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Thread: Engrave and Vector the Same File: Laserworks V6 (RDcam) Shenhui Laser

  1. #1

    Engrave and Vector the Same File: Laserworks V6 (RDcam) Shenhui Laser

    I currently have a Shenhui Laser running RDcam v6 (aka Laserworks V6).
    I would like to engrave a gear shaped image, then vector cut the outline. Can this be done using a single file? (I am using the plugin in Corel).

    Currently I find that when I import a BMP into laserworks the original pixel size is retained. However when I import a vector file (.dxf) into laserworks it imports at a tiny size. Attempting to match the two files is next to impossible given the lack of layer controls. #Goldmethod

  2. #2
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    Davis;
    I don't mess with the plugin-some folks have been successful with it but not I.
    I prepare the image in CorelDraw, separating the engraved parts and saving it as a bitmap (Photopaint). The cut (vector) portion is saved as an AI file-has to be version 8.
    IImort them both into Laserworks-the bitmap first and then imort and align the ai file.
    Good Luck
    Best Regards,
    George
    Laserarts

  3. #3
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    Hi Davis -
    I don't fully understand your [gear]project - or, what the image will be applied to, if anything - and, I don't know a thing 'bout Laserworks V6, etc. But, just in case it's applicable, in some way, I'll mention CorelDraw's 3-D engraving function. In this case, a plaque I did for an engineering student. (I am probably way off the mark in trying to help.) Anyway, Good luck.

    Bill
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    (Using Epilog 35W Mini 24)

  4. #4
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    I don't use the software, but it shoudl be the same as most others... engraving in black, cutting in red hairline, send file.
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  5. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by George M. Perzel View Post
    Davis;
    I don't mess with the plugin-some folks have been successful with it but not I.
    I prepare the image in CorelDraw, separating the engraved parts and saving it as a bitmap (Photopaint). The cut (vector) portion is saved as an AI file-has to be version 8.
    IImort them both into Laserworks-the bitmap first and then imort and align the ai file.
    Good Luck
    Best Regards,
    George
    Laserarts
    George, Thank you for the tip. Once the file is in Laserworks is there anyway to select between layers?
    - Once my cut out is larger than the size of the image I can no longer select the image.

  6. #6
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    Davis;
    Let's assume you have a bitmap image in black (scan) and a cut image in red (cut). Right click on the black color in the WORK section on the right side of the screen. Now ya got it!
    Best Regards,Ge
    orgeLa
    serarts

  7. #7
    I have Laserworks with my Vytek. It's definitely not the same as color coding/stroke weight.

    I would prepare the cut as a filled vector shape in red or any color other than black. Prepare the engaving part in black (or any color other than the cut). I do this in Illustrator, but it presumably works similar in Corel.

    Import the file into LaserWorks. There is a mode which may or may not be enabled, that will show a pallet of swatches on the right side of the screen. Each swatch represents a color in the file. This is not to be confused with the 40 or so swatches along the bottom. Hold down control and click the black swatch. That will hide/disable that color. Select the red object and go to Machine->create tool path->Male, select your tool and generate the tool path. This will show up as a new color in the swatch list. Control-click black to re-enable it. Select everything and move it to where you want it on your material. Then control-click both red and the tool path layer to disable those. Select the black and go to Transform->render to bitmap. Specify the resolution and click apply. Re-enable the other layers and click the button to send the job to the laser.

    Note that for my machine anyway, once you have rendered something to bitmap, if you move it somewhere else on the material, rotate it, etc, the laser will not see that change. Apparently the way it is on the material when you render to bitmap is the way it will be. I suspect the reason for this is that Laserworks is built on Cadlink's software which was originally written for CNC tools like routers, plasma cutters and things for which engraving a bitmap doesn't exist. So they "hacked" it to make bitmap an option but it has flaws in how it is implemented. So if you need to tweak the position, you have to undo the convert to bitmap, move it, then re-render it. It's a pain, but it is what it is. Also, the resolution you render to is what defines your engraving resolution. And on my machine, if you bring in a layout with multiple items already in bitmap form, you should select them all and render them as one bitmap or the machine will engrave each one individually (or so I'm told, I haven't tried this.) Apparently if I bring in a grayscale image and don't render to bitmap, it will vary the laser power by gray level, basically what was 3D mode on other machines (also haven't tried on my current machine.)

    If you create an object and subtract the inside cuts from it to make it a fillable shape, then even if you apply a male tool path, it will know to make the inner elements female tool paths automatically. It also knows to cut the inside paths before the outside path. Beyond that, LW cuts from back to front which means your perimeter cut should be on top of the items under it... you know, so you can't see them! This makes no sense to me. There is a selection in the machine settings I think that says raster before cutting, which seems to overrule the stack order. The tutorial videos I was given show moving the bitmap to the back to get them to engrave first, but I never do that and it works fine.

    The above assumes you have LW configured to position your object relative to the defined material size. The other mode will position it relative to the item being cut/engraved. But that means if you send a job that is an engraving and a separate job output from the same file that is only the perimeter cut, they won't line up because the engraving is slightly smaller than the cut. But if you send relative to the material, it will align. I often position stuff in the corner of the material so where I set home is where it will cut.

    While I used to do all my art as objects with stroke and no fill, LW wants just the opposite. On import, if the Thick Line option is checked, it will create a path on both sides of any strokes which will lead to double cutting. So you want to be sure to turn that off. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be a way to force it to stay off. Importing with it off causes any open paths to be invisible and on a transparent layer. The first thing you need to do after import is turn off all the other colors, select all and select one of the layer colors along the bottom of the screen to assign them to a layer. Now they will be visible but dashed lines since they're open paths. You can then apply an on-line tool path to them.

    LW is definitely a different way of working, but once I got used to it, it's not so bad. It's annoying that it doesn't respect layers in files, but you can get that effect by assigning the contents of each "layer" to a different fill color. Then you can turn them on and off in LW. It will only send objects that have a tool path or are rendered as bitmaps to the laser, so anything else on the material, or anything not on the material will not be sent to the laser.
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