New Rabbit QX-60-9060

[Carol Mancuso]

Ray is delivering and training us tomorrow on our new QX-60-9060. I'm very excited and a bit overwhelmed. I've been reading a bunch on this forum, but until I touch and feel the process, it doesn't really stick.
One thing that I need to sort out is a software question. I have Inkscape (very rudimentary skills), but I see a lot of enthusiasm for Corel Draw. I understand that the Rabbit QX models are controlled with RD Works. Is there an advantage to using Corel Draw over Inkscape? (I'm going to be doing mostly vector cutting.)
Thanks
Carol

[John Kleiber]

You made a good choice with that model.

Free vector software is good, but I went with Corel X8.

You get what you pay for and pay for what you get.

-John

[David Somers]

Congrats Carol! Give our best to Ray!!

Corel has a huge list of capabilities. Far more than you really need to develop designs for a laser in most instances, depending on what you want to do.
Inkscape is quite capable, and free.

Corel has a very large base of laser users who can help you, but it is an expensive program.

Inkscape has a good sized based of support, but far fewer laser users in that group.

I might be tempted to base this on the $$ you are comfortable with. Especially since you are very early in your learning curve on inkscape. If $$ are tight consider sticking with Inkscape and learn it well. It should be able to do what you want with a laser.
If you are OK on dollars I might go with Corel in order to have herd protection with all the Corel users on lasers.

For myself, I had used Corel years ago so it was familiar to me. I went with Corel, partly for the herd protection, and partly because I hoped I would learn it well enough to help others out now and then.

My only difficulty is I hate Windows and the Chinese laser and CNC world kind of keeps you stuck in it. Oh well. That is my own personal bias though.

[Bert Kemp]

Hi Carol you got a great laser, Tell Ray Bert from AZ said Hi, Inkscape should work fine but as Dave said lots of us use corel. I,m sure you can find a an old version for cheap bucks on ebay or Amazon. I bought a licensed x5 version for $60 a few years ago. Good luck have fun

[John Blazy]

Hi Carol,

I don't want to steer you away from Corel, especially if you will be doing intricate engraving and complex graphics, but I bought Corel X7 and still have not learned it - too complex for me, as all I do is 2D cutting and occasional simple engraving. Compare that to my QCAD 2D cad program from Ribbonsoft for only 50 bucks, and I self learned that (my first experience in CAD drawing) in one weekend to the point of completing the drawing below the following monday to send out for laser cutting in thick stainless. I have drawn hundreds of complex drawings, and have not come up with any complex design that I could not do with this simple QCAD, because its not dumbed down for newbies, but is simply really inuitive.

When Ray set up my laser, we imported one of my files from QCAD and it came up in LaserCut 53 in perfect conversion from imperial to metric. I have not had a single problem ever since.

The screenshot below shows all the tools top and left, and leads to side bars and dropdowns with every method of drawing or modifying the specific geometry you select. You would be up and running with cut files in no time.
FirstCAD-scrnPrnt.jpg

[Bob Davis - Sturgis SD]

I design in Illustrator, then send to the laser computer which has Corel. I have an awful time designing in Corel. I guess my brain isn't big enough to learn two vector programs.

[Rodne Gold]

hiya
If the softwre you use does the job , use it.. learning corel can come later.. you dont need the double whammy of unfamiliar software AND a new laser and learning how to use it.
Whatever gets you going quickest is the right way

[Carol Mancuso]

Rabbit QX-60-9060 - It's alive!!

Thanks all for your thoughts -- I am on a rather steep (can you say vertical?) learning curve at the moment. So I think I'll invest a little time in some Inkscape tutorials -- need to understand why things get resized when the svg file is saved to DXF -- or maybe it gets messed up when the dxf is imported to RDWorks. (That may be another post if I don't get it figured out)

I was pleased to successfully cut the fabric pieces for one of my applique blocks -- so slick. We also did a few test things on wood and card stock and didn't burn the house down -- yay!

I also want to put a shout out for Ray and Carole from Rabbit Laser -- Ray actually delivered my machine in person!! He spent the day here setting it up, making sure everything was operating correctly, and giving my husband and I a tutorial on operation, maintenance, and things to look out for. When he left, I felt confident that I could do some basic cutting without screwing up.

Sooooo many things I want to try -- think I need to focus on one or 2 things and get an appreciation for how the different parameters affect the results. Planning on doing some iterative trials varying speed, power, interval and keeping track of what I find.

[Jerome Stanek]

I think you have to work in metric. On my laser I design in Aspire in inches but convert it to MM then export it

[Dennis Watson]

Wonder what the difference is in your QX and my RL?

Anyway I use Photoshop and Illustrator to do all of my vector drawing and then export a dxf from Illustrator in metric so LaserCut can read it.

Only use Corel if I get a CDR file from somewhere.

[John Kleiber]

Wonder what the difference is in your QX and my RL?

Anyway I use Photoshop and Illustrator to do all of my vector drawing and then export a dxf from Illustrator in metric so LaserCut can read it.

Only use Corel if I get a CDR file from somewhere.

RL models separate and can be moved through door ways easier.

[Scott Marquez]

On my machine I do my design work in a CAD program and save in DXF format. From my laser machine I use Lasercut 5.3 to import it, I then use my "size" command to input the mm equivalent, followed by the "unite lines" command to prep it for cutting or engraving.
Scott

[Bert Kemp]

I design in corel in both metric and inches, I save as a DXF and import to Lasercut and it sees both no problem.

Wonder what the difference is in your QX and my RL?

Anyway I use Photoshop and Illustrator to do all of my vector drawing and then export a dxf from Illustrator in metric so LaserCut can read it.

Only use Corel if I get a CDR file from somewhere.

[Dennis Watson]

RL models separate and can be moved through door ways easier.

Oh I see now. Mine has a smaller lower cabinet.

[John Blazy]

Same with Bert. My dxf files are in inch, but when importing into Lasercut53, it auto converts perfectly to metric. When Ray was at my shop setting up my rabbit, we imported one of my dxf files and Ray seemed surprised that it automatically converted without a problem. He initially told me to save my files in older dxf formats, and I did for a few months, but now just saving in the default (most recent) dxf works just fine.