Design to Cut. Anyone have a better way?

[Joseph Shawa]

I design in Sketchup Make

Explode the components.

Erase unwanted lines

View from top

Export to DXF

Import into LaserCut 6.1 (5.1 doesn't always like what it sees and crashes)

Cleanup the data in Laser Cut 6.1

Export to DXF

Import into LaserCut 5.1

Color my lines for different cutting settings.

Check for lost lines.

Unite lines of similar color

Cut.


If I need to make changes in a component size I have to go back and do it all again. I could adjust in LaserCut but it is hard to keep track of the changes and apply them to the original.

Anyone have a better way of doing things? Would love to hear.

[Kev Williams]

I don't see the word "Corel" in there anywhere-- (I've never worked with any of what you're using, I use Casmate, Corel and Gravostyle)

I don't understand the 'if you make a component size change you have to start over'... ? Since I began doing graphics 25 years ago with Casmate, and the others as time's passed, I've never had a re-size issue of any kind...

Care to share a screenshot or two of some examples?

[Ian Johnson]

I design in Onshape (free, browser based). I draw out the parts, and extrude them to the thickness of the material I will use. I build everything in place, for instance using the inside face of a slot as the plane on which I build the piece that will tab into it. Then right click on a surface and select Export to DWG/DXF for each laser cut part. I import the DXF files into Corel to plate them up and send them to the laser via the LaserCut plugin. As for component sizes, Onshape is parametric so you can go back and change anything and it will rebuild.

In the screenshot, the black parts will be 1/4" black melamine, the blue ones 3mm acrylic, and the yellow ones 3D printed. If I need models for motors, hardware, etc I can usually find what I need on Grabcad and McMaster, and mock up the rest.

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[Joseph Shawa]

Thank you Kev and Ian for the responses.

Tabs and slots are precisely what I am referring to and depending on the material the tabs or holes may need to be resized. I guess I am just looking for an easy way to get from Sketchup straight into LaserCut with the different power settings already color coded.
For example when I make a folding box I use dotted lines that I color blue. When I export to DXF I lose all the color information and have to reassign it in LaserCut.

I use Corel X5 but cannot get the LaserCut pluggin to work. That alone might save me time if my export program maintained the color assignments.

Can you help with the Corel Pluggin?
What exporter do you use?

[Joseph Shawa]

So one thing I just figured out is exporting the file back to DXF and then importing it back into Sketchup. At least I don't have to make ALL the dang adjustments again. Sure wish I'd thought of this awhile ago. : {

Kev, you never answered regarding using X5 with LaserCut print driver. Any help there would be so appreciated.

I really don't have any screen shots that would better describe what I am doing. Mainly it is for the different settings I have for different cuts. When I export from Sketchup I would like the DXF to import into my laser software with the proper line colors so that the settings can be already applied. Maybe DXF doesn't import with line colors? Should I try another file type?

Thanks

[Ian Johnson]

Are you using Sketchup only for 2d drawing, or 3d modeling? I don't know that there would be any way to export from 3D cad with line colors. You really should give a parametric CAD like Onshape a try. You can set constraints between lines and points so they follow each other. For instance, make the first tab on an edge. For the the other tabs, snap the lines that determine the depth of the tab to the lines of the first tab. Then if you change the depth of one of the tabs, the rest will follow.

Suppose you make the part with the slots first. Then select the inside face of one of the slots as the build plane for the piece that will tab in to it. You can project the edges of the slots into the drawing as lines to make the tabs. Then if you move the slots of the first piece, the tabs on the second piece will automatically follow.

Even better, you can set variables for thickness and width. So when you set the depth of a tab, rather than make it 6mm, you make it "thickness". Make the slots "thickness" x "width". For screw holes, rather than putting them a set distance from a slot, draw a guidline between slots and put the hole at the center point. If you want to change to 3mm material, change "thickness" to 3, and all of the tabs and slots will change. If you change "width", the width of the tabs and slots will all change, and the screw holes will still be centered between them.

[Joseph Shawa]

I wish I'd started with that! I certainly will look into it. Will it let me export and import my DXF file and color the lines? I check it out.
I flatten all my 3D drawings and just have lines in the end.

Sketchup is so VERY VERY easy....right up until you look into the details of your "perfect" drawing and find that sides don't align, pieces are missing faces don't show up because impossible geometry was ALLOWED!!!!! I have HOURS AND HOURS AND HOURS into fixing bullcrap!......but it's "easy". LOL

[Kev Williams]

I know zilch about designing anything like you guys are doing, I'm at the mercy of others, and just make happen what they want to happen.

