eprcvinyls

Is the MH machines worth it?

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13 minutes ago, haumana said:

it is possible for some .eps files to be raster.

another common vector file suffix is .svg  (althought I prefer the .eps myself)

Most all of my vectors is svg, rarely eps for me lol . either work for me in Ai.

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17 minutes ago, haumana said:

That was me when I was a noob. Here is why vector works and raster doesn't, and why it's important for those who cut (and do graphics) to know.

Vector isn't really a picture per se, or at least how a computer interprets it - it's string of mathematical values that say cut a line from this point to this point, along this path, etc. A computer (and cutter) can decipher the mathematical values. So when you scale something up or down, the value of the numbers change, but it's still math. When you scale up (or scale down), the quality of the image should remain the same - just in larger detail, or smaller detail.

Raster are images, colors - at this location, at this size, at this color, ... When you scale, the file size can enlarge or shrink greatly. When  you scale up (or scale down) on a raster image, that's when images become clunky and/or pixelated. No bueno for cutters. There is no math there, so cutters don't know what to do with it.

I hope I didn't muddy the water too much.

 

Nah, it's clear as MUD !!!  :rolleyes:

OK, it's true that everything you noted is accurate and valid, just I think Chris is still just trying to take baby steps, and his head is spinning with all of our information overload!

Anyway, I was always taught that raster art is PIXEL-based (and depends on the value that any single pixel can contain only) whereas Vector art uses NODES (that connect along paths).

Keep this term in mind, Chris ---  Node Editing !!  Aaarrrrrrgggggggh !  Now we've really messed up his mind!

 

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3 minutes ago, slice&dice said:

Nah, it's clear as MUD !!!  :rolleyes:

OK, everything you noted is accurate and valid, just I think Chris is still just trying to take baby steps, and his head is spinning with all of our information overload!

Anyway, I was always taught that raster art is PIXEL-based (and depends on the value that any single pixel can contain only) whereas Vector art uses NODES (that connect along paths).

Keep this term in mind, Chris ---  Node Editing !!  Aaarrrrrrgggggggh !  Now we've really messed up his mind!

 

lol  And this is usually when i have stepped step in and give one on one help showing Vm,Scalps, inkscape,signblazer etc  and let them choose which one they may learn easier because some people end up getting so overwhelmed , they just feel completely lost and more confused than when they first started on the first question they asked..  

Node editing lol.. Thats a good one .  I remember when i heard that term and was huh? are you kidding me ? more stuff to learn  lol...  now i love it . very easy to do .

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You have and will undoubtably get a lot of opinions on this or that cutter. I think the general consensus though tends to say "Buy the best cutter you can afford". Even though this forum is supported by USCutter almost everyone on here is a normal Jane or Joe and not employee's so we can offer real opinions and generally recommend buying at least the SC and like mentioned the new SC2 is probably worth the little extra. If you are going to splurge at all do it in the cutter. All the peripherals are mostly consumables that you can grab any old time. 

I can say with authority this is probably one of the funnest hobbies out there and can turn into a business if you want it to. If you don't then still get a good cutter, you will be less frustrated during the learning stages. I will never NOT have a cutter after having one. There are so many uses and fun things to do and give out etc... It's addictive and a blast. There are a decent amount that won't take the effort to learn, and you can bet your butt that you will have some frustration at first but it soon passes and you get the hang of it. It ain't rocket science but it does require a few skills that are not the norm. 

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9 hours ago, Wildgoose said:

It ain't rocket science...

That statement always makes me chuckle. The actual science behind a rocket is not complicated, it's the mechanical, aeronautical, and electrical engineering to make a rocket fly and hit the target that is the hard part. Anyone can make a rocket, controlling where it goes is a whole different story. :D

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1 hour ago, darcshadow said:

That statement always makes me chuckle. The actual science behind a rocket is not complicated, it's the mechanical, aeronautical, and electrical engineering to make a rocket fly and hit the target that is the hard part. Anyone can make a rocket, controlling where it goes is a whole different story. :D

Enlighten me on what part is NOT complicated. I guess if you mean anyone can go to the hobby store and buy a child's toy rocket and send it a hundred feet in the air then I agree. Actual professional rocketry and that pursued by NASA is everything about complicated. 

