Just Me... I have problems with myself also..

[will george]

Very Sorry to all if this is the wrong place to ask some questions. I could not find a proper place.

Question 1: In the 'Patterns for sale' (Pattern Depot?) the patterns have 'try' as one option. I would assume you cannot use the pattern to carve anything from it. Is 'try' just to 'see' what it looks like in the software? I guess I could just downdoad and see what happens but I hate to tie-up bandwith for no sound reason. This question also applies to question two.

Question 2: I see there is a 'pattern collection section' but no information on what is in the collection? How many items.. Etc... Use 'try' to see?

Question 3: Up front I will say that I am not commercial, I have no intensions of selling anything. Just some old man that makes stuff for others. I even pay for the wood for what I give away. Funds are very limited these days so I'd like to be sure of where to look and ask for any suggestions anyone has for the following.

I thing both attachments applied! I'm so happy!

Anyway Folks... Thanks for ideas...

I expect nothing from anybody.. Except a reply ('IF you choose to do so')
I am NOT an Artist! Far for it.

Is there any software that I could use (reasonable priced) that will allow a reasonable quality carving from a png/svg/bitmap file that will give it 'some dept'? I am NOT looking for 3D objects. Just something that gives detail without large amounts of what I will call 'chip-out' on/in the pattern carved?

I use quality furniture grade hardwoods and testing on it gets kind of expensive when trying different patterns out that do not work for me..

My skill level with art and the available software I have (there again, my skill level using it, applies). I am a woodworker.. Not Dali or Rembrandt!

I 'think' I need a smaller diameter carving bit! Not sure.

I need something that will work from a large collection of bitmap image I have. (Yes, they are not copyrighted as far as I know). Not into ripping off other folks.

Most of what I want to do is what I'll call relief carvings.. SUch as in the following link. I AM NOT SELLING ANYTHING! Just one link I found that 'looks' like I want to do.

http://www.chainsawchick.com/gallery3.html

Or another example would be old wooden printing blocks as seen in the following link.

The links are just random samples I found to try to describe what I am after.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=22825291

Most carvings will be approximately 0.125 to 0.250 deep. I would guess I need to be skilled at doing hand drawn vectors (I am NOT).

I'd love to try 3D-Brush or Z-Brush but way beyond my skills at any artist software.
My examples would be what i did that did NOT carve well.

NO I an NOT blaming the machine. Sort of. ;>)

See attached files if I am allowed to send because of size.

Thanks to all that reply!

[cnsranch]

Your first mpc - senddragongrille - is really cool.

However, if you scroll in close, and tilt the board, you'll see some pretty sharp edges that will likely chip. Try the draft function - make it "large" in the beginning to see the effect draft has on a pattern - then scale back till you get what looks good.

I'll take a look at your second in a minute.

[cnsranch]

re 2nd mpc -


you may want to take the patterns you created, and edit them in PE - smoothing and blurring will relieve a lot of the "noise" - the dimpling, etc., that won't look really good in the finished carve.

RE additional software, you're like me - I don't have the time or inclination to learn artistic software - many are like that, too, that's why there are patterns for sale :rolleyes:

You're much better served learning all you can about the Pattern Editor than going the other route - PE will fix a lot of the issues you want corrected.

[will george]

Thank you for the reply.

As you said.. You're much better served learning all you can about the Pattern Editor than going the other route - PE will fix a lot of the issues you want corrected.

That is what I do.. Many times over.. Everything I try to do turns out.. Lets just say bad.

I have the probe so I can use the pattern editor. I guess (am sure) I do not know what to do in there to make the image 'good' for carving. In fact, many images I have edited look the way I like them look but look bad when placed onto a 'board' in the Designer.

I have even purchased some patterns but none will open in the pattern editor. I have purchased a few from different places just so I could open and try to 'see' how the depth/height is done so I could try to duplicate in my editing. But...

Sure wish I could find something that explained what to do/look for when editing the original image and when placed into the image editor. I have nothing against purchasing patterns but my needs/wants do not fit what is available.

And when smoothing and blurring, the image looses detail I want. Some are OK if I carve to a large size but most I want to do will be about 6 to 8 inches.

As usual, I'm lost in my little world..

[Pratyeka]

I have purchased a few from different places just so I could open and try to 'see' how the depth/height is done so I could try to duplicate in my editing. But...


Depth/height is the level of grey of that particular pixel on the picture. On a greyscale picture used for the Pattern Editor, there are 256 levels of grey. White (255) is highest and black (0) is lowest. Middle height is 125. So in a picture editor, making a spot lighter is to raise it and making a spot darker is to lower it. That's why most photographs and drawings wont carve right because we use light and dark to give shading, not to give depth. A depth map (height map) does not contain shading, only information about how high each coordinate is above 0.

[bjbethke]

Thank you for the reply.



I have even purchased some patterns but none will open in the pattern editor. I have purchased a few from different places just so I could open and try to 'see' how the depth/height is done so I could try to duplicate in my editing. But...

Sure wish I could find something that explained what to do/look for when editing the original image and when placed into the image editor. I have nothing against purchasing patterns but my needs/wants do not fit what is available.


As usual, I'm lost in my little world..
You need the MPW file of the pattern you have not made to open the pattern in the Pattern Editor.

[ajk]

We Bought Some Pattern From 2 Sites And We Have No Problem. Just One That Look In A Way And Came No So Good

[www.go3d.us]

There are no magical software that can convert an image to a pattern for CW machine. It has to be done manually and it require skills. I myself spending over 10 years working with the application to able to do such thing. And not to mention making a good pattern is time consuming.

LHR has pattern editor but still it is not easy.

As for question 1. Yes, it is just for you to see how it look in designer. You can't carve it.
Question 2. Please contact the seller on this one.

Hope this help.
HT