QCAD Bugtracker

The “Define annge using mouse cursor” of the Rotate tool would be useful in the Move and Rotate Tool

When saving a view, it would be great if the view also saved which block (model space, layout block, or any other block) that was active at the time the view was saved and when the view is later re-activated, the corresponding block would re-activate.

Support proxy icon in title bar. This can be used to move the file to another folder using drag and drop.

See also:
https://www.qcad.org/rsforum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=8342

Angle Display is decimal although the decimal display is disabled in Application Preferences.

Format should be 17° 31’ 52” instead of 17.531111.

In the US, it is (unfortunately) still common to use US survey foot. It seems at least some DXF applications/libraries support this unit as a $INSUNITS value, some references:

• https://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/autocad/learn-explore/caas/CloudHelp/cloudhelp/2020/ENU/AutoCAD-Core/files/GUID-A58A87BB-482B-4042-A00A-EEF55A2B4FD8-htm.html
• https://ezdxf.readthedocs.io/en/stable/concepts/units.html#insunits

There are two issues regarding this with QCAD:

1. If you open a document with $INSUNITS being 21, it’s reset to 0 (unitless/unspecified) when saved again, even when not changing anything.
2. It is not possible to select these units in the GUI.

I don’t know about standardization of these values, but my hope is that it’s at least possible to preserve the unit in an existing drawing. Given that this unit is supposed to be obsolete in some years, it might seem less important, but due to this transition, it might get even more important to be able to distinguish between units. Thanks!

As a heavy mechanical drawings user, it would help a lot to have an option to exit a block saving as a new name and making it a new entity from that time ahead.

Example: if a have a lot of screws, one of then is behind another peace and need the to have some lines changed to hidden style lines, in the flow of the work is great if I edit that screw in place and when exiting have the option to save as a new block, to don’t mess with other entities of the same block that I don’t want to change. Yes, there is a workaround that is duplicate and rename the block prior to the editing, but a save as seems to work easier.

Thanks Andrew and team!

The Application Preference setting “Graphics View - Appearance - Prevent white-on-white/black-on-black display” seems to be a global setting that doesn’t take the draw order into account. For example: With the setting enabled, it prevents creating a white hatch of a higher draw order on top of a larger, colored hatch with lower draw order (background). The preference does not seem to evaluate if the object is truly drawn as “white-on-white”.

With the preference enabled, setting the object color as “white” will set the “white” color label, but the object color actually stays black. Its hard to determine why it happens in that case.

Is it possible to let the global preference setting be applied to objects after evaluation of the draw order, and determine if the object actually is a true case of white-on-white?

My workaround: Disable the preference setting (I think it is default = on), and only enable it for ad-hoc checks of hidden and overlooked objects.

The option of a layer state widget would be a nice way to see and select between different layer states.

Would it be possible to extend the tool for importing points with a label so that when importing points into the drawing (as it is now), the attributes of the point are taken from the csv file and written to the point’s own properties? See attachment. This would extend the functionality of the tool and I assume that it would also lay the foundation for the possible re-export of such points from the drawing to a csv file, including all the details.

I tried to assign double click on middle-mouse button to zoomauto command, but it seems it’s not possible currently.

Would love to see this feature.

I’m used to have persistant selection while drawing (Application Preferences > Graphics View:Appearance > Selection), but I’m missing deselection of all objects with ESC key. I have seen the option to deselect with right key, but it’s nice to have right key for context menu.

Currently ESC key cancels current active command, but would be nice if there is no command active to also deselect all features by default.

Would be nice to change default font type and size for command line widget.

Multiline attributes can contain linefeeds and formatting like MTEXT.

Add a tool to duplicate a layout block with contents.

Hi,

I believe prior QCAD version 3.22.0.0 there was no rotating preview. The rotating preview shows the outcome regarding to the chosen center point. I know that it is also common for move/copy. However, for me it is very confusing and difficult to chose the correct center point for a rotation if I’m constantly been distracted by the most of the time overlapping preview of my selection. This said if the drawing is very detailed I have to zoom in extremely to be able to snap to the right entity. That wouldn’t be necessary without the preview. Additional rotate a large drawing selections will compromise the performance - CPU is going like crazy.

