Question for the experts

[Dan-Woodman]

I have a rather complex project in designer,no carvings , just vector lines.
I have drawn my original, and I have made a mirror image of it on the same board.
What I would like to do is have the original and the mirror image on two seperate boards.
The project is a designer project only , no other drawing programs involved.
Designer will not let me select the mirror image ,copy and the paste to a new board.

Thanks for the help,Daniel

[Kenm810]

Just had a quick thought as I was leaving my shop, is it possible to separate the original and mirrored images far enough on one project board to cut between the to make two separate boards. just going by what you posted, -- I'm probably not seeing the whole picture though. And I'm over simplifying it.

[kwyjibo67]

How about this:

1) From your opened project, click File > Save As. Give it a new name (part_left)
2) Repeat step 1, but with another new name (part_right)
3) Open part_left and delete mirrored area. Then save it.
4) Open part_right and delete original area. Then save it.

You should now have a part.mpc, a part_left.mpc, and a part_right.mpc

[TIMCOSBY]

use flip instead of mirror doing the two file thing as he suggested.

[Dan-Woodman]

Thanks for the replys
You can't seperate the two and have only one on the board. It's a mirror image, so when you move one it moves the other in the opposite direction. When you move one off the board , it moves the other off the other edge.
And you can't delete the origanal image without it deleting the mirror.

I tryed selecting all of the origanal pattern, but when I do the flip and rotate option does not come up.

[TIMCOSBY]

you got to get back to just the original without the mirrored part.

[Dan-Woodman]

It's the mirror image that I want, all buy it'self.
The pattern I have created is complex with lots of vector slots cut.
When I select all on my origanal drawing, flip and rotate are not an option.
Ihave the origanal on a board by itself now ,but what I need is an exact mirror image of it on another board.
I have succesfully mirror imaged my origanal the way I want all on the same board, but it would be more convenent and less wasted wood to have this mirror image on a seperate board.

later Daniel

[pkunk]

Dan, being somewhat software challenged myself, what I'd do is leave it as is, & stop the carve after the mirrored image is done. Cut off & reuse the rest of the board for the next project. :rolleyes:

[Kenm810]

Hey Dan,


Hi Dan would it be possible to mount your project board taped on a carrier board
with a like sizes scrap board and load it into your machine, so the mirrored image is carved first.
Then before it starts to carve the original image - abort the rest of the carving.
I know it seems to be more work for you keeping an eye on it,
but it will save wood and time on the cut motor and machine

[Dan-Woodman]

Thanks PK & Ken and everyone for there response.

Ken , as far as being more trouble keeping an eye on it-- I have had this machine almost two years and it still fasinates me enough that I have a hard time walking away from it.
Theres just something about watching your project come to life right before your eyes.
later Daniel

[Digitalwoodshop]

A Carrier board would be ideal for that project. Cut your blanks and use a carrier board with a 3.5 to 4 inch scrap. Leave a 4 inch space on the right side of designer for the spacer and staying under the rollers.


I still want to put small cameras inside the machine to keep and eye on it from the other shop and the house... Yes it is SO fun to watch....

Got one of the Router Power Demand Boxes I still need to wire into my dust collector. I checked it out and when the cut motor stops 7 seconds later the dust collector outlet turns off saving electricity. Even board measurement doesn't turn the dust collector on, just the cut motor. I have a Wall Wort transformer running a relay for the 220 Volt Dust Collector. In theory..... Still need to wire it....

Dinner time I listen my wireless intercom and run back to turn off the dust collector or change a bit.

AL

[TIMCOSBY]

go back to the original without the mirrored part. the flip command will be available after you select the image. flip is the same as mirror but doesn't create a second image. the you can open multiple designer boards and put both of them on one board whereever you like.

[Kenm810]

Hi Al,

I totally agree, -- it is mesmerizing to gaze through that plastic lid as if it were some kind of crystal ball.
I sometimes feel a little guilty about pulling up my old craftsman stool, just to sit and stare at the carving or text in a project taking shape.
Then when you walk away to work on something else, your mind is often drifts back to the machine and starts imagining what to carve next.
I really have to chuckle to myself, -- I’ve have referred several times to the machine as a people magnet.
I couldn’t begin to count the number of, Right, Left, and U turns it has caused while carving a project,
as people talk passed it in the back of the shop, and just had to stop and take a look, --- myself included. http://www.carvewright.com/forum/images/smilies/icon_wink.gif

[Kenm810]

Hey Tim,

I feel what Al means when he tries to flip all his vector cuts at one time,
the Layout Flip option will not high light and is not available.

Poor photo, but the only way I could show that the Flip option is not high lighted

[Dan-Woodman]

If I choose just one image, then flip is available, but my origanal that I want a mirror image of has at least 13 images that I need to flip.

later Daniel

[Kenm810]

I think I finally know what you mean and what you want it to look like.
How to do it, I have to admit I don't know - http://www.carvewright.com/forum/images/smilies/icon_sad.gif - Other then on a carrier board and stop after the mirrored half has been carved.

It Enough to drive you nuts

[TIMCOSBY]

what you mean. i haven't done much with vectors. yea it goes every which way when you flip individual ones. like when you change board size and everything moves weirdly.

[Keenosan]

Daniel,

There IS one way to do it.
1. Shift-click on all of your vectors.
2. Grab the left center little yellow arrowhead and drag it to the right PAST the right center little yellow arrowhead until you get close to the correct size mirrored.
3. Drag the whole box back into position and resize it correctly.

Kelly

[Kenm810]

Hey Kelly,

I tried your suggestion on the 13 images of the ornaments
without the shift --and it worked fine.

I haven't had the Shift-click and drag yellow arrowhead on all the vectors work yet,
I'm probably over looking something simple, I keep ending up with spaghetti.

[Dan-Woodman]

Thanks Kelly
That sounds good on paper , but in reality my project is very complex and has to be extremely preciese, so I can't do any resizing and also every vector line that is cut into my project is locked into position so it doesn't move.
There are now over 20 items on my project I would have to move and resize.

later Daniel

[Keenosan]

Ken,

I have quite a few files of vector-only art, so I tried it on several different ones. About half the time it worked perfectly, the other half I either got spaghetti or one or two out-of-whack elements. It appears that it doesn't work when the file has an arc of greater than 180 degrees as an element. I don't know why. Try it on the attached files.

Daniel,

This technique is not going to work with vectors that are locked into place, sorry. The resizing would be easy, though. Just put the file back in the same position that it was in before and manually change the restraints figures on the yellow box back to what they were on the original file.

Kelly

[Kenm810]

Thanks Kelly,

I can sleep easy tonight, I thought I loosing the rest of my marbles.

Just my luck I'd pick a file in the wrong 50%,
Barb won't have to keep telling me to stop pacing and quit muttering to myself. http://www.carvewright.com/forum/images/smilies/icon_confused.gif