Help with closing a pattern

[Doogie]

I have a quick and probably easy question for someone to answer. I have not spent much time with the carving software. I am making a simple heart pattern. I made one side of the heart with the spline tool and mirrored it to the other side. But this does not close the design to be able to make it a carver reign. Is there a simple step I am missing?
Thanks in advance.

[bergerud]

Mirror does not work for such a construction. Forget the mirror. You need to copy paste and flip the half you drew. Move it to overlap the end points. With both halves selected, weld the ends by pretending to drag the end points until a red cross appears.

[Doogie]

The copy and paste worked, but when I went to "weld" the ends with the red cross appears, they do weld together but also at the same time tweeks the look of the shape (half heart). Is there a way of making it so it does not tweek?

[bergerud]

I use the snap grid. Make sure the end points of the first half are on the snap grid. After copy-paste-flip, snap the end points of the second half in exactly the same position on the grid. They will then not move when welded.

[Digitalwoodshop]

This is a silly trick I used the other day. I needed to make a up side down shape for a cow tag that is vector cut lines. To quickly make it, I reduced the board thickness and increased the 1/16th end mill bit depth. I flipped the board over and to get the same size but flipped, I placed 2 Arc's and 2 Lines in the shadow of the front outline. Did a copy and went back to the front of the board and did a paste. WORKED GREAT... Don't think it would work here with a 1/2 of a heart... BUT... I did make a heart with 4 half circles pretty QUICK... Staying at a Howard Johnson's Express last night helped... :)

The flip trick would work if you needed to make a up side down heart you already made.

AL

[mtylerfl]

I have a quick and probably easy question for someone to answer. I have not spent much time with the carving software. I am making a simple heart pattern. I made one side of the heart with the spline tool and mirrored it to the other side. But this does not close the design to be able to make it a carver reign. Is there a simple step I am missing?
Thanks in advance.

Here is the "no-brainer" way to make a perfect heart shape. Look at the photos.

1) Draw a closed square shape manually at a 45-degree angle using the Connected Line Tool and with the Snap to Grid turned ON

2) Right-click on the top two line segments and change the line to an Arc for each. If the Arc flips the wrong way (inside instead of out), just right click again and select Reverse Arc (or you can just drag the center arc point manually and snap to the grid)

3) Result - a perfect Heart Shape in about 10 seconds

After creating your "perfect heart" you can opt to change the vector forms of the line segments and have full and complete ability to alter the shape any way you wish.

[dbemus]

Perfect timing Michael. I was wrestling with this very problem earlier today. Your post solved my problem. Thank you.

dbemus

[normrichards]

That is so cool, Thanks for the tutorial.

[mtylerfl]

My pleasure! Happy to know it was helpful.

[oscarl48]

Thank you. My previous way to make a heart was 20 times more complicated and gave way worse results. :)

That is going into my cool way bin.

[Digitalwoodshop]

MT,

I like that.... Perfect every time...

AL

[Mikewiz]

Thanks for sharing the tutorial, would of never thought To do it that way. Nice and easy.