As for your plugin, whenever I try changing Lasersoft programs for my Triumph, it always takes me several minutes (or hours) to get the plugin to pop up in Corel. Sometime it just shows up by itself, or at least it seems that way.

I'm using a new XP VM on my Win8 that I haven't added Lasersoft to yet- I'll do that and see if I can find the secret to getting the plugin to pop-- if/when I do, I'll report back, and hopefully the same procedure works for you...

To be honest, if Corel couldn't do it and I had to DXF everything to Lasersoft to run the Triumph, I wouldn't be running the Triumph... ;)

[Kev Williams]

OK, I found what I had to do to get the Corel plug-in to work!


First thing to do is find your Lasercut's program folder and go there.
This is my Lasersoft folder, in the C: drive, easy enough-
NOTE the plugins folder...
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See if you have such a folder in your main folder. If so, great...

Next step, go into Corel, click on the TOOLS tab, click OPTIONS, then WORKSPACE which will drop down,
click on PLUGINS, then click the ADD button- you'll get a 'browse' window-- navigate to the 'plugin' folder
that I'm assuming you'll find, and click on it and hit OK, and it'll add it...
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Close Corel, then re-start it, and your plugin icon should pop up like mine just did!
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Then just drag it up to the toobar, and it'll latch on...
On mine, the green icon is the magic button, press that and everything in the current Corel window ends up in Lasersoft! All in the correct colors!

I really hope this works for you-- Not sure if your plugin works the same way but someone here should know about it! :)

[Bill George]

OK, I found what I had to do to get the Corel plug-in to work!


First thing to do is find your Lasercut's program folder and go there.
This is my Lasersoft folder, in the C: drive, easy enough-
NOTE the plugins folder...
347326

See if you have such a folder in your main folder. If so, great...

Next step, go into Corel, click on the TOOLS tab, click OPTIONS, then WORKSPACE which will drop down,
click on PLUGINS, then click the ADD button- you'll get a 'browse' window-- navigate to the 'plugin' folder
that I'm assuming you'll find, and click on it and hit OK, and it'll add it...
347327

Close Corel, then re-start it, and your plugin icon should pop up like mine just did!
347328


Then just drag it up to the toobar, and it'll latch on...
On mine, the green icon is the magic button, press that and everything in the current Corel window ends up in Lasersoft! All in the correct colors!

I really hope this works for you-- Not sure if your plugin works the same way but someone here should know about it! :)

Design in Corel X6, vector cuts hairline red, rasters in black or whatever, export DXF to Lasercut and done. Work in mm , export or save as mm. Save your Sketch ideas for larger, non detail projects.

[Joseph Shawa]

"To be honest, if Corel couldn't do it and I had to DXF everything to Lasersoft to run the Triumph, I wouldn't be running the Triumph... ;)"

LOL You would surprised at just how fast I am getting.....I'm turning Japanese, or is it Chinese, I really think so.

[Joseph Shawa]

Thanks Kev,

I don 't have a pluggins folder in LaserCut.

I hope someone who knows how to do it will chime in.

The "All in the correct colors!" is what I'm looking for because when I do my editing and then re export DXF I lose all that. I'm looking into PDF right now also.

[Joseph Shawa]

But Bill,

My problem is that I work in 3D. Everything is components. I have 2D components that change as I make changes to my 3D model. When I am done I have to make a copy of the flattened components that have changed, explode the flattened copy, remove the unwanted lines, export to DXF import into LaserCut, colorize 4 or more different groups of cuts....every time.

If I worked in 2D I wouldn't know the 3D effects until after I had cut and assembled them.

Ideally if the 3D software would allow me to color the lines and export the flattened version directly to LaserCut.

Ian uses Onshape for his 3D which I haven't tried YET and also uses the LaserCut driver.

Ian, can you give tips on the Corel X6 to LaserCut plugin?

[Joseph Shawa]

Just finished my the second tutorial. Gonna be another long haul : (

[Kev Williams]

Well, I just did what Bill said, and FWIW I use Corel X4- I drew 4 shapes, outlined them 4 different colors,
exported as a DXF, and the import into Lasersoft was exactly the same, all colors intact!
--2D of course, but nothing to change...
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FWIW, the reason I have an aversion to importing DXF (or anything) into Lasersoft has nothing to do with colors,
so I have little experience with the colors importing, and I just learned something new today! :)

My issue with importing is simply that I have no control over where anything gets placed in the work area, and
fumbling around with where I need it placed after the fact or finding out where to place the work to match
where it got put is, well, I have no patience for that nonsense, don't have time!

