Optimiser for Illustrator

[Jiten Patel]

Hi All,

Came across this:
http://www.coreldrawtools.com/artworkoptimizerstandard/index.html

Just wanted to know if anyone knows of something similar for Illustrator? I could really do with something that re-orders my artwork as most of my designs are really complex and this would save me a hell of a lot of time.

I know some laser come with software that does it for them. Unfortunately mine does not. I did ask Trotec, but this would require me updating to the newer version at a whopping £1500!

Hopefully someone will show me the money...I mean software!

[matthew knott]

Isn't your stuff all vector cut out with a galvo machine, i cant see how optimising will help you, the galvos should jump between vector cuts in a few thousands of a second, where do you think the time saving will come from?
Matt

[Doug Griffith]

Here's a script that does close to what you want:

http://js4ai.blogspot.com/2012/02/organize.html

I would sort the z-order from left to right.

[Jiten Patel]

Matt, you are right I is a galvo, and they difference wouldn't be as much as a XY machine, but saying 10 seconds per cut, x 1000 pieces over 100 jobs saves me a bit of time. At the moment, time is precious and if I save save any time at all, I welcome it.

Thanks Doug, I have a very quick play around with it. it seems to shuffle everything around, but will have a go with all the settings.

[Doug Griffith]

Thanks Doug, I have a very quick play around with it. it seems to shuffle everything around, but will have a go with all the settings.

The only shuffling you want to do is in the z-order. That will determine cut order. Getting it to "flow" properly will be the tricky part.

I highly doubt the Coreldraw plugin does a good job of it since Coreldraw doesn't have programmable collision detection (knowing where edges are). It would have to move through the items by the upper xy until it reached the right side and then drop down to the next lower y and then move across to the left and so on. It would be ugly unless the items were spaced out quite a bit.

I'm thinking I can write a script that:
1) the user manually draws an open path on the top layer that connects all items to be sorted. The common connecting points (overlapping nodes) would be the starting point of each item.
2) the script then traverses through the top layer path and sets the z-order of the items in the order it intersects with them.
3) the script then converts the top layer path to a guide to save itself but not print (cut).

Is this something that you or any other Illustrator user would be interested in using? If I spend time on something, I like to see it get puts to use.

[Scott Shepherd]

I've never seen the control program for the galvo, but on the normal trotec lasers, it has the function that sorts all that out. I'm guessing what you use for your galvo doesn't do that?

[matthew knott]

Honestly Jit, you will be lucky to save 0.2 of a second per entire design, i would think that would be at least a factor of ten out. Unless the laser is not treating the a closed shape as a single cut, ie does it cut a complte section out or does it cut a little then jump of else where and then back again. If its doing that then there something wrong with the way the trotec treating the file. Can you attach a design, i can have a look at it and work out the best way optimise it for cutting.

[Jiten Patel]

Sorry for the delay - we have been snowed under with work which is great. Scott, I have used the function with the XY Trotec lasers, but the Galvo software is primitive at best! No such feature.

Doug, thank you for your offer, but please do not trouble yourself with this. Just thought if there was something that already existed. At Matt said, it will not save a mass of time.

Matt, I will send you a file via msg.

Thanks all