Sorry if this is a silly question… Are you saying that this is by design currently but not the intended result, so that in the future open paths can be engraved?
2 Likes
The Score function is the same as engraving for the open paths. You would just use Score if you want to engrave an open path. 
3 Likes
I thought that might be an answer there. But I wonder why the 
team decided not to go that route in the ruler design.
The Score function was burning a little too dark for a while there…haven’t checked to see if that was one of the things that changed with the latest update, but if it was, that might be why they just set the ticks as closed shapes for engrave in the design. (Since a lot of the prerelease users are getting them before everything is finalized.)
1 Like
A way to simulate the engraving of a shaded, open-ended polygon – until the Glowforge team changes the behavior – is to overlay two copies of the shape in the same spot.
- Take one of the two shapes and properly close it, fill (for engrave), and no stroke.
- Overlay it with the open-ended shape, no fill, stroke only.
2 Likes
Yes, if you want to score around an engraved filled shape, that’s the way to do it. (Different colors.) 
2 Likes
I would like to see that but I read this as GF won’t silently skip the step but make an explicit alert to the user that it can’t engrave an open shape.
1 Like
That’s what I did for the center ruler.
1 Like
When I first got my PR unit, it could engrave on an open path. (It still can if you manually convert the open paths to Engrave.) But what it does is try to fill in the open paths, and if we want a single line engrave, the correct setting for it is Score.
So an “L” shaped open path comes out looking like a triangle fill. (Take a look at the first hedgehog picture I posted when I announced. Those were open paths, that I accidentally set to Engrave instead of to Score, because I didn’t know any better.) 
Score is a much faster function too…you don’t want to engrave something that you can score.
8 Likes
Like your shape show, many open area engraves would yield a result that would not be what was expected. I would expect lots fewer support issues is they make the GFUI warn that it can’t do it than if they try to guess what it’s supposed to look like. Maybe only engrave open objects that are filled so gradient and fading fills would create the expected result.
3 Likes
Both the score and the vector engrave have not changed as far as I can tell. They burn very deep. Only the bitmap engraves seem to have improved low power capabilities.
8 Likes
Glad to hear this. Although I wonder if there aren’t more changes ahead.
Fully expect it. I am giddy (at least pleased) to have a Glowforge laser to work with. I don’t expect it to be glitch free, have fixed capabilities, or even stay with me. I understood this. Still, somehow I got myself into projects for the local coops. I love building the first of all my designs. I dislike an assembly line. So I procrastinate. Hopefully the regular system changes won’t be too disruptive and make it less fun.
10 Likes
Well if the fill shade is the power level for engraving, then setting pure white as the fill is the same thing as “no fill”.
The GFUI should probably have a preference setting to “allow speedup: treat white fill shapes as cuts (scores?)”, rather than treating them as part of a raster engrave cut.
3 Likes
Sure. Could be that, too. That’s why I want a clear answer as to what that statement really meant. 
1 Like
The GFUI treats white vector fill the same as any other engrave color. If you don’t want it to engrave, you have to have null fill in that spot.
White is ignored for raster engraves though.
5 Likes
Sure, I get that… But keeping in mind that the Glowforge is intended for everyday folks, it’s one of those tradeoffs of making it more accessible to less experienced users.
And besides, if you have a single SVG imported with multiple shapes, filled and not filled, and don’t want to painstakingly identify which is which… A preference setting could better reflect the difference to those users between a white filled L shaped triangle and an open-ended three sided polygon.
1 Like
Line color. Everything keys off of line and/or fill color.
The files wind up being very colorful sometimes.
edit: Also keep in mind, when the GFUI sees an open path, it automatically assumes you want to cut it, not score it. You have to go in and over-ride the cut setting.
6 Likes
I think I’m confusing your definitions of “score” vs. “cut” vs. “engrave”. Can you define?
2 Likes
Score is the same as a cut, just not all the way through. Engrave is when the laser head travels back and forth like an inkjet printer.
6 Likes