With Corel, I have an outline drawn around the perimeter of the working area (1300x900mm), and creates
absolute borders on all 4 sides. This means that wherever anything is placed in the Corel work area goes
to that exact same place in Lasersoft. Since a 51 x 35" table is very large, and there's no rulers or stops
to place anything, I have a series of shims I use that create my own 0/0 home position. Currently, my
left "zero" is 69mm from actual 0 left, and my top "zero" is 346mm down. --it's quite a reach to the top
of the table, that's why my top edge is so far down. (Unless I'm doing large items, I have plenty of work
area. If not, I have other shims to change to.) I have a setup job in Corel that's a blank page, with
the border all outlined in 30% black, and guidelines at my 'zero' positions. So if I have a 4x6" plastic plate to
engrave, I simply add the text/graphics, place it at the corner of my guidelines, hit the magic green plug-in button,
and it pops up into Lasersoft, and it's ready to engrave. The only caveat is that I have to turn off the 30%
gray color. But even that doesn't matter because even if I forget, it defaults at zero power and the gantry
just goes thru the motion. Another benefit of the 30% black outline is, I can type all the notes I want or
need right on the Corel layout, I just paint them 30% gray. My notes import into Lasersoft, which helps,
and the notes just being there remind me to turn off the gray, then the outline and the notes simply
disappear!

-- and none of that works by importing vector files, has to come from Corel :)
(although I suppose you could also export/import a table-sized outline)

SO back to your LaserCut--- I'm not sure but I believe my Lasersoft work screen is very similar to LaserCut?
Of course that only goes so far. But since the color transfer worked fine with my Lasersoft, I'm thinking your
problem lies in your Lasercut, and there may just be a simple setting that's wrong...

Hopefully someone with more smarts than me about LaserCut might know...

[Bill George]

But Bill,

My problem is that I work in 3D. Everything is components. I have 2D components that change as I make changes to my 3D model. When I am done I have to make a copy of the flattened components that have changed, explode the flattened copy, remove the unwanted lines, export to DXF import into LaserCut, colorize 4 or more different groups of cuts....every time.

If I worked in 2D I wouldn't know the 3D effects until after I had cut and assembled them.

Ideally if the 3D software would allow me to color the lines and export the flattened version directly to LaserCut.

Ian uses Onshape for his 3D which I haven't tried YET and also uses the LaserCut driver.

Ian, can you give tips on the Corel X6 to LaserCut plugin?

Well when designing for my 3D printer its Fusion 360. For laser graphics all you need is in Coral Draw.

[Joseph Shawa]

You know, Ken, that was very good of you to write all that to me. I have spent every moment from my last post until now and many hours before that looking for a way to make this happen and you just gave me the idea that maybe the problem is in the DXF export/import plugin that I use.

So I checked things out a bit more. I exported from LaserCut, imported to Corel and then back to LaserCut. The colored lines survived. Nothing wrong with LaserCut (well..)


I spent hours looking for a different DXF exporter. I even looked into PDF format as they would also work with a bit of messing around. NO LUCK

I hadn't been using line colors in Sketchup because they weren't exporting.

I imported a colored DXF file into Sketchup and turned on the line colors.
The just released Sketchup2017 has a newly upgraded built in DXF exporter. (At least until the trial period is over for the Pro version) So I thought to try that again.

I exported to DXF and imported in LaserCut and..............






Thank you for you Reply Ken, It got me to try something else and............


I CAN EXPORT RIGHT OUT OF SKETCHUP!!!!!!!!!!!!!
AND RIGHT BACK IN.

No more screwing around.


THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!

[Joseph Shawa]

I make folding structure, Bill. So It is necessary, for me at least, to see it in 3D and I know sketchup pretty well now. But I solve the problem for now. Sketchup has an upgrade to the built in DXF exporter.

[Bill George]

I make folding structure, Bill. So It is necessary, for me at least, to see it in 3D and I know sketchup pretty well now. But I solve the problem for now. Sketchup has an upgrade to the built in DXF exporter.

Fusion 360 ls a AutoDesk program, I learned Acad in Release 9, back in early 90's, the original Sketchup program and interface was intended for people.... well like to just Sketch or draw and not to exact scale. It has since evolved into a full CAD program with many loyal users. But It still keeps the same interface more or less. Very difficult for a AutoDesk user to change over or learn.

[Kev Williams]

There's usually an answer out there somewhere, no matter the problem, and your diligence found one! Now you can grow older a little bit slower... :D