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Drawing Speed Variation

fluxflux
in AxiDraw
How can I set drawing speed on a line / line segment granularity? Is this possible through a vector graphic or would I have to use the api?

Goal is to accomplish thinner lines with faster drawing speed.

Thank you!

Comments

  • Windell OskayWindell Oskay

    There is not natively support for per-object drawing speed variations, but you can probably work around that by using the layer-based controls. You can find documentation for them here: http://wiki.evilmadscientist.com/AxiDraw_Layer_Control

    To use this method, select all of the objects that you would like to plot at the same speed, and move them to a layer that is set to print at a given speed.

    Alternately, if you're coding this, feel free to give each and every line segment its own layer. However, be aware that there will always be a pen-lift operation when switching between layers.

    If consistently controlled line width is your goal with different speeds, you'll likely also want to use the constant-speed method, as otherwise there will be acceleration on pen-down strokes.

  • fluxflux
    edited June 2017
    Thank you very much for the quick reply! This should work nicely for a first test run.

    The ultimate goal here is to draw continues lines with variable speed without lifting the pen. If I understand you correctly I will have to go low level to accomplish this.

    Edit: Just looked at the restful api, but couldn't find anything useful there? Am I missing something? Do I have to go lower and write my own driver?
  • fluxflux
    This looks very promising: http://axibot.readthedocs.io/en/latest/
  • Windell OskayWindell Oskay

    If you want to vary the speed within a stroke, then yes, you'll need to use a low-level interface of one type or another. You can either use the direct serial interface (EBB commands), the robopaint API, or other means to do so. If you can say what tools or environment you are using to generate your vectors, I might be more able to point you in the right directions.

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