The difference in quality for larger projects...

[DurhamDev]

I'm toying with printing a very large (in my opinion) carved sign, which tells me that it will take 2h46 in "Normal" mode, and 6h02 in "Best" mode, for each piece, of which I am carving two. So, if I use "Best" mode, this means that the entire sign, before joinery, will take over 12h (!) to complete. The sign itself is going to be 41" x 29".

My question is this: in layman's terms, what would you say is the biggest difference I might see? If I cut in "Normal" mode, am I more likely to see a great deal of jagginess around the carvings? There are a number of inset circles, and some chunky raised text, all of which I'm planning on painting. Will I see a huge difference?

Personally, I am considering doing "Normal" mode one day, and then "Best" mode on a weekend when I have a lot of time to spend... Of course, my concern is also that if the difference is negligible, then there's a lot of time wasted (at least 6h) if there's very little difference.

Thanks in advance for reading, and for the advice. Oh, and "Hi Ike!" (I put that in there, in anticipation of him being the first person to reply - he's been awesome so far in answering even my most newbie of questions.)

...oh, and I'd put a smilie in here, but it looks like they don't show up. So, I guess I'll pull a Mike T and just say <smile>.

Rick // The DurhamDev

[dbfletcher]

Hmmm.. i wanna beat ike.... edit in a moment

It really depends on your design. If you have a lot of fine detail, best or optimum will save you sanding/finishing time the majority of the time. If you dont have a great deal of fine detail, and dont mind putting is a little more finishing time, I'd probably opt for normal. If you want to post your mpc, we can give you a better idea... even a screen shot would probably be enough for us to see the complexity/detail of your sign.

One more thought... since you said it is a large sign, most likely it will be veiwed from a distance. I doubt very much wether someone standing 5 feet away could see the difference between normal and best/optimal under most circumstances.

[DurhamDev]

If you want to post your mpc, we can give you a better idea... even a screen shot would probably be enough for us to see the complexity/detail of your sign.

Asked and answered! Here is my original paint design, as well as what I've converted to four levels of greyscale, and the two parts of the MPC. I appreciate the feedback! (...and feel free to critique me on design as well as idea. As you can see, I live by "go big or go home!")

[dbfletcher]

That is a great looking sign! And my gut feel is with that level of detail, I wouldnt waste the machine time on any setting past normal. A little finish sanding with a sanding mop and mouse type sander and no one will notice any increase in quality from the higher settings.

[DurhamDev]

That is a great looking sign!

Thanks so much! I'm a big proponent of the "KISS" principle, and even though I've cut two test signs on my machine to date, I've had a few people who have already asked me to create some signs for them. It's going to be a part-time job for me for a while, but I'm completely in love with the idea of making this my full-time job!

And my gut feel is with that level of detail, I wouldnt waste the machine time on any setting past normal. A little finish sanding with a sanding mop and mouse type sander and no one will notice any increase in quality from the higher settings.

Thanks for the input! That's great to hear!

Oh, and by the way - I wasn't hiding my phone number. I just haven't activated my new cell phone as yet!

[DickB]

I do see jagged edges on your lettering. It looks to me as if this is caused by your starting from a relatively low-resolution image. These jagged edges will not go away with a 'best' setting. If you have or can get a higher-resolution image from which to start, I would recommend it.

[SteveEJ]

I saw those too. If they are to be smooth you will have to use a chisel and clean them up before sanding. Save the carve time and use it for chisel and sanding.

It is a great looking sign! Remember, what you see in designer is what you will see in the carving.. The higher resolution and larger size image you start off with the better off you will be. Like DickB said..

[Ike]

To help the jagged edges, in pattern editor or what program Rick is using. A little Gaussian blur and/or de-noise will smooth it out.

Ike

[Fletcher]

Nice! Post pics when you are done - that should look nice!

[www.carvenow.com]

I would take it in consideration. Use best or optimal mode when an object required a lots details. Carving a pendant for example, if you can with the CW. A sign mostly don't need a lot of detail since they are always looked from a far distance.
Base on my experienced, there are almost no different in quality between normal and best except for the time it take to carve.
So for a big sign I would use normal to save time.