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Make sure, as with all digital design packages, to save early and save often. You will want to make sure to save as type .SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics).
Which machines in DaBL use vector files for fabrication:Make sure, as with all digital design packages, to save early and save often. You will want to make sure to save as type .SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics)
*ULS PLS4==Preparing your designs for CAM==If you're eventually going to be using one of DaBL's machines to fabricate your design, some considerations are in order. Each machine's CAM software has a specific way of interpreting your design; as such, setting up your design in a certain way may work for one type of machine, but not another.75 Laser cutter*GCC Jaguar VLX Vinyl cutter*Bantam Tools PCB millEach of the following CAM packages will allow import of 2D vector files:
== Preparing your designs for CAM ==* [[Universal Control Panel (software)|Laser cutting with UCP]]* [[GreatCut (software)|Vinyl cutting with GreatCut]]In certain situations, a manufacturing machine may say that it will accept your design file but might have certain restrictions on those design parameters so that the CAM * [[Bantam Tools (software will understand. This section will explore some of the specific design procedures to setup your CAD design for a specific CAM )|Milling with Bantam Tools software.]]
first big edit pass; add Checklist
This tutorial will cover the basics of 2-dimensional [[Computer-aided design]] (CAD) using the software Inkscape.
== Vectors ==You may have used a digital drawing program before - perhaps MSPaint, or Paint.net, for example. Most digital Many drawing programs end up storing , including the two previously mentioned, store the image you create in '''bitmap''' form: it is made of an array of pixels, and each pixel is assigned a certain color. There is another way, however, to store image information: in the form of vectors. A '''vector''' is nothing more than at least two points in 2D space, in between which a line is drawn. In actuality, vectors are stored as equations for a line, defined by the xy values of each of the points.
Why does this matter? Unlike a bitmap - which can be recreated in the real world with something like a dot-matrix printer - a vector drawing can be interpreted by a fabrication device which has xy controls and which understands equations. These devices make it possible to fabricate much more intricate designs than devices which work with bitmaps.
*Node handles (for creating Bezier curves)
== Object properties ==
Object and path properties:
*Fill
== The Inkscape UI ==
Inkscape UI is fairly straightforward:
*Floating windows which can be docked (including Stroke and Fill, Layers, et al.)
== Layers ==
Layering is a way of organising the objects on the canvas. This is useful for perspective, as well as for grouping.
=== Laser cutting with UCP =Workshop checklist ==The laser cutter's CAM softwareBy the end of this Workshop, you should: # Understand what vectors are.# Know how to resize the canvas and change the default measurement units.# Be able to move elements around the canvas..# Know how to work with vectors, universal control panel (UCP)including how to split and merge them.# Know how to work with layers.# Be able to snap elements to other elements.# Understand and utilize stroke and fill to change the appearance of elements.# Know how to change the default color system and manipulate the palette.# Be able to save your design as a PNG and as a PDF.
