![]() ![]() Pictures need some futzing to look right, though. If you've got to get that jpeg picture converted to a dxf, than something like AlgoLab Raster to Vector Conversion Toolkit is the way to go. There are other programs that will translate file formats, too. I use Extensis Portfolio (and Thumbs Plus for CMX) to keep 'em organized as Windoze won't display them all as thumbnails. Having oodles of clipart is great, but what good is it if you can't find that Chicago Blackhawks insignia ( you remeber hockey?) when you want it. Just regen your drawing prior to output for best results. Vector Clipart doesn't degrade when it's imported/exported like bitmaps do, for the most part. Go down to file>Import or File> Export, then save as. It won't be enough to try and open a non-native format. Or, if you are stashing your cash for a mill like me, free is good, too.īecause clipart comes in so many forms, sometimes you'll have to import & export it using a few of these above programs (or their equivalents). You'll see clipart on ebay using words like: VECTOR CLIP ART VINYL PLOTTER CUTTER. Then add the text I want & export as a DXF file. this would break it up into it's components, allowing you to grab just the shark. Sometimes all the componets will be "grouped" together- so you'd hi-light (or select) the scene & hit "ungroup". The beauty of clipart is if you just need an image of say, a shark, but can only find a deep-sea fishing scene, you can just swipe the shark and delete the rest easily. ![]() You can buy disks full of images & logos that you can use to get started, then make your changes from there. It'd take alot longer to draw that Calvin pissing, too. It'd take a long time to get that "Ford" script-font to look just right in AutoCad or Illustrator. If you want to mill a "Ford" logo into somthing, you want it to look perfect. I use Xara (Corel bought 'em) to translate these to EPS for Illustrator as I don't have (or want) Corel Draw on my box.Ĭlipart- is canned images most commonly found in EPS, AI or CMX format. Reason I mention is that there is alot of clipart in CMX format available. I use EXDXF Pro to export my files.ĬMX- Corel Draw- Like Adobe Illustrator, for the most part- different company. ![]() A Plug-in is a third-party component that lets Illustrator export DXF files, for example. ![]() You'll need to add something to the program called a "plug-in" for saving & reading some formats for best results. If you want to get creative with curvy text, this is the one. Much easier to get started than Autocad, but not as precise. More on this in clipart section.ĪI- Adobe Illustrator format- this is a drawing program that's great for manipulating and creating. AutoCad is very precise- if you use the command line to tell it to draw a line from 0,0 to 4,4, it'll do just that.ĮPS- (Encapsulated Post Script) Is actually something they use alot in the print world & can be a combo of raster & vector, but we'll just concern ourselves with the vector component. There are cheaper or even free cad programs that'll generate the same output, but this is the king. All implementations of AutoCAD accept this format and are able to convert it to and from their internal drawing file representation. So, they came up with Drawing Interchange file format (DXF) has been defined. Here is what those letters above mean:ĭXF- AutoCad uses a DWG as it's native output (actually a database), but Autocad keeps coming up w/ versions & features- all of which don't translate well to other programs that might have to read it. There are alot of ways to skin this cat, so it might be a bit confusing. This is alot closer to G-Code, but close 'aint good enuff. They won't show up in a web browser, tho. They also are small files, so email great. The beauty of these is that they can be scaled (enlarged or shrunk) without affecting the crispness. Obviously, things get hairy fast when you start adding complex curves. Example: Start of line is at 3,0 and end of line is at 7,8. A vector is like a recipe of cartesian (X,Y) coordinates. We won't concern ourselves w/ these for now.Ģ) Vector (DXF,AI,EPS,CMX.)- This is what we want to use. If you enlarge image, you get "jaggies"- straight lines appear jagged- NOT good for a toolpath! You'd use Photoshop to fool with these. The larger the image, the larger the file- more dots. These are made like your sunday newspaper or tv pics- a bunch of dots. Graphics- there are basically 2 kinds of graphics-ġ) Bitmaps (jpegs, gifs, png.) these are what you see when you go to a website- usually jpeg or gif. Simplified somewhat and targeted to 2-dimensional. Here is how I get my CNC router to do what I want. ![]()
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