Adding a Pattern or Texture to a Face

[tmodcustoms]

I have figured out how to add a logo to a piece of material, as a vector file, trace in CAM and get my cnc mill to spit out a logo. it works great, I really appreciate all the help. 

I am trying to figure out how to apply a texture or a patttern to a face, I think if I can get it done in the Model workspace I can figure out the CAM myself. 

I have a simple honeycomb pattern (in a .jpeg) that I can insert and fit to the part but I'm missing something, I cant select the lines of the pattern to apply toolpaths in CAM . 

My goal is to make a block of AL with the pattern in it, 0.010in deep 

Thanks in advance,  heres a pic, I think I'm pretty far off.

[James.Youmatz]

Hi @tmodcustoms,

Neat design! I am not too familiar with the CAM environment myself so I can't speak as to why it may/may not be selecting lines while creating a toolpath, but I can definitely give you advice on how to model the texture. Just to check, so far do you only have the JPEG image overlaid on your block of aluminum? Have you gone through and then sketched the pattern onto the face of the aluminum using the the JPEG as a reference? By doing this (and making sure you enclose the area) you will then be able to select the areas and cut/extrude to create the textures at the depth that you want. Also, since this is just a big pattern, you may be able to take advantage of the rectangular pattern feature in the Sketch menu.

Let me know if you want me to make a quick screencast if you need more help!

Thanks,

[tmodcustoms]

Thanks for the help James, I certainly appreciate it! I would love any more details you could give me. I'm hoping that I am not going to have to trace al the lines out, I would imaging that would take a while. .jpeg is what I have of the pattern, but it doesn't need to be, i guess. I'm just trying to figure out how to do it without creating a veector file and importing it; like I would do a logo or something. Does that make sense.? 

[tmodcustoms]

I have been attacking it the only wway I know how , by importing a vector (svg) and applying toolpaths. I could be totally wrong about this, it seems to me there may be an easier way to do a pattern...? 

So I have  couppole honeycomb svg files that I am trying to outline. ( Id like to make the lines of the pattern with a 1/8in bsll end mill and the entire pattern on a 4x6in piece on aluminum . ....0.010in deep) 

Trying to write the tool paths, I cant get it to run a single toolpath over the center oof each line, it keeps outlining each line., I have tried TRACE and PROJECT and SLOT actions. Here re a couple screen shots. Any help is appreciated. 

I believe it is in the second picture attached, while selecting the tool path, the line, it has selected the line, everywhere it is attached or making a single line, but it has also incorporated a cuple sections that should be separate toolpaths, you can see there is a lot of bule over some lines that shoud be separate. Any enlightenment on this would be appreciated as well..

As alaways thansk in advance for the help. 

[jeff.walters]

You could just place one or two hexes and then use a linear pattern in the CAM side to do the rest.