If the name didn’t give you a clue, manual tracing involves tracing-or drawing-over your raster image with vector lines. We’ll discuss how each process works briefly and help you decide which is best for you. This can be done by either manual tracing or automatically tracing your JPG. This vector can then be converted directly to G-Code which can be read by control software and used to run your CNC machine.Ĭonversion-or vectorization-involves taking your raster, in this case a JPG (or JPEG), and converting it to a vector. Fortunately, conversion software like Scan2CAD can trace your simple JPG and convert it to a vector file format so you can take your design to fabrication. These machines only work with vector file formats or G-Code. You can see why, then, you can’t simply take a JPG and automatically use it with your CNC machine. From how fast your tools move to the speed of rotation, everything is covered in the G-Code. This language controls exactly how your CNC machine’s tools move. The most popular programming language is G-Code, the creation of which marked an important step in the history of CAM. As such, you could take the same vector image and use it on both a business card and a billboard.ĬNC machines like routers or milling machines make use of a series of pre-programmed commands to-in subtractive processes-take material from your piece. This means that it doesn’t matter how much you zoom in or change the scale: they remain high in quality. Unlike rasters, they’re made up of paths, not pixels. Used in graphic design, engineering and CAD, vectors don’t lose their quality.

In comparison, vector file types like DXF and DWG are mathematically perfect. Unfortunately, this means that changing your raster’s scale is difficult and ill-advised. Rasters are made up entirely of pixels-those tiny squares that become more noticeable when you zoom in or enlarge your JPG.

While it’s a common file format (and small in size, which makes it ideal for sharing) it comes with a range of issues that all raster file types suffer from. JPG (and JPEG) is a raster file format which is used predominantly for digital photography.

Top tips for converting images to G-Code.

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