Is there an easy way to order the cuts?

[JustDavid]

Hello Guys,

I’m a very new user (just a week with my new and shiny GFP), so I’m still very much learning. I’ve been playing with pendant and earring design as an easy starter but I notice that it’s common for the GF to cut an outline out before it cuts ring holes and sometimes these are not quite aligned due the outline ‘dropping’ from the base material.

Is there an easy way to make the holes cuts before the outline cut? I use Illustrator and Photoshop.

David.

[eflyguy]

How to set cut path to do internal cuts before external cuts

Hello! I’m still getting the hang of my unit and have been doing marquetry and intricate cuts on thin veneer. I’m wondering if there is a means or setting on the glowforge to do all internal cuts before processing the outter cuts? Sometimes it will other times it does the outline cut and the piece shifts totally messing up the internal cuts. Any recommendations?

[andrewmchaffie]

The link in Elfguy’s post (above) has in it a link to a set-up for a colour palette in inkscape… and further down in That post, Cynd11 posted a recreation the same palette as an Illustrator palette. I use it all the time for ordering cut order. I’m not really sure how to quote another article in a nice pretty way (as above)… Hopefully a search for the topic number will lead you there.

[quote=“cynd11, post:9, topic:7346”]
I just recreated the same thing for Illustrator. Thanks for the data @marmak3261! Here is the swatches file:

Glowforge.ai (85.7 KB)

[pubultrastar]

The hex numbers of the colors you use in your Illustrator designs, in ascending order, assigns the print order to the UI. When designing, I use #000000, #000088, #008888, and #FF9999. That is Black, Blue, Green, and pink’ish colors. I use #000000 for engraves, which puts it first. I use #000088 for scores, which would be second. I use #008888 for internal cuts, and always #FF9999 for external cuts. The colors that Glowforge assigns to catalog designs for job order : #000000, #297200, #9E5000, and #E53595. It’s just easier in my head to know that 000088 is less than 008888, if that makes any sense. Using the color pallet as described in previous messages makes it easy too.

Fun fact: the official Glowforge logo colors are Teal - #009FB0, Chartreuse - #DBE120, Grey - #F2F2F3, and Black - #15113.

[Docsis]

On the left side of the GFUI, You can simply drag the steps up or down to put them in the order you want. Move the step you want done 1st to the top.

[randy.cohen]

Yep, that’s how I do it. Color stuff in groups based on what I want to do with it. For example, I want to cut interior areas before cutting the periphery, so separate groups can be the same types of operations in different places. Or I engrave and then do a score of the outline to sharpen up the edges, so separate groups can be different types of operations in the same places.

Once in the GFUI, I just drag the tiles on the left side around so things are done in the order I want…

[High_Latitude]

@pubultrastar

The hex numbers of the colors you use in your Illustrator designs, in ascending order, assigns the print order to the UI.

That’s very interesting.
Cool tip, thanks!

[JustDavid]

Brilliant - that makes it really easy. Thanks for the help guys!