Why can't I make this an outline?

[gumbo]

I am trying to make this pattern of a sign but it will not allow me to create an outline of the pattern. Why? All of the dots are connected so I am stumped.

[gwhiz]

The lines all overlap each other--that's probably screwing something up....you've got everything mirrored both ways it appears....

[dbfletcher]

All the dots cant be connected. If they were you shoudl just have one line in the carving list. You need to connect each line segment to the next.

[dbfletcher]

ahhhh.. i see, you used the mirror function to create you other segments. Unfortunately, you cant do that in designer than then connect the segments... or i have never found a way.

[TerryT]

It looks like you drew a quarter of the pattern then mirrored it all four ways. Won't work. You can't connect mirrored lines to form a cutout. You'll have to draw the whole thing.

I guess I spent too much time typing Doug, you beat me to it.

[gwhiz]

Yea...and while y'all were typing, I recreated it while proving to myself that you couldn't connect the mirrored segments. ;-)

Check the dimensions -- length, width, and the corner's---they're probably a bit different, but you can modify the attached mpc.

[gumbo]

So gwhiz how did you lay the thing out so symetrical without using the mirror? i am lost

[gwhiz]

You did all the symmetry. I just used your mirrored MPC and laid a rectangle over it, lining it up with the straight lines in your design. I then laid an arc in each corner, zooming in and matching the intersections with the ones in your MPC. Edited the arc dimensions so that they all matched. Then I connected my arcs with straight lines, and deleted your lines and my rectangle. Ensure that all the line segments actually connect and you're there! It took longer to type than it did to do....

There's probably an easier way, but that's how I stumbled through it!

[gumbo]

Thanks for the info. Sometimes I think the we or at least me make things a bit harder than they need to be.

[TerryT]

Actually.... you don't have to really draw anything. Once you had the rectangle you could just add a couple of vertex to the corners and change the line form to an arc, do the same for the other 3 corners and you're done.

[gumbo]

Ok Its too late for me because I think that I am loosing my mind but how do you change the grid spacing. I have done it before but can't find it tonight for the life of me.

[dbfletcher]

Under the layout menu ... "Snap"

[gumbo]

Wow thank you. I'm done tonight and going to bed.

[brdad]

For this instance TerrtT's approach seems best, but if you have a really odd shape, you can use copy - paste along with the flip horizontal/vertical functions and then join the sections to effectively mirror the quarters.

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