User:Rando
Hacking RDWorks
RDWorks is a proprietary program which uses a proprietary format to save projects as .rld files. These files themselves are not sent to the laser controller as-is, they are first converted to a .rd file, which is an RDCAM format, also proprietary. The RDCAM file is read by the laser controller, which is the case of Noisebridge's KaiTan CM-1309 is the RDC6442G controller.
While it would be great to hack the .rld format, so far I have only found a decoder for the .rd format. The .rd files are scrambled, but here is a tool which unscrambles them:
Note here:
How to dump '.rd' file
To dump a .rd file, use the 'SaveToUFile" button. Note this screenshot shows the model selection, which is only useful if you are using a locally installed copy of RDWorks. The laser machine is already set up.
Error creating thumbnail: Unable to save thumbnail to destination
How to decode a '.rd.' file
Use the decode command '/bin/decode <filename>':
This outputs a human readable command on the left and the actual commands sent to the laser controller on the right.
The ruida project linked above gives a key for the commands.
Opening a '.rd' file
An '.rd' file cannot be opened in RDWorks directly, but can be viewed in the 'Preview' screen.
In the preview screen, double click on the preview area, the black background.
Error creating thumbnail: Unable to save thumbnail to destination
This will pop-up a dialog to select a file.
Error creating thumbnail: Unable to save thumbnail to destination
This is not ideal for a complicated cut, not much can