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WOW, thank you all, WoW lots of info I will be reading and re reading. i just looked for simple files to play with.. I used the trace funtion on the sure cuts a lot i like it a lot so far but will be playing with the other mastervinyl today to see if i can get the hang of it..

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2 hours ago, Wildgoose said:

Enlighten me on what part is NOT complicated. I guess if you mean anyone can go to the hobby store and buy a child's toy rocket and send it a hundred feet in the air then I agree. Actual professional rocketry and that pursued by NASA is everything about complicated. 

The rocket part is simply a controlled expansion of gasses directed out of a nozzle. Think bottle rocket. The science for it is pretty basic, just a simple chemical reaction.

The term rocket science has become inaccurately associated with all things rocket. It'd be like if you called everything associated with building and flying a jet airplane Jet Science.

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Actually, the shape of the nozzle is very important and the calculations for it are not simple. Need to take fuel mixture, nozzle shape and flow into consideration.

I think the actual term we are looking for is "It's not rocket surgery"

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so in all the rocket stuff is the MH the hobby shop rocket and the Graphtec FC the nasa rocket ?  I am so confused

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3 minutes ago, Dakotagrafx said:

so in all the rocket stuff is the MH the hobby shop rocket and the Graphtec FC the nasa rocket ?  I am so confused

I think you got it.

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3 hours ago, bikemike said:

Actually, the shape of the nozzle is very important and the calculations for it are not simple. Need to take fuel mixture, nozzle shape and flow into consideration.

I think the actual term we are looking for is "It's not rocket surgery"

Not to beat a dead horse on this train gone off track from the original post but this was my point. What size nozzle and angles with what type of material just for the nozzle let alone combustion solid or liquid what chemical mixture exactly (because there must needs be an exactly) to perform well and amount to overall weight where to put the weight in relation to the length how many fins. If you then add the space program and throw in atmospheric entry and exit.... Sorry darc it isn't simple at any stage. Heck I bet not 1 in a 1000 could actually go make one of those kids rocket engines from scratch that would shoot up a paper tube let alone a rocket. So IMO the old saying that it ain't rocket science still holds as much merit as it ever did even if most of the actual math IS available in the internet.  Cutter work.... simple by comparison but certainly not without a degree of hands on practice. 

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I'm with wildgoose. As a retired aerospace designer I would say go with the best you can afford.

Did we get off track somehow?

 

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It's just terminology really. The "science" behind a lot of stuff is actually pretty basic. The Engineering is where it gets complicated. The science at the core of a Titan V is the same as that of a bottle rocket. The engineering of the Titan V is amazing.

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On 2/1/2018 at 2:29 PM, bikemike said:

I'm with wildgoose. As a retired aerospace designer I would say go with the best you can afford.

Did we get off track somehow?

 

Naw, I don't think so LOL.... ha ha no worse the any other group im a member of..

 

I have decided to go with the SC machine, One guy said is should buy the Refrub SC but im really wanting the SC2 I think its lil better from reading. I could save some buying refrub but kinda worried buying a Refrub unit. i have been talked into upgrading now twice. Imma be broke but hope it be worth it.

 

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On 2/2/2018 at 12:54 PM, eprcvinyls said:

Naw, I don't think so LOL.... ha ha no worse the any other group im a member of..

 

I have decided to go with the SC machine, One guy said is should buy the Refrub SC but im really wanting the SC2 I think its lil better from reading. I could save some buying refrub but kinda worried buying a Refrub unit. i have been talked into upgrading now twice. Imma be broke but hope it be worth it.

 

I think thats a great choice. If you get started doing little odds and ends and charge for them you can pay that thing off in no time. Even if you never sell a thing they are tons of fun. 

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