Use
this tutorial only for monochrome art, since there are too many ways to
inadvertly change the exact dimensions of your art. More about that will follow
shortly, when I have time to work with the Camm.
To bend
text in Rhino 3 and 4:
File, New, (small object, millimeters)
Double click Top viewport title. (you only
need one viewport for 2D work)
Open the layer window (type layer after
Command: and press enter)
Double click Layer01 tekst, change name to
appropriate color. (there is no need to change the screen color, altough this
may help in visualizing your design)
Do this for every color you want to use.
Also name one layer Frame.
drawing it. The other way around will take a lot longer!
Make layer frame current. (Click on the line
with Frame, exactly below the tick mark)
you want to cover with your artwork. (use rectangle, circle, ellipse) This
frame is only there to make sure your design does not get to big or small.
Remember that the widest film this printer can use is 27.5” or 62 cm)
For a rectangle, type rectangle at the command
line. Click left and low in your screen.
First type in the width (from left to right),
next the height, in mm.
If your frame does not fit your screen: type
Zoom, enter, a enter, e, enter. (or scroll with your mouse)
Typing text:
Make the right color layer active. (click
below the tickmark on the correct linle)
Type textobject on the command line. (Do NOT
use text)
Select: curves and group object. Estimate the
size of your letters. (no need to be precise yet)
Also select a font that you like.
Type your text in the box.
Press enter. You cannot change the text once
you hit enter.
You can ungroup the text, and add linebreaks,
other letters or imagery. (group after modifying makes selecting the text
easier)
(can someone add which fonts are best to use
on a cutter: i.e. no loose internal parts of a letter that make applying the
text difficult?)
Make the frame layer active.
Draw a line underneath the text. (about the
length of the text)
Draw a curve with the curvature you want. (curve)
If your cursor only wants to move along horizontal and vertical axi: press F8.
(ortho on/off toggle)
command line: Type flow.
Select (left click) your text. (enter) (select
object prompt)
click the left side of the line underneath
your text. (base curve, select
near one end prompt)
click the left side of your curve. (target curve – select near matching
end prompt)
The text is now bend along the curve.
There are several interesting options to play
with. Type flow, press F1. If the images in the help files show a triangle in
the left hand lowre corner, you can play a small video.
The stretch option is the most interesting,
because this makes it easy to control the size of your letters.
It is possible that your letters appear on the
wrong side of your curve. If that happens, type Flip, click your curve, press
enter.
Working
with history:
Flow is history enabled: Click Record history
(bottom right of your screen) before you type flow. (or click Record History
while flow is open)
Finish the flow command as above.
Swith on the control points of your curve.
(Type Pointson, select curve, enter)
Drag the control points, and see your text
twist along with it! (you do need a fast computer for this) Try to draw a curve
with as little mouse click as possible for this function. This will improve the
looks and “ flow” of your text.
More
complex ways to deform objects (only Rhino 4):
Create text as above. (use the frame, but do not draw the line below the text)
Type Cageedit.
Select your text (select captive object
prompt) (you have to select all curves seperately)
Click on the text Line on the command line.
Draw a line underneath the text. (inside the
command, just click left once on the left of your text, and right once) (click
F8 if you want this to be a straight line)
Click enter. (accept the nurbs settings for
the line)
Region to edit: type G, or click Global.
Four small dots now apear on a line below the
text. If you drag the points, the text moves with the line. (to drag, left
click a point, and with the left mouse button depressed, drag the point away.
Possible errors: If you hit escape, the small
dots disappear. To show them again, type PointsOn, select the line, hit enter.
The line cannot be deleted as long as the points are visible. (so press escape
until the points disappear, and then delete)
For a perspective effect: Use the bounding box
option. (keep the number of control points low, for a smooth appearce. (click
bounding box, click Cplane, click Xpointcount, repeat this for Ypointcount and
Zpoint count, 2 is the minimum number)
Region to edit: global.
Please note: there are several control points
on top of each other! select all points on top of each other by drawing a small
box around them from left to right, holding the left button while dragging.
Do not overdo these effects, always test if
others can easily read the modified text.
cutter can read:
- Get your mesh settings right. (options, click on Mesh, select
Smooth & slower. If your computer slows down to much: click Jagged
& faster) - Type renderoptions.
- Resolution: Click on the arrow behind the box Resolution, and
change this to custom. Click on the arrow behind pixels, and change this
to mm.
Type in the appropriate size of your design. (similar to the frame you
drew in the beginning) (first number=left to right, second = up and down) - Change DPI to 300.
- Change Antialiasing to high.
- Select Transparant background. (make sure bottom color is
unchecked) - Select Render curves. (Do NOT check Render dimensions and text)
- Click OK.
Switch off the frame layer. Switch off all
layers except for one color. (you can only cut one color at a time) (To switch
off a layer, click on the lightbulb next to the layer name.)
(No lightbulb= layer is current, make another
layer current, click the light bulb again)
Type: Render. If it takes very below before an
image shows up, reduce antialiasing and DPI. (render time is shown at the
bottom of your image)
You might have to zoom in or out before your
art is filling the entire render image.
This
can be frustrating if you have a slow computer: practice this first with a
lower antialiasing and dpi setting! Make your last rendering with a higher
setting.
Save the image as a JPEG. Most Photoshop alike
programs can change this into EPS. (I use Gimp, a free open source program)
Please note: You have to make a seperate EPS
file for every color. It is very easy to mess up the alignment and size of the
JPEG’S and the EPS. More information on this will follow. (any zooming in or
out will throw the colors out of alignment and size....)
Questions? Remarks? Comments? Leave a message at the Wiki for Geert-Jan Smolders, Aquaplanning
Hope to see you soon in the FabLab!