Re: inlays

--- In CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@y..., Gene <capper@i...> wrote:

> Does anyone know of a good program for making inlays of different
> colored wood? I have been trying vector and although I can draw good
> pictures I have an incredible hard time to get them to chain

together

> when theres a lot of curves. the last pocket Ive been working on

for 4

> days and cant get the pocket to work even though it selects all from
> anywhere on the drawing and appears to be chained. its all on the

same

> layer.

When all else fails me, I usually drop back to CorelDraw to make sure
vectors are "closed". It's easy to import a DXF and get into node
edit mode in Corel. You can quickly test to see if a vector is
closed by attempting to do a fill on it. No fill, no closed vector.
Corel will show you the vector end points and even though they maybe
close they may not be actually connected. Since Corel will allow you
to Combine two polylines, you can select one then combine it with
another. That will still not close the vestor but with the Node edit
tool you can grab the vector points and see where the disconnect
really is. Since Corel will connect two vector end points that get
within a few pixtels you can zoom in and move one of the loose vector
points then place it back close to the other end and they will mate
up. You can cut apart vector lines or objects and move things to
your hearts content. BTW some of the CAM programs cannot deal with
vector lines in an object that overlap even though Corel is happy and
will fill the object. I have learned to use the vector editing mode
in several of the other programs I use but when I need to get things
done quickly I go back to the tools that I can use without thinking.

Another way I use Corel is to use the Trace program to do bitmap to
vector conversion. The result is almost always too many vector
points or poor edge following. I use CorelDraw to import a greyscale
bitmap of the original scan and put it on a seperate layer. Then I
open the vector file and superimpose it over the scanned image. What
follows is a tedious process of moving vector nodes, turning multiple
nodes into curves and making sure the vector objects are closed. It
takes a while but the end result is a nice smooth set of objects that
cut well. Yes, there are many other ways to get there but I have
been using Corel since version 3 came out for Windows 3.1 and it is
like a comfortable pair of old shoes; I know exactly what to expect!