Inkscape template

Beyond the Manual
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#1

Quick drive-by post, just in case it’s useful for anyone.

This is the base Inkscape template I put together for :glowforge: designs. It’s (approximately) the entire work area, with guides for the cutting and engraving margins.

Download it here (right click, Save link as…):

Don’t try to upload this file to the Glowforge UI — it will just get confused. This file is purely for helping create designs within Inkscape.

To install the template

Place the file in ~/.config/inkscape/templates/ on Linux/Mac, or %appdata%\Inkscape\templates (yes, literally that, percent signs and all) on Windows. You may have to create one or more of the directories along the way.

Windows note: %appdata% should end up getting replaced with something like C:\Users\yourusername\AppData\Roaming.

Using the template

Simply select File > New from Template… or hit Ctrl-Alt-N. Then find the “glowforge” template, click Create from template, and you’re ready to get started! The new document should start out looking something like this:

Screenshot from 2017-10-02 19-14-38
Screenshot from 2017-10-02 19-14-38.png1278×782 111 KB

The margins are based on the values in the UI for :proofgrade: medium maple plywood at 1000 speed on a basic model. I haven’t yet checked to see if they’re the same across all materials and I don’t have a Pro. However, making large rectangles along the guidelines does seem to just about fit within the boundaries (and doesn’t grey out the design). Common guides are blue, cut guides are pinkish, and engrave guides are purplish.

Important note: there is an invisible rectangle in the background around the edges of the page. It shouldn’t get in your way, but it’s responsible for aligning things correctly. Do not delete it! It won’t show up in the UI as a part of the design, but still gets used for offset calculations.

53 Likes
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#2

See if you can zip it and then upload

#3

Fixed it, by linking to a site that I’ll be populating with actual data as soon as I have some time…

#4

Not sure what’s going on here, but it throws an error every time I try to load it. I can load any other design, but this gives an error.

What do you mean by aligning things correct?

#5

Hmm. What version of Inkscape? What operating system? What’s the actual error?

#6

.92 on Windows 10 using Chrome.

Really not too many different error messages. Standard non specific

image
image.png1224×816 63.1 KB

#7

The GFUI seems to automatically trim any blank space inside the virtual SVG “page”, so that if all you have is a 2cm×5cm rectangle located at 7cm from the top and 3cm from the left, when imported into the GFUI you’ll have a 2cm×5cm rectangle located at the top left corner instead.

Because there’s a no-fill no-stroke rectangle in my template, the GFUI won’t trim the blank space around your design (but also won’t add the invisible rectangle as a step). This means that if you add the same 2cm×5cm rectangle at 7cm from the top and 3cm from the left, that’s where it will actually end up once imported into the GFUI.

#8

Ah! It looks like you’re trying to upload the template directly to the GFUI. This won’t do much good, as there’s nothing in there for the UI to work with. Instead, follow the instructions on installing and using the template in my first post.

#9

Ok. Thanks. I didn’t want to load it as a template until I checked it out. That’s an interesting way to do positioning.

And it is in metric. I do my 3D design in metric but most of my Glowforge in Imperial since the GFUI is still in inches.

#10

Imperial version uploaded.

1 Like
#11

image

7 Likes
#12

ahhh G33KS…gotta love them 8-D

#13

I just stumbled across this – very helpful, thank you so much!

#14

I just decided to start doing better and start formally saving templates.

For the life of me I could not find the folder even with the above info, I had to contact support. Turns out that if you installed from the windows store it is: C:\Users\xxxxx\AppData\Local\Packages\25415Inkscape.Inkscape_9waqn51p1ttv2\LocalCache\Roaming\inkscape\templates

Replacing the xxxxx with your own profile name.

3 Likes
#15

This also makes me thing of Family Guy’s “Something, something …dark side, something, something …complete.” HAhahahaha
the image of the emperor (not the GFUI posts).

#16

Ok, when I right click there is no save as that comes up. I have a Mac and I’m actually using a mouse instead of the pad… any ideas what I’m doing wrong.

2 Likes
#17

Save%20As%20on%20Mac
Save As on Mac.JPG881×343 33.5 KB

3 Likes
#18

when I put this in the search bar nothing comes up??? I have inkscape installed and xcode as well.

#19

It won’t show up in a search because it’s hidden, and also the tilde is a placeholder and not an actual folder name. You have to navigate to it. Use Go To Folder in the Go menu, or Shift-Command-G).

1 Like
#20

yeah the folder is empty and will not allow me to drag and drop the 2 svg files to it.