Getting started...Lines and Colors

I am using CAD. I read somewhere that GF is color dependent. What I mean that the vector lines are organized by color for cutting verses etching.

Is there a clear guide or method to organize your vector drawing with GF app?

The main thing is that different elements of a design should be done in different colors since the Glowforge interface recognizes colors rather than layers. All design parts done in one color will be treated the same by the Glowforge. There is a color guide that you can use for ordering the elements of the design, first to last. I will look for the link to that.

Fills in a design are treated as engraves, lines as cuts/scores.

Here is one thread on the forum regarding color order: Custom Inkscape, Illustrator, CorelDraw and Affinity Designer Color Palettes for ordering operations in GFUI

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Always listen to @dklgood. I’ll add this link for you too:

And really everything in the matrix:

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This - as a default - you can change them in the GFUI to anything you want - and reorder them in any layout
For my experience it’s never been worth it to worry about which colour in the design process, just making sure they’re matching/unmatching colours depending on what I’m trying to do

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@deirdrebeth is correct, as usual!

I will add this: Depending on what you’re doing, it can be really handy to have steps in the right order from the start. Take cutting fine details out from the inside of a shape, for example. Sometimes when you cut out the large piece it can release tensions in the wood, and your piece can warp… this might lead to inaccuracy if the piece moves or even incomplete cuts if the warp was serious enough. Yes, like @deirdrebeth says you can rearrange them in the UI later, and if you design it with colors already in order it can be really useful if your design is sufficiently complex.

I made a palette maker, it can be handy if you’re an Inkscape person:

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My only advice is to not add colors unnecessarily. If you need to engrave, cut, and score, that should be 3 colors.

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I use SolidWorks CAD and I use layers to organize everything. This lets me control the order of every cut/score/engrave as long as the layers are assigned to different colors. This also lets me turn off certain things, like dimensions, if I don’t want them to print. I save my final drawing as a PDF and it imports in the GFUI as a vector graphic.

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Plus one on the pdf out of SolidWorks workflow. I never use Inkscape anymore. Colours and fills in SW and pdf. Works great!