Starting with laser cutting acrylic, how to delete these unwanted lines?

Attachment 125372

I like to remove the overlapping lines that should not be cut by the laser. Tried different buttons (Xara Xtreme) and once managed to remove a part, but can't find back how I did it. The result should be like the right image but outlines only. I guess there is also a fast way to remove all the lines at ones but no idea how.

Thanks!

I don't use that programme, but it's often something like, select the various segments then "Outlines Unite".

How to select the segments? Some button combination?

Shift + click on each till all selected or marquee them.

shift click only selects the full letter here

If the items you want selected are the only items on the page...select all.

or

Marquee them.

Also, other terms used for Outlines Unite are "Weld" and "Merge".

What is marquee?

No idea how where to find these, the pop-up menu changes all the time. Sometimes I see 'delete line' that does it, only deletes the wrong line...

I also don't mind removing this part with a gum tool but apparently no such in Xara.

Put the mouse above and to the left of what you want selected then click and hold while you drag mouse down and to the right until you see the dotted box outside of everything you want selected then let go. Everything inside that area will then be selected.

I would suggest before you do this you look for the "create outlines" or one of the other words I mentioned that you will need once everything is selected.

Perhaps one of the other members that has this programme will advise of the term used here.

Is the picture on the left a shapes or letters?

I don't have Xtreme loaded any more but this is how I would do it. If letters select them all and convert to shapes. Select both shapes and Join them under the Arrange menu select Add Shapes to make one shape. Then I would select line color and clear fill color. You should at this point be left with just outline of the shape.

Ray

Ray's method is the way to go:

Thanks everybody! I'm going to try it today.

I see you have the latest version software, may I ask if it has the option to export in DXF format? If so, I'll update my old free version 5. I lost my pro license (due to a deleted email address) after which I returned to version 5, basically it's enough for me but not has the DXF feature required for laser cutting.

if you bought it online and you can remember the email address, you should be able to get your pro licence details from magix who now handle the accounts, worth a try

pretty sure ver 16 does not have dxf, 15.1 doesn't

Thanks for the demo Egg.
After watching that I see it was "combine shapes" that did the trick in this programme.

So the laser cutting line +/- 5mm from the image. Those with a steady drawing hand and -tablet can do it manually, but is there a software-matic way to create this line that exactly follows the image, with manual adjustments possible like eg. the upper right corner part here? I tried this via the shadow tool and the bevel tool, but could not figure it out. I would very much like to learn how to do this, if it's possible.

Attachment 125384

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Originally Posted by Egg Bramhill

Ray's method is the way to go:

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Thanks for the video.

you probably do this with xara's contour tool assuming the image is vector

Why did you start a new thread?

something along the lines of

apply contour to vector image

convert this shape to editable shape and ungroup

to the shape behind your image apply outline and no fill

use shape tool to tweak it

I do not guarantee it would be suitable for task I don't lazer cut

As there were two very similar threads, and because I can do this, I have merged the two threads.

Mr. Moderator Emeritus Dude, Sir
:salute:

on the other hand as they were different questions [aka topics] maybe they could have been left separate.... c'est ca

I'm totally confused now .....

I don't understand what you're attempting to achieve in post # 15 macfee?

it was clearer when the threads were separate - it is now a non-sequitur, a completely different question

he wants a cutting outline around the shape - I suggested using a contour in post #19 - can't think of doing it any other way in xara [other than manually], but there may be one....

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Originally Posted by handrawn

it was clearer when the threads were separate - it is now a non-sequitur, a completely different question

he wants a cutting outline around the shape - I suggested using a contour in post #19 - can't think of doing it any other way in xara [other than manually], but there may be one....

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That's the way I've used for vinyl signs and waterjet cutting. Works well. There's a but...

In the image below, I've done a contour around a vector version (that I traced from a larger version of the logo), used a 5mm offset, single step contour, no fill with outline. Selected all the nodes with the shape tool except the ones around the tag hole, and for my uses, used a spot color named CutContour for the outline.

Attachment 125392

Which works fine for vinyl and waterjet cutting. Here's the "But." Depending on how the cutting is being done, the inner corners of the contour may need to be rounded to no smaller than the cutter's diameter unless the cutting software will properly make allowances else those sharp corners may look funky.

thanks mike...

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Originally Posted by mwenz

That's the way I've used for vinyl signs and waterjet cutting. Works well. There's a but...

In the image below, I've done a contour around a vector version (that I traced from a larger version of the logo), used a 5mm offset, single step contour, no fill with outline. Selected all the nodes with the shape tool except the ones around the tag hole, and for my uses, used a spot color named CutContour for the outline.

Attachment 125392

Which works fine for vinyl and waterjet cutting. Here's the "But." Depending on how the cutting is being done, the inner corners of the contour may need to be rounded to no smaller than the cutter's diameter unless the cutting software will properly make allowances else those sharp corners may look funky.

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Thanks, I'll try this tomorrow with a fresh brain. How to convert an image into a vector?

Quote:

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How to convert an image into a vector

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Possibly an odd occasion that Xara's trace can help?