engraving hatch design

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red_beard_mexican
Newbie Member
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue May 06, 2025 9:58 pm

engraving hatch design

Post by red_beard_mexican » Thu Jul 31, 2025 6:53 pm

windows 10 pro
qcad/cam
version: 3.31.2.0 (3.21.2)
build date: 10/26/24
revision: bae1b88
Qt version: 5.13.2
architecture: x86_64
compiler: MSVC++14.0 (2015)

Is there a way to program a toolpath to a hatch design because every time i click on the design and try to program a toolpath it freezes up on me?
Attachments
engrave pattern 3.jpg
engrave pattern 3.jpg (3.4 MiB) Viewed 23008 times
engrave pattern 2.jpg
engrave pattern 2.jpg (3.19 MiB) Viewed 23008 times
engrave pattern.jpg
engrave pattern.jpg (2.27 MiB) Viewed 23008 times

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Husky
Moderator/Drawing Help/Testing
Posts: 5054
Joined: Wed May 11, 2011 9:25 am
Location: USA

Re: engraving hatch design

Post by Husky » Thu Jul 31, 2025 8:07 pm

Hi,
to help you effectively it would help if you also attach the dxf to your post ... :wink:

Edit: Never mind. Looks like the hatch wasn't exploded, I'm right? If so please explode and try to create the tool path again.
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CVH
Premier Member
Posts: 4955
Joined: Wed Sep 27, 2017 4:17 pm

Re: engraving hatch design

Post by CVH » Fri Aug 01, 2025 4:25 am

Hi,

A hatch is probably not an entity type that can be used as a base of a toolpath.
Similar as a text, a dimension or solid entity in direct.
Solid fills are entirely out of the question.

But QCAD/CAM should not freeze up. :roll:

Explode the hatching pattern to line-art with: Modify .. Explode (XP).
That would generate a vast amount of individual short line segments.

QCAD/CAM then tries to recombine them in connected paths what may be a lengthy or troublesome process too.

Hatching patterns may not be stable, typically much further from the hatching origin.
What is intended to be (nearly) connected may shift so much that it fails some connection tolerance.
This should not be a problem for the pattern ZIGZAG, especially when all are axis aligned. :wink:

To make things easier try:
- Select Hatch entity.
- XP > All from the explosion are selected
- OC > Perfectly connected segments as Polylines

Verify if all are connected as Polylines with a narrow selection box, dragged from right to left, around only some endings.
If not then see Application Preferences .. Draw .. Polyline from Selection to adapt the joining tolerance.
Avoid gap bridging.

QCAD/CAM should not have a problem with the 50 or so Polylines from your example.

That is at least less work than processing 1000 or so individual segments. :wink:
Remind that it must also figure out the shortest route for traversing between them.

Regards,
CVH

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