Corel Help

[Bert Kemp]

I'm trying to engrave the POWMIA insignia on acrylic But I'm having a real hard time getting the white to black and vice versa.The head and tower need to be black .Any help or advice would be appreciated. I would ask in corel forum but i don't know how to add a file there plus i don't think they have a lot of engravers that understand how engraving works . Thanks for any helpPOWMIA.cdr

[Glen Monaghan]

Bert,

Engraving acrylic is similar to engraving glass. The engraving frosts the surface, making it look white, so you have to engrave white areas. The areas you don't engrave will remain clear (not black) but will appear darker than the frosted white areas (at least from some angles and with the right lighting), but will look best if backed with something dark. That's why engraved glasses are typically displayed and photographed with a piece of black cloth or napkin tucked inside. For typical engraving artwork, you need to create a negative for this, with the head and tower in white and the surrounding area (that you want to be white on the acrylic) rendered in black.

[Bert Kemp]

Glenn I want the head and tower to engrave which means they have to be black in the file and the surrounding area not to engrave which means it has to be white in the file.If I try to make a neg or invert the file the total look changes.the tower is missing lines. I have engraved a lot of acrylic I know how it works, I just can't get the file right.

Bert,

Engraving acrylic is similar to engraving glass. The engraving frosts the surface, making it look white, so you have to engrave white areas. The areas you don't engrave will remain clear (not black) but will appear darker than the frosted white areas (at least from some angles and with the right lighting), but will look best if backed with something dark. That's why engraved glasses are typically displayed and photographed with a piece of black cloth or napkin tucked inside. For typical engraving artwork, you need to create a negative for this, with the head and tower in white and the surrounding area (that you want to be white on the acrylic) rendered in black.

[Kev Williams]

Bert--

To invert what engraves and what doesn't requires an outline. If the whole thing needs reversed, add an outline to the whole thing. If only part of it does, separate that part from the whole, move it like 20" right, add the outline, then move it back 20" left.

IF your new outline overlaps part of the original, you'll get either a hole that should be engraved, or engraving that should be a whole. Simple fix is to move the 2 sections apart. Or instead of adding an outline, if there's room, add an INLINE. This is a good way to fix individual portions of your graphic...

These two logos are totally flipped, because of one outline added (using the contour tool)...
outlineinline.jpg

[Bert Kemp]

Kev did you open the file I included and try that it didn't work for me. I don't know whats happening.the tower part is messed up

Bert--

To invert what engraves and what doesn't requires an outline. If the whole thing needs reversed, add an outline to the whole thing. If only part of it does, separate that part from the whole, move it like 20" right, add the outline, then move it back 20" left.

IF your new outline overlaps part of the original, you'll get either a hole that should be engraved, or engraving that should be a whole. Simple fix is to move the 2 sections apart. Or instead of adding an outline, if there's room, add an INLINE. This is a good way to fix individual portions of your graphic...

These two logos are totally flipped, because of one outline added (using the contour tool)...
outlineinline.jpg

[Glen Monaghan]

Glenn I want the head and tower to engrave which means they have to be black in the file and the surrounding area not to engrave which means it has to be white in the file.If I try to make a neg or invert the file the total look changes.the tower is missing lines. I have engraved a lot of acrylic I know how it works, I just can't get the file right.

Bertt,

When you said that you wanted the head and tower to be black, I mistakenly thought you wanted them to appear black after engraving, but you apparently want them to be black in the artwork (and so frosted white on the engraving). If this picture is what you want, a vector version is in the attached coreldraw file. I just drew a white vector circle around the head/tower to isolate them from the rest of the previously black background, selected the circle and bitmapped image, created new bitmap, autotraced, changed the fill on head/tower/text/ribbon from white to black, deleted the extra bits like the black circular area around head and tower/middles of P and O, and done.
POWMIA.jpg

[Bert Kemp]

Thanks Glenn yes that is exactly what I wanted to do. Thanx for the explanation,I was going batty trying to get the head and tower right. Now i know how to do it.

[Kev Williams]

no I didn't, let me do that....dum de dumm... ok, I see your problem--

The red outline needs to be beyond the black, then combine the black with the red outline, then boom-- it reverses color! How far beyond the black you moved the line determines how thick the outer border is, adjust to your preference...

However- you have another problem, the tower, guards's 'gun' and the barb wire are just open ended lines, which you're trying the engrave by thickening up the outlines-- this trick works with my western lasers, but NOT with my Triumph, and I don't think your Rabbit will either...

so do this:

set your nudge to 8"... move the circle and everything in it 8" right. Now, move the 'tower assembly' another 8" right. Now everthing's easy to get at

Note the tower and barb wire and the guard's gun are just lines, but the guard is 2 closed ovals... because they're closed, move them inside the 'head assembly'.

Now- draw a mouse box around the tower, gun and wire to group them-

--go to the ARRANGE tab, click SHAPING then click WELD...this connects everything--

--go back to the ARRANGE tab hit "convert outline to object". Volia! Now it's not just single lines, it's closed shapes!

Now we have to combine and a final weld... Make sure everything the in the head and tower assembly is ungrouped and uncombined.

--move the tower assembly back into the head assembly. Box both assemblies, and COMBINE.

when you paint it, you'll notice the tower legs and barb wire encroach into the head. With everything grouped, go to arrange/shaping/weld, and all should be right with the world!

Here's my result:

POWMIA.cdr.cdr

[Bert Kemp]

Thanx Kev you should have read Glenns reply before you went to all that trouble. But I'll try your way too and save it in my corel help file, for future ref.

[Kev Williams]

Glen got the same results but did it totally different than I did -- also, his reply wasn't there when I started--

I very rarely use bitmaps or Corel's Trace for anything. Or Gravostyle's Trace for that matter, both have a bad habit of sharpening round corners and rounding sharp corners. Never quite figured that one out!

[Bert Kemp]

Well I now have 2 different methods to work with .

Glen got the same results but did it totally different than I did -- also, his reply wasn't there when I started--

I very rarely use bitmaps or Corel's Trace for anything. Or Gravostyle's Trace for that matter, both have a bad habit of sharpening round corners and rounding sharp corners. Never quite figured that one out!

[Bert Kemp]

Thanks Kev and Glenn for the help with this,POW-MIA airwing (Copy).jpgIMG_20170808_105224788 (Copy).jpg just thought you might like to see how it turned out. Friend wanted some air deflectors for his trike , I made 2 for each side. other side has Air Force Insignia and Air Force wings.

[John Lifer]

Nice! Now how to edge light air deflectors..... A Whole new market Bert! I guess the 12V led strips would work, just have to figure out how to mount the strips.

[Bert Kemp]

John John Hush, I don't want the guy I made these for to see your post. I'll be in a whirl of it then Seriously tho it probably wouldn't be that hard to do

Nice! Now how to edge light air deflectors..... A Whole new market Bert! I guess the 12V led strips would work, just have to figure out how to mount the strips.