It would be nice to have an option to turn this preview on/off.

It would be helpful if the scale field that appears while placing a viewport would also re-appear when the viewport is selected after it’s already been placed in the layout. It would also be helpful if the pre-populated values in the dropdown matched those in the global layout scale field.

Headline should already explain the issue ...

Hi Andrew,

Creating G-code for cnc-laser, the laser-tool can not be correctly set at all.

Attached a laser tool proposal

Add SPx; with x being pen number from 1-8.

TODO:
- Which color corresponds to which pen number?
- What if there are more than 8 colors in a DXF files?

Hi Andrew

QCAD/CAM misses a hpgl.plt import. If gerber and G-code can, so should plt.

Hi Andrew

A request for adding some fields to the toolpath

Hallo Andrew,

I am still busy on the never ending G-code story. Doing so I wrote a small Post Processor Tutorial for all those nerds who wants to write their own. If you like it you might add it to QCAD. However, since English is not my native tongue I suggest checking it would be wise.

Meanwhile I have downloaded the source code, and could not find the CAM’s Drill-path-script. I am now using a negative Drill Cut Depth to set a Laser Dwell time, were as a field “Dwell Time (in seconds)” in the Drill-path would be more appropiate. Is this script open source available or is it part of ‘closed part’ of QCAD?

Hallo Andrew,

Still busy on the never ending G-code story. Urgently needed the very common Traverse Toolpath.

Example added as pdf.

Greetings

Hallo Andrew,

Still busy on the never ending G-code story. Urgently needed the very handy G-code Block Toolpath. This ‘toolpath’ also solves a lot of “editing requests”.

Hallo Andrew

It would be more than conveniant, defining the drilling locations of the drill toolpath, by selecting a circle’s center point.

Add a program description to the CAM configuration dialog and export to postprocessors as variable.

See also:
https://www.qcad.org/rsforum/posting.php?mode=quote&f=32&p=24649

With a Mac (and no external mouse) there’s no middle button so it’s not possible to pan the 3D view (that’s what they tell me in the forum). It would be useful if one could use command-drag or control-drag to pan around the 3D view.

Hello dear CAM developers!

I need to use the same tool at different spindle speed in a single machining file.
I would deeply appreciate if you could add a Spindle Speed edit field in the CAM Profile Toolpath edit window in order that each Toolpath can have its own Spindle Speed value (same as you did for Feed Rate and Plunge Rate)

FYI, the tool on my concern is a laser who’s power is driven by the Spindle Speed PWM signal.
I need to be able to do both engraving and cutting in a single file.
Alas! this laser tool is defined with a fix and unique number (99).
Therefore I cannot define different laser tools with different speeds.

Many thanks
Best regards.

I’m often in the situation that I have to select for nesting 50+ sheets. Currently is only a Shift + left mouse click selection possible. It would be nice if QCAD/CAM could get for the nesting / sheet selection additional a mouse rectangle area selection.

The inside corners of profile tool paths have rounded inside corners. This occurs because the rounded outside the bit cannot make it all the way into the corner of the feature. Think of tracing the inside wall of a cardboard box with a can of soup. The can makes direct contact with the box walls, but its
round shape is unable to completely fit into the tight corners— there’s always a gap.

In a dog-bone overcut (see the figure in attachment), the inside profile corner is enlarged into a semicircle, allowing the sharp edges of the mating piece to slide through without interference.

When a dog bone is applied to the inside corners, as shown in the second figure in the attachment, the joints fit together nicely!

The following website explains what should be implemented More elegant CNC dogbones

There are two ways to implement this tool. Either you modify the original design (as implemented in Fusion 360) or you can do it at the moment you define the tool path (Estlcam allows you to do this for example). See the feature Corner overcut, on Estlcam website