So I had a very unique situation happen recently at work. “Old Boy” as he went by, finally retired from the fab shop on the military base I work at. Now he had his main job but he also did a bunch of side work for some of the orgs doing things like challenge coins, award plaques and the like. So we were talking in our work chat and it gets brought up that I have a laser (I’ve made a few very nice nameplate things for a few people on Bobinga hardwood). Fast forward a day and I’ve got our division chief making me an offer to make enough challenge coins to be worth my while.
For the cost point I went with the xTool F2 Ultra Mopa laser without the diode, saving myself about 1500$. It comes tomorrow along with my coin blanks and I’m stoked. I’m trying to get an order for how I want to test things out and what might be the best idea for kicking my non-existent business back up out of the dirt.
I have lots of stuff cross my mind as something I should dig into doing on their way to potential endeavors land (knon here as “the hopper”) that never seem to make their way back to execution. I’m going start using your term instead - it sounds more thoughtful and deliberate.
Congrats on the incoming MOPA! One of the things you’ll want in your arsenal is a way to make depth maps (aka Height Maps or Alphas)
While I’m suspecting a chunk of MOPA owners are relying on AI (sometimes with mixed results), it’s better to have a process in place that offers more consistency.
From the clips I’ve watched, Blender’s way feels a bit convoluted. Sculpting programs like ZBrush and Nomad make it virtually 1-click easy.
If you sourced a 3D object (whether self-made or downloaded), load it into the sculpting program. In an app like Nomad, there’s a tab option that turns on Heightmap. While in this mode, the model can still be twirled around to grab as many angles as you want.
I’ve definitely been excited to try it out. Also I’m REALLY excited for the framing tool that comes before firing off the laser, I know it’s probably not exactly a good option for CO2 lasers but I wish every laser had that
Actually it was one of my big disappointments with the GF back when I switched from the Redsail. I got used to using the camera but the laser framing was more precise than the parallax-corrected GF image. Then we got Snapmarks (& then lost it). But the framing method is a simple solution to the placement task that works without the issues more complex solutions bring.
I have one and it’s bloody amazing. I punched through 3mm of aluminum sheet with it. Was able to make some detailed engravings that my CNC could never do. Enjoy!
I have lots of stuff cross my mind as something I should dig into doing on their way to potential endeavors land (knon here as “the hopper”) that never seem to make their way back to execution. I’m going start using your term instead - it sounds more thoughtful and deliberate. 
