Software question

[Scott Boatner]

I have used AI to create files for Job Control on my Trotec Sp400 for six years and am looking into trying Corel for iPad, anyone have opinions on this. Also is there a great difference between CorelDraw and Essentials as it would apply to laser engraving and cutting?

[Mike Null]

I believe you have to buy Corel 2021 for use on an iPad. My concern would be Job Control or Ruby as I doubt that either will work with an iPad. I have no experience with Essentials.

[Chase Williams]

Mike is right, the only reason that AI works with the trotec is because Job Control as an application is installed, when job control is installed it essentially adds a fictitious printer and job control then catches those print jobs to convert it to a laserable plate. Essentially, since you cant install job control on your ipad the ipad isnt going to be much help for using the laser. Now I haven't played with an ipad with Trotec Ruby, but it verywell might be able to import jpeg, png, svg, etc and quasi operate the laser from there, I really prefer Ruby to Job Control. As for AI vs Coreldraw, I use Coreldraw 2021 for 90% of what I do graphically and find that it goes easier and faster then AI, but isnt quite as capable but more intuitive; and I started on CS3 and was brought up on adobe and just started using Coreldraw last year. When I start to struggle with Coreldraw I do switch over to AI when I struggle with something in Corel. If you try an iPad with Ruby report back and let me know how it goes.

[Lee DeRaud]

Slightly askew from the actual question, but I have Corel 2019 on both my main "design" desktop and a touch-screen 2-in-1 laptop which gets hauled out to the garage to control the laser. The laptop is fine for pulling up files, doing minor edits/selections, and running "print" jobs, but it's nearly useless for actually generating drawings. Even with a good stylus, doing anything that requires precision is frustrating and time-consuming...I can't imagine using an iPad in that context would be any better.

(Full disclosure: about 99% of my laser work is precision vector cutting...YMMV for raster stuff.)

[Kev Williams]

One of my fiber lasers is connected to a Chinese Hasee laptop (came with my first fiber), it has a whopping 14" screen and I absolutely hate the thing, too small! At the smallest resolution where I can actually see the words- and I have good computer glasses!- about 1/3 of the working menu's are chopped off the bottom. ALL graphic work that machine does is done on a regular computer first then exported/imported as DXF. My 50w fiber is ran by my old 15" HP Vista laptop, but I have a separate 22" monitor for it, and even IT'S too small. I also have separate mouse/keyboards attached to my laptops, as the keyboards are ridiculous, and touchpads, all they provide me is a very high probability of a broken laptop ;)

My main computers I use with 27" monitors, and I have a 32" in the office, LOVE it!

The wife has an Ipad, I can't even imagine using it for Graphics work...

[Chase Williams]

One of my family members is 16 years old and incredibly talented and takes her iPad everywhere; she is probably more capable of design work via her iPad than I am on my computer (shes naturally talented, Im computer talented). I tend to be like everyone else and favor my computer, I work on a 16in MacBook Pro and its enough for me but lots of zooming in and out. Maybe iPads are the way of the younger generation.

I can confirm that with Trotec Ruby that you can import designs directly from iPhone/iPad looks like only from camera roll so a limited amount of file types but still. Also editing is limited but still there is some functionality there. So in theory if you ended up liking using the iPad and wanted to work on Ruby it should go fine.