Machine Shop, Software

GCMC Guilloche Plot Generator

It turns out the Spirograph patterns I’d been using to wring out the MPCNC are also known as Guilloché, perhaps after the guy who invented a lathe-turning machine to engrave them. Sounds pretentious, but they still look nice:

Guilloche 591991062 - scanned
Guilloche 591991062 – scanned

With the ballpoint pen / knife collet holder in mind, I stripped the tool changes out of the Spirograph generator GCMC source code, set the “paper size” to a convenient 100 mm square, and tidied up the code a bit.

As with Spirograph patterns, changing the random number seed produces entirely different results. A collection differing in the last digit, previewed online:

Seed = 213478836:

Guilloche 213478836
Guilloche 213478836

Seed = 213478837:

Guilloche 213478837
Guilloche 213478837

Seed = 213478838:

Guilloche 213478838
Guilloche 213478838

Seed = 213478839:

Guilloche 213478839
Guilloche 213478839

They’re such unique snowflakes …

The Bash script now accepts a single parameter to force the PRNG seed to a value you presumably want to plot again, rather than just accept whatever the Gods of Cosmic Jest will pick for you.

The GCMC source code and Bash (or whatever) script feeding it as a GitHub Gist:

// Spirograph simulator for MPCNC used as plotter
// Ed Nisley KE4ZNU - 2017-12-23
// Adapted for Guillioche plots with ball point pens - 2018-09-25
// Spirograph equations:
// https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirograph
// Loosely based on GCMC cycloids.gcmc demo:
// https://gitlab.com/gcmc/gcmc/tree/master/example/cycloids.gcmc
// Required command line parameters:
// -D Pen=n pen selection, 0 = no legend, 1 = current pen
// -D PaperSize=[x,y] overall sheet size: [17in,11in]
// -D PRNG_Seed=i non-zero random number seed
include("tracepath.inc.gcmc");
include("engrave.inc.gcmc");
//-----
// Greatest Common Divisor
// https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greatest_common_divisor#Using_Euclid's_algorithm
// Inputs = integers without units
function gcd(a,b) {
if (!isnone(a) || isfloat(a) || !isnone(b) || isfloat(b)) {
warning("GCD params must be dimensionless integers:",a,b);
}
local d = 0; // power-of-two counter
while (!((a | b) & 1)) { // remove and tally common factors of two
a >>= 1;
b >>= 1;
d++;
}
while (a != b) {
if (!(a & 1)) {a >>= 1;} // discard non-common factor of 2
elif (!(b & 1)) {b >>= 1;} // ... likewise
elif (a > b) {a = (a - b) >> 1;} // gcd(a,b) also divides a-b
else {b = (b - a) >> 1;} // ... likewise
}
local GCD = a*(1 << d); // form gcd
// message("GCD: ",GCD);
return GCD;
}
//-----
// Max and min functions
function max(x,y) {
return (x > y) ? x : y;
}
function min(x,y) {
return (x < y) ? x : y;
}
//-----
// Pseudo-random number generator
// Based on xorshift:
// https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xorshift
// http://www.jstatsoft.org/v08/i14/paper
// Requires initial state from calling script
// -D "PRNG_Seed=whatever"
// You can get nine reasonably random digits from $(date +%N)
function XORshift() {
local x = PRNG_State;
x ^= x << 13;
x ^= x >> 17;
x ^= x << 5;
PRNG_State = x;
return x;
}
//-----
// Spirograph tooth counts mooched from:
// http://nathanfriend.io/inspirograph/
// Stators includes both inside and outside counts, because we're not fussy
Stators = [96, 105, 144, 150];
Rotors = [24, 30, 32, 36, 40, 45, 48, 50, 52, 56, 60, 63, 64, 72, 75, 80, 84];
//-----
// Start drawing things
// Set initial parameters from command line!
comment("PRNG seed: ",PRNG_Seed);
PRNG_State = PRNG_Seed;
// Define some useful constants
AngleStep = 2.0deg;
Margins = [12mm,12mm] * 2;
comment("Paper size: ",PaperSize);
PlotSize = PaperSize - Margins;
comment("PlotSize: ",PlotSize);
//-----
// Set up gearing
s = (XORshift() & 0xffff) % count(Stators);
