Sign in to follow this  
Spunky.Fresh.Designs

Live Traced for Cutting??

Recommended Posts

So I know this is the typical image you see all over the internet when looking up Wall decals.  But my niece is obsessed with owls so I wanted to create something for her.  I've edited two separate images then live traced.  Would this be the final product ready to cut?

 

This however is a jpg file as I was having problems downloading the original .svg file because of size.

 

any tips are greatly appreciated.

post-87878-0-14288000-1408456965_thumb.j

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Looks like it could use a little node edit as far as connecting the branches etc but I would say it should work...

 

Real quick I did this so you know what I mean

 

 

post-2057-0-75796400-1408459656_thumb.jp

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I'm not a pro, but if you think of those connect the dot activity sheets we used to do as kids....

 

the dots are nodes. when we connect  the dots with lines or curved lines, we create an image.  editing the node effects the line and changes your image.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

sweet.  Now one more question.  If this were to be from floor to ceiling.....how would you go about cutting?  This will be one of my first big projects.  I hear everyone saying they all work with 24" machines.  I have a 53" being delivered.  would it all be pieced together separately?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
sweet.  Now one more question.  If this were to be from floor to ceiling.....how would you go about cutting?  This will be one of my first big projects.  I hear everyone saying they all work with 24" machines.  I have a 53" being delivered.  would it all be pieced together separately?

depends on what cutter your getting. A high end like graphtec or roland with servo you can cut it top to bottom as long as its with in the 53" width the Length you would have to check the cutter. or if on a cheaper cutter you can use tiling feature and cut them in separate cuts and line the up when you install.

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

This is a ready to cut file I connected the tree branches for you. I did this in scalp from your file. this program is turning out to be easy to learn and powerful than I Thought.

 

 

Owl Tree.svg

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

If it's going to be very big I usually spend extra time cleaning up the trace and smoothing out the lines. They don't show up too bad if the image is small or farther away but up close, every little weird jig or jag that you see, others will too. Since your new to all this you might consider finding some starter vectors. There are quite a few free out there and on the forum and SignTorch who is a member here is a fantastic artist has several vector packs he sells at reasonable rates. As you build your skills you will find the owl thing a piece of cake. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
This is a ready to cut file I connected the tree branches for you. I did this in scalp from your file. this program is turning out to be easy to learn and powerful than I Thought.

 

I have to put two owls now :/  Thanks for doing that for me I'm going to take a look at it in signblazer and see what I'm working with.  The branches and leaves weren't connected to start because I'm actually planning on using brown and green vinyl  but I'm sure what you did will probably change my mind.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
If it's going to be very big I usually spend extra time cleaning up the trace and smoothing out the lines. They don't show up too bad if the image is small or farther away but up close, every little weird jig or jag that you see, others will too. Since your new to all this you might consider finding some starter vectors. There are quite a few free out there and on the forum and SignTorch who is a member here is a fantastic artist has several vector packs he sells at reasonable rates. As you build your skills you will find the owl thing a piece of cake. 

 Do you think I should cut a portion of it and see what I have?  Ive got a bachelor's in graphic design so Im pretty swift with illustrator but is the cleaning up done in signblazer?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
 Ive got a bachelor's in graphic design so Im pretty swift with illustrator but is the cleaning up done in signblazer?

Oh Hell no. If you are competent in AI that's the way to go for sure. Illustrator is just a lot for newbies to take on and can confuse the heck out of people but if you're even halfway familiar and have access to the program just draw in there and either export to your cutting program (SCALP I presume) or you should be able to get a plug-in that will let you cut right from AI.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I have never spent enough time getting used to signblazer to know my way around it. Some swear by it. SCALP as a cut only program isn't horrible. The biggest problems I had with it were some of the cutting utilities were missing when I tried it out. Tiling and step by step cutting. They were supposed to work those into some of the updates and maybe they have over the past year. I actually use SignCut Pro which is a paid subscription (Or a dongle purchase) which used to be what they sent out with new cutters back in the day. Great program but you do have to spend a little money to get access to it. In your application with the SC machine doing large format cutting you are going to want to find something that lets you step-by-step to compensate for the poor tracking. Also good tiling abilities will help when doing big work that is taller than your vinyl. You should be able to set how much overlap you want between each tile. I usually use about 1/4" minimum overlap. 

 

The main drawback to a value cutter is it's ability to go very big or very small. Just a tracking and motor accuracy thing. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

great advice.  I'll go ask a question in another forum to figure out which has step-by-step.  Is there a function where the program immediately cuts for overlapping?  And is overlapping noticeable?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

scalp don't have tiling but I export to ai or graphtec studio and do the tiling in there if needed.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
scalp don't have tiling but I export to ai or graphtec studio and do the tiling in there if needed.

Graphtec studio isn't an option for you with your cutter. It is possible to tile a job in AI but it's actually a PIA to get it right. You usually cant just chop up a job into sections because you want to have some overlap on your vinyl (1/4" is about right but I have gotten by with 1/8") To do the overlaps at the cut/tiled locations you end up having to go in and drag the nodes over onto the other part so they overlap and then recolor each piece so your cutting software (SCALP or whatever) will only cut the one color and not double up on the overlapped joint. PIA. 

 

A good cutting program will just deal with the overlap. I use SignCut Pro but I think I have read Flexi Starter also tiles. Not sure on the starter version. In SignCut you input your vinyl width and the program will show you if you're going to have an issue and let you decide how much overlap, where you want it to make the tile line and a whole host of other options. Real handy once you learn your way around it. I really like the program and opted to stay with them even with my Summa which comes with some free plug-ins that I could use if I wanted. (to get tiling I would have had to spend money on an upgrade and this pushed me to SignCut also because with a dongle I bounce back and forth between pc and mac computers with no issues which I don't know that ANYONE else can do)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
Sign in to follow this