Re: cad/drawing package question.

--- In CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@yahoogroups.com, "cncinformation"
<cncinformation@...> wrote:

>
> --- In CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@yahoogroups.com, "caudlet" <thom@> wrote:
> >
> > --- In CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@yahoogroups.com, "snokket" <graham@> wrote:
> > >
> > > Hi everyone.
> > > Can anyone advise me please on which cad/drawing package would be
> the
> > > most useful for drawing mosaic type tile floor patterns, I would
> like
> > > to be able to quickly draw repeating patterns from standard
> geometric
> > > shapes ( triangles, squares, octagons, hexagons etc and change
> the
> > > colours to suit the ones from old victorian floors.
> > > Cheap would be best for me as I am on a tight budget.
> > > I would like to be able to save them in a graphic type format
> suitable
> > > for web publishing if possible.
> > > Any advice will be gratefully received.
> > > Sorry if this is a bit OT, hopefully the CAD part wil cover the
> > > question.
> > > All the best.
> > > Gray
> > >
> > Try CorelDraw which is better suited to doing drawing, importing
> > clipart, doing color fills, and exporting in web formats than pure
> CAD
> > programs. You can pickup ver 12 (two versions back) pretty cheap
> now
> > and it will have all of the tools you will need. A lot of basic
> > shapes are in the drawing tools so you just pick the type (Square,
> > rectangle, hexagons, circles, ellipses, stars, spirals, etc and it
> > draws them based on the shape rules you set. There are some free
> > celtic weave patterns on the web that can be strung together to make
> > complex designs in just a few minutes. You can fill any object
> with a
> > solid color or a sweep (or even a texture) and use it for
> illustration
> > for a catalog or to a client to show them what the finished product
> > looks like.
> >
> > The same drawing in color with fills (and even done in isometric)
> can
> > be exported in JPG, GIF, or PNG format. Same base vector format can
> > be exported in DXF to take directly to a CAM program to develop a
> > toolpath if needed.
> >
> Hello Gray,
>
> I agree with Tom. Either CorelDraw or Adobe Illustrator are what you
> are after. When you are done, you can bring the design over to CAD.
>
> Ivan Irons
> http://www.cncinformation.com
>

If you want to tickle your creative juices go to www.vectorart.com and
browse the MegaCollections series. There are hundreds of victorian
designs, decorative flourishes, borders, etc and they all import
directly into CorelDraw and are optimized for vector cutting processes
(anything from a vinyl cutter to a CNC plasma or router) Good artwork
will have closed vector objects, no overlapping objects and nice
smooth curves. The final product you get is largely dependant on the
quality of artwork you start out with.

From Corel export to a CAM program (like SheetCAM) that allows you to
define HOW you want to cut the design.

Another method of carving tile and hard surfaces (glass) is via the
mask and sandblast method but this is not the proper place to discuss
that media. There are "sandcarving" groups on the list that offer a
wealth of information.

If you want to pursue the CNC approach (have a machine do the cutting
for you) and need help building or planning this is the right group.



Tom Caudle
www.CandCNC.com