Software for cutting templates for leather handbags?

[Balsanu Gabi]

Hi to all.

Since I wait for my Shenhui 500x700 80 RECI to be delivered I was asked to make some leather templates. My question is related to find a software which can do that. I saw few for shoes, but nothing for handbags or wallets. I am pretty good with Rhinoceros 4.0 sr9 and I have access to Artcam. What ido you use for this kind of application?

Thank you
Gabi

[Joe Pelonio]

With this kind of job the customer has always supplied a file, usually CAD that I import into Corel to cut them. This is turning you into an industrial design shop, which means charging more than simply opening a file or setting up lettering and/or clipart.
I would use Autocad or Corel. The problem is that you will have to make prototypes of the final product to make sure it works.

[Balsanu Gabi]

Hi Joe,

I know what you are talking about. Still I need to know what kind of software I can use to design that template.

Thank you
Gabi

[Kevin Groenke]

Hey Gabi,

If you're good with Rhino, that should be all you need. I'm not sure about the Shenhui laser, but we print directly to our ULS lasers from Rhino - I presume the Shenhui uses color and lineweight like most other lasers?. If the Shenhui won't allow you to print directly from rhino, you should be able to save a .dxf file from rhino that you can open with whatever software you can print from.

You can design in 2D if that is the nature of the product, or, if you're working more of a 3D design, you can use the unroll or squish functions in rhino to extract the 2D shape needed to create the 3D form. Squish is a plug-in for rhino4.0, but native in Rhino5 which is a free beta at the moment (with bunches of major functional and interface improvements - GUMBALL!).

here's (http://design.umn.edu/current_students/leo/hall/Rhino_template.3dm) the blank template that we use for laser cutting from rhino

good-luck!

-kevin