| |
Workflow Tutorial for Silhouette Studio
Let's go over the basic steps to prepare a layout for Silhouette Studio. Silhouette Studio is the name of the software used with specific cutting machines,
such as Silhouette CAMEO and Craft ROBO.
Set Up Registration Marks
In Ultimate Papercraft 3D, click Edit | Registration Mark Settings. Then click Show registration marks:
It's recommended to use the default values if no special cutting machine requirements are necessary. As a side note, Silhouette Studio
has the ability to import registration marks that are inverted to accomodate older cutting machines such as Craft ROBO.
Set Up Layout Margins
In Ultimate Papercraft 3D, click Edit | Layout Settings, and set the layout margins to no less than 15mm (0.591 inches). It's recommended to have at least
5mm of white space between the registration marks and your layout parts:
If done correctly, your parts should be placed within the registration mark margins as well as within the paper layout margins:
Print Layout
Next, click File | Print to print out your layout in full color with registration marks.
However, before printing to paper, we suggest double-checking your layout in Silhouette Studio first (see note regarding cross-hatched areas below).
Export Layout to DXF
Next, click File | Export | Layout To DXF (Silhouette Studio). This will export your layout to a DXF file as colored lines.
The purpose of these colors will be explained below:
Import to Silhouette Studio
In Silhouette Studio, before any DXF files are imported, click Edit | Preferences... | Import, set the DXF Open
option to As-is:
Under Edit | Preferences... | General, you may also set the Unit of Measurement to Inches or Millimeters:
Now, click File | Open and import your DXF file.
Configure Silhouette Studio
Under the Design tab, click on the Page Setup icon, and set the Media Size to your paper size (e.g. Letter or A4),
as well as its orientation:
Next, click on the Registration Marks icon, and turn on the registration marks. Set the length and inset margins to match
the same registration mark settings in Ultimate Papercraft 3D:
0.785 in = 20 mm (line length)
0.394 in = 10 mm (inset margins)
If done correctly, the black registration marks in Silhouette Studio should overlap the green DXF registration marks perfectly:
Also, pay close attention to the cross-hatched areas. These are designated as "keep out" zones, so no parts should be placed in these areas. You may want
to double-check your layout here before printing the full color layout from Ultimate Papercraft 3D.
Configure Lines
In Silhouette Studio, under the Send tab, click on the Line tab subcategory:
Silhouette Studio will group lines by their color, which then can be set to Cut, Score, or unchecked for No Action.
Take note that lines in the exported DXF file has been colored as follows:
- Registration Marks (green)
- Valley (red)
- Mountain (blue)
- Cutline (gray)
Therefore, uncheck green lines, and set red and blue lines to Score. Gray lines should be set to Cut.
Finally, your design is ready to print!
That's it! If you have any other questions about exporting your layout to Silhouette Studio, please let us know.
|
|
