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:
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.
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.