This tutorial is for setting up your file for the usage in
Deskproto. At FabLab Amsterdam we use Illustrator CS3, the images you see are screen captures from Illustrator CS4 so the image may differ.
There are several ways to setup your file we start with the most
simple one.
Lets say you want a square cut out of 200x200mm. We begin with a
new file ( CTRL + N or CMD + N ) the size should be larger than the
shape you want to cut out, but this can be changed later through file
→ document setup ( CTRL + SHIFT P or CMD +SHIFT + P ).
To create a
square you can click the square icon or use the shortcut M, now
click on the “Stage” and a screen will popup. In this popup you
can fill out the width and height of your square. The same can be
done with all the other shapes from the menu.
If you want to go a little further you can make something
pressfit. The setup of the file is the same as for a simpel object
but now you need to keep in mind that a milling bit spins around and
the inner corners will always be rounded. To over come this problem
you can make a small incision in the inner corner, the size of this
incision is half of your milling bit.
This incision can be made by
clicking the line tool ( \ ) and then by click on the stage a popup
shows up and you can fill out the length and the angle you want the
line to be at.
To place the line on a node/point of the vector you
can select the white arrow ( a ) and select the entire object, then
by clicking on the node/point you want it to be connected and drag it
to the other node/point you can lock them together.
When your done you must save your project, its wise to do it
several times during your process, but now its important that your
file is saved as the lowest version of Illustrator. The lowest
version of Illustrator is version 3
