Coreldraw X4 and Vinyl Cutting

[LUV DEM TIGERS]

Okay, I am relatively inexperienced so here is my question. I draw something using bezier curves and cut in on my Mimaki CG-60st ( it is just like a Roland 24). My Mimaki allows me to cut directly from Corel. My problem is that my cutter cuts from node to node lifts up and then drops down and cuts to the next node, picks up and then drops down again and keeps cutting from node to node instead of just making one continious cut. In other words let's just say that I was going to draw a 12 inch straight line and I put the nodes one inch apart. It cuts from 0 to 1 and then cuts from 1 to 2, and then from 2-3...... instead of just cutting a line from 0 to 12. I hope I made sense. What can I do to prevent that?

 

[daveb]

Sounds like the points aren't closed, it treats each line segment separately. Select the nodes with the shape tool and then close path under arrange, that will make it one continuous path.

Dave

 

[LUV DEM TIGERS]

Sounds like the points aren't closed, it treats each line segment separately. Select the nodes with the shape tool and then close path under arrange, that will make it one continuous path.

Dave

Thanks, I will try that tomorrow.

Do you have to actually select the nodes, or can you select the line that is made by the nodes?

 

[daveb]

Yes you need to select all the nodes, a plotter needs a "closed shape" otherwise it treats each individual segment separately. When you draw your shape if you begin your next line segment on top of the last point it should join those two points (by default) and if your last point is on top of the very first it will "close the shape", that also allows you to assign color or fill that shape.

Hope this makes sense
Dave

 

[LUV DEM TIGERS]

Thanks. I will give that a shot today.

 

[LUV DEM TIGERS]

Okay, I just drew a random shape that started and stopped at the same node. Using the shape tool I choose all the nodes involved in this shape and I looked under "Arrange" and the option "Close Path" was grayed out.

Then I drew a shape that started and ended at a different point. At that point I chose the nodes and "Close Path" was now an option. There were four options under that and I understand those. I haven't put in on my cutter yet because I am not where it is at.

So when I draw something using the bezier, I have to leave it open and then close it using the above mentioned method so that way it will cut as one solid swoop as opposed to cutting between each node separately?

Am I missing something?

 

[signage]

In Corel if you color the item and it not closed it will not fill in!

Not if you can fill in an open object you need to go to options>documents and uncheck fill open curves!

Also to cut it has to have a hairline!

 

[J Hill Designs]

doesn't really need a closed path...you can do a half circle just fine...maybe you have tangential emulation going on?

 

[LUV DEM TIGERS]

All I know is if I cut a line that I have made using the bezier tool, whether it is closed or not, looks like a bunch of individual cut lines placed end to end at each node. It looks like a kids dot-to-dot book when it is cut.

I want to be able to cut one solid line that looks smooth, not a bunch of single lines put together. When I use letters or regular vector art it looks like a single line.

 

[J Hill Designs]

what are you outputting as/with etc? I've found this when outputting dxf files incorrectly for my router...

do circles turn into multiple straight lines, or multiple arcs?

 

[LUV DEM TIGERS]

what are you outputting as/with etc? I've found this when outputting dxf files incorrectly for my router...

do circles turn into multiple straight lines, or multiple arcs?

When I want to cut, I just click on my printer icon, it comes up with my different printers that I have. And my Mimaki shows up as a printer choice. I choose it just like I would any other printer. I set my page size and hit print. It starts cutting. Letters are fine. Vector artwork that I have from other sources cut just fine. If I convert a bmp into a vector file (which Corel Draw X4 does a pretty good job at times) it cuts just fine. But when I use the bezier tool, it looks like a bunch of cuts stuck together. And you can hear and see the cutting blade raise and lower at each node.

 

[signage]

Are you saying it you place one point with the bezier tool and hold control move and click again you are seeing more than two nodes?

 

[LUV DEM TIGERS]

No. But say I have a really wavy line and I choose my bezier tool. I click one time and it gives me a node. I click again, I get another node, I click again for another node and so on (and I don't hold the ctrl key while doing this). I end up with a line with several nodes on it. When I go to cut the line, it looks like it cuts from first node to the second node, lifts, comes back down and cuts from the second node to the third node, lifts, comes back down and cuts from the third node to the fourth node and so on. If I have 10 nodes in one line, it makes 9 individual cuts (one cut between each node) as opposed to just one single cut from the first node to the 10th node. What I am getting now is the cutter starts and stops between nodes.

 

[J Hill Designs]

still thinking tangential emulation is the culprit (thats kinda what it does to get crisp corners is lift spin drop move instead of dragging around the corner)

at least thats how I understand it...

 

[LUV DEM TIGERS]

still thinking tangential emulation is the culprit (thats kinda what it does to get crisp corners is lift spin drop move instead of dragging around the corner)

at least thats how I understand it...

Even on rounded shapes? How do you prevent that?

 

[J Hill Designs]

somewhere in setting of the plotter driver, I would assume

 

[LUV DEM TIGERS]

It does a great job on truetype fonts and standard vector image files that I have.

 

[J Hill Designs]

hmmm

 

[LUV DEM TIGERS]

Okay, just from my testing yesterday, it is actually double cutting the lines. It starts at the first node cuts to the second node and cuts back to the first node. It then lifts and advances to the second node and cuts to the third node and then cuts back to the second node. And this keeps repeating itelf.

I tried exporting as a .plt and then reopening. It didn't fix it. I tried the pen tool as opposed to the bezier tool and got the same results. I forgot to try welding it. I had some other rush things to do.

 

[daveb]

More information would be good... how long have you had the system? Has it always done this? Have you changed software recently, say from CDx3 to CDx4 (we have to plot out of CD11 because our Fine Cut software is 7 years old)? What plug in do you use to plot with out of Corel?