Post by Christopher Roe on May 28, 2009 18:18:58 GMT -9
Some folks requested details on how I got my Craft ROBO to cut out Jim's figures. I documented the process from start to finish here:
www.ebblesminiatures.com/tutorials/craftrobo/tutorial.html
Some things to keep in mind:
1. Yes, these tutorial pages are 1990s-ugly. Stylesheet coding and making it pretty simply weren't on my list of priorities today. I will eventually rectify this, but for now, I just wanted to get the content up.
2. Don't try any of this with models or scenery. It won't work. It works with Jim's figures because the big black border around them means you don't need *precise* cuts. For models and scenery, precision really counts, so autotracing won't work, and you'll have to trace by hand.
3. Don't freak out at the large number of steps. First, they're all easy little tasks, and second, they don't take long to do. You also only have to make one master layout, and it can be reused in the future. Figure importing is also an one-time process for each unique set--once you've done that setup work, you don't need to do it again. You just print the PDF, open the GSD file, and let the machine do the monkeywork from that point on.
4. If the figure has a lot of small pointy bits and delicate parts like the Stalkers, you're definitely gonna want to laminate the printouts before cutting, to protect against tearing. (I mean laminate with clear sticky plastic, not laminate as in gluing two layers of paper together.)
Whether or not to do this for a particular figure set depends on your answers to three questions.
If you unequivocally answered "yes" to all of these questions, then this is definitely an option to pursue, because the time you invest in setting up the files directly translates into being able to crank out a large number of figures with minimal effort.
If you only answered "yes" to one or two of these questions, then odds are you don't really need to do this for that particular figure set, and you would actually save more time cutting things out by hand.
Anyway, I hope those of you who requested the tutorial finds it useful. *grin*
-Mel
www.ebblesminiatures.com/tutorials/craftrobo/tutorial.html
Some things to keep in mind:
1. Yes, these tutorial pages are 1990s-ugly. Stylesheet coding and making it pretty simply weren't on my list of priorities today. I will eventually rectify this, but for now, I just wanted to get the content up.
2. Don't try any of this with models or scenery. It won't work. It works with Jim's figures because the big black border around them means you don't need *precise* cuts. For models and scenery, precision really counts, so autotracing won't work, and you'll have to trace by hand.
3. Don't freak out at the large number of steps. First, they're all easy little tasks, and second, they don't take long to do. You also only have to make one master layout, and it can be reused in the future. Figure importing is also an one-time process for each unique set--once you've done that setup work, you don't need to do it again. You just print the PDF, open the GSD file, and let the machine do the monkeywork from that point on.
4. If the figure has a lot of small pointy bits and delicate parts like the Stalkers, you're definitely gonna want to laminate the printouts before cutting, to protect against tearing. (I mean laminate with clear sticky plastic, not laminate as in gluing two layers of paper together.)
Whether or not to do this for a particular figure set depends on your answers to three questions.
- Are you gonna need a lot of the figures in that set? By "a lot", I mean more than a couple pages' worth.
- Do you have trouble cutting these figures out by hand? By "trouble", I mean getting frustrated quickly, consistently doing a poor job of it, and/or discarding a lot of failures.
- Does it take you longer than you would like to cut out figures?
If you unequivocally answered "yes" to all of these questions, then this is definitely an option to pursue, because the time you invest in setting up the files directly translates into being able to crank out a large number of figures with minimal effort.
If you only answered "yes" to one or two of these questions, then odds are you don't really need to do this for that particular figure set, and you would actually save more time cutting things out by hand.
Anyway, I hope those of you who requested the tutorial finds it useful. *grin*
-Mel