WaterColorBot StippleGen2 and InkScape with Path File Output

[DrBot]

Hi Gang,

First off, let me say that for Father’s day we built the WaterColorBot as a 3-generational team and it was an absolutely FANTASTIC thing to do for that particular holiday.

OS: Windows 7
Software: StippleGen 2
Software: InkScape

Second, it’s nothing short of amazing. It’s as mesmerizing as the EggBot, but potentially even more-so because of its ability to make use of multiple colors. It’s a hoot to watch it paint a masterpiece with elegance and poise. Truly a magnificent creation!

Alright, I have been messing with StippleGen and encoding several images to stipple out (Judy Garland came out wonderfully).

The one thing I’d like to get working is a plot of the “path-file” that can be generated from within StippleGen2. When I try to plot it, the WaterColorBot goes to the bottom-right corner (after being homed in the upper-left corner from which other stipple/dot plots and watercolors have successfully run) and then just draws dead-vertical lines along the right-limited-margin. It’s confusing. It even acts as if it’s trying to drive the X motor beyond its stop at the end.

I was wondering if you’ve seen this before, if the “path” file is even intended to be plotted, and whether there might be a solution you would recommend.

Regards,

-S

[Windell Oskay]

I don’t see any fundamental reason why it shouldn’t work.  However, the SVG files that StippleGen produces are saved in “EggBot ready” format — that is, on a page of size 3200×800 pixels. That normally works out to 35.5 x 8.9 inches — larger than the WaterColorBot’s printable area. 

 If it seems like it’s trying to draw beyond the printable area, it probably is, and what you’ll need to do is to resize the SVG file to fit within the printable area.  The method to do this is different in RoboPaint and Inkscape.  In RoboPaint use the “fit content” button.  If you are using Inkscape, there is no automatic resize option that works well, but I’d suggest opening up a new WaterColorBot template and importing the SVG file to that document– then you can see how big the drawing will be, and resize it and drag it where you want it to print.

[DrBot]

Hi Windell!

Perfect advice! Calling out the fact that StippleGen2 generates by default for the EggBot as opposed to the WaterColorBot made me realize right off that I had to create a new WaterColorBot file from the template, then import the svg file created by StippleGen2 and size it in InkScape from there. Doing so made for a perfect 10K path plot of, “Still Life: Halved Peaches, Greenery and Raspberries.” It came out awesome…and so fun to watch.

I did also slow the pen-drawing speed to 20% which made the line more consistent and had an overall positive impact on the finished product.

Thanks so much!

-S

[Windell Oskay]

Great– glad to hear it.  And, thank you for your kind words about the WaterColorBot.  

[Author]

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