A plugin for Gimp which turns images into GCode for LASERS
Start by opening gimp. From within gimp, select Edit->Preferences. Then, expand Folders in the lefthand pane. Then, select Plugins. This will show where gimp looks for plugins.
Drop 'BUILDBOTICS-laser-plugin' into the folder found above.
For Gimp 2.10, Drop 'BUILDBOTICS-laser-plugin-for-gimp2.10.py' into the folder found above.
For Gimp 2.8, Drop 'BUILDBOTICS-laser-plugin-for-gimp2.8.py' into the folder found above.
Then select File -> Export g-code for laser engraving... to run the plug-in.
The plugin will be "grayed out" and inaccessible until an image is loaded.
After loading and image and making any desired changes, select 'File->Export g-code for laser engraving' to open the plugin.
All distance values are entered in millimeters.
The "Output image width (mm)" field specifies how wide the resulting LASER image will be.
The "Size of one output pixel (mm)" specifies the size of a single pixel. For instance, a value of .25 means each pixel in the LASER image will be .25mm square.
"Feed rate in mm/minute" specifies the rate at which the LASER head will move relative to the surface work piece while the LASER is on.
"Minimum LASER S-value" specifies the power setting for the LASER at its lowest power.
"Maximum LASER S-value" specifies the power setting for the LASER at its highest power.
"Minimum rapid distance movement" specifies the minimum distance that will be converted to a rapid move when the LASER is off. For instance if the LASER output is at zero and a move of 20 millimeters is encountered, that move would be converted to a rapid move if the setting is set to 10, but would not be converted to a rapid move if the setting is set to 25.
"Minimum pixel value" sets the minimum pixel value that will result in turning on the LASER. For instance, if this field is set to 20, pixels with a value less than 20 will result in the LASER power being set to 0.
"Laser intensity (%)" scales the output LASER power by the amount specified. Lower settings result in lighter engraved images.
Clicking "OK" causes the user to be prompted for an output file and folder. Then the resulting g-code is created and saved in the file that was specified.