StatorTeeth = Stators[s];
comment("Stator ",s,": ",StatorTeeth);
r = (XORshift() & 0xffff) % count(Rotors);
RotorTeeth = Rotors[r];
comment("Rotor ",r,": ",RotorTeeth);
GCD = gcd(StatorTeeth,RotorTeeth); // reduce teeth to ratio of least integers
comment("GCD: ",GCD);
StatorN = StatorTeeth / GCD;
RotorM = RotorTeeth / GCD;
L = to_float((XORshift() & 0x3ff) - 512) / 100.0; // normalized pen offset in rotor
comment("Offset: ", L);
sgn = sign((XORshift() & 0xff) - 128);
K = sgn*to_float(RotorM) / to_float(StatorN); // normalized rotor dia
comment("Dia ratio: ",K);
Lobes = StatorN; // having removed all common factors
Turns = RotorM;
comment("Lobes: ", Lobes);
comment("Turns: ", Turns);
//-----
// Crank out a list of points in normalized coordinates
Path = {};
Xmax = 0.0;
Xmin = 0.0;
Ymax = 0.0;
Ymin = 0.0;
for (a = 0.0deg ; a <= Turns*360deg ; a += AngleStep) {
x = (1 - K)*cos(a) + L*K*cos(a*(1 - K)/K);
if (x > Xmax) {Xmax = x;}
elif (x < Xmin) {Xmin = x;}
y = (1 - K)*sin(a) - L*K*sin(a*(1 - K)/K);
if (y > Ymax) {Ymax = y;}
elif (y < Ymin) {Ymin = y;}
Path += {[x,y]};
}
//message("Max X: ", Xmax, " Y: ", Ymax);
//message("Min X: ", Xmin, " Y: ", Ymin); // min will always be negative
Xmax = max(Xmax,-Xmin); // odd lobes can cause min != max
Ymax = max(Ymax,-Ymin); // ... need really truly absolute maximum
//-----
// Scale points to actual plot size
PlotScale = [PlotSize.x / (2*Xmax), PlotSize.y / (2*Ymax)];
comment("Plot scale: ", PlotScale);
Points = scale(Path,PlotScale); // fill page, origin at center
//-----
// Start drawing lines
feedrate(1500.0mm);
TravelZ = 1.5mm;
PlotZ = -1.0mm;
//-----
// Box the outline for camera alignment
goto([-,-,TravelZ]);
goto([-PaperSize.x/2,-PaperSize.y/2,-]);
goto([-,-,PlotZ]);
foreach ( {[-1,1], [1,1], [1,-1], [-1,-1]} ; pt) {
move([pt.x*PaperSize.x/2,pt.y*PaperSize.y/2,-]);
}
goto([-,-,TravelZ]);
//-----
// Draw the plot
tracepath(Points, PlotZ);
//-----
// Add legends
// ... only for nonzero Pen
if (Pen) {
feedrate(250mm);
TextFont = FONT_HSANS_1_RS;
TextSize = [2.5mm,2.5mm];
TextLeading = 1.5; // line spacing as multiple of nominal text height
line1 = typeset("Seed: " + PRNG_Seed + " Stator: " + StatorTeeth + " Rotor: " + RotorTeeth,TextFont);
line2 = typeset("Offset: " + L + " GCD: " + GCD + " Lobes: " + Lobes + " Turns: " + Turns,TextFont);
maxlength = TextSize.x * max(line1[-1].x,line2[-1].x);
textpath = line1 + (line2 - [-, TextLeading, -]); // undef - n -> undef to preserve coordinates
textorg = [-maxlength/2,PaperSize.y/2 - 0*Margins.y/2 - 2*TextLeading*TextSize.y/2];
placepath = scale(textpath,TextSize) + textorg;
comment("Legend begins");
engrave(placepath,TravelZ,PlotZ);
attrpath = typeset("Ed Nisley - KE4ZNU - softsolder.com",TextFont);
attrorg = [-(TextSize.x * attrpath[-1].x)/2,-(PaperSize.y/2 - Margins.y/2 + 2*TextLeading*TextSize.y)];
placepath = scale(attrpath,TextSize) + attrorg;
comment("Attribution begins");
engrave(placepath,TravelZ,PlotZ);
}
goto([PaperSize.x/2,PaperSize.y/2,25.0mm]); // done, so get out of the way
view raw Guilloche.gcmc hosted with ❤ by GitHub
# Guilloche G-Code Generator
# Ed Nisley KE4ZNU - September 2018
Paper='PaperSize=[100mm,100mm]'
Flags="-P 2"
LibPath="-I /opt/gcmc/library"
Spirograph='/mnt/bulkdata/Project Files/Mostly Printed CNC/Patterns/Guilloche.gcmc'
Prolog="/home/ed/.config/gcmc/prolog.gcmc"
Epilog="/home/ed/.config/gcmc/epilog.gcmc"
ts=$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S)
if [ -n "$1" ] # if parameter
then
rnd=$1 # .. use it
else
rnd=$(date +%N) # .. otherwise use nanoseconds
fi
fn='Guilloche_'${ts}_$rnd'.ngc'
echo Output: $fn
p=1
rm -f $fn
echo "(File: "$fn")" > $fn
#cat $Prolog >> $fn
gcmc -D Pen=$p -D $Paper -D PRNG_Seed=$rnd $Flags $LibPath -G $Prolog -g $Epilog "$Spirograph" >> $fn
#cat $Epilog >> $fn
view raw guilloche.sh hosted with ❤ by GitHub