toolpath line between edges of what looks like letter "channels".

That is hard to solve, as long linear stuff is simple, but wider shapes need more "rules" like when to draw 2 lines if red lines are too far apart.

Also detecting where to end the white lines is interesting.

Re: ISO LISP coder, to make rollingball like lisp for text tool path/polyline

Sea-Haven — Mon, 18 Aug 2025 01:33:30 GMT

I found a swgdt.ttf . So used Txtexp. Not sure if there is a quick solution as offsetting the edges v's internals can give different answers.

Re: ISO LISP coder, to make rollingball like lisp for text tool path/polyline

twixx7M5U7 — Thu, 04 Sep 2025 21:06:39 GMT

where do i put this after unzipping?

Re: ISO LISP coder, to make rollingball like lisp for text tool path/polyline

twixx7M5U7 — Thu, 04 Sep 2025 21:23:49 GMT

txtexp wouldnt reconize the feature using this , as it comes in as extruded cut?

again the pdfshxtxt works great exept doesnt find capital "I" , if the "I" was serif it may