I often engrave words into my workpiece. I create a text object using a single-stroke font, grouping the letters together into one group object, then use 2D Along Curve profiling to create the toolpath.
This works well, and conveniently only requires creating one toolpath for the whole group, but the order in which the letters are engraved appears random. Images 1 and 2 below show this. This random ordering causes the rapids to increase the cutting time 10-fold (my little machine only has 30ipm rapids).
If I ungroup the letters and create a separate toolpath for each letter in left-to-right order, I end up with many many toolpaths (inconvenient) but then far far less time is spent on useless rapids. Image 3 shows this.
Is there a way, either via Rhino or MadCam, to control the cutting order of objects in a group, so that I can have the convenience of only creating one toolpath as well as the speed of machining them in left-to-right order?
p.s. I am using MadCam v4.3 with Rhino v4 (as a hobbyist I can't justify rebuying Rhino 5 to upgrade MadCam).
Thanks.
Dean
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