Corel Draw

[rick@sinanju.com]

Hi;
I'm considering purchasing a shopbot. My primary design program is Corel Draw. Does anyone have comments or experience using Corel Draw and the shopbot?
Thanks
Rick

[kaaboom_99]

Hi Rick, I use Corel Draw for about 95% of my work on the SB. Currently using Corel 10.

[srwtlc]

Hi Rick,

I use CorelDraw for designing any freeform shapes and signs that I may need, but I would recommend getting and learning a cad program for more accuracy when designing parts. TurboCad is affordable and works great for me. There are a number of good cad programs, find one that works for you and stick with it.

Just my $0.02 worth

[rick@sinanju.com]

Can you do 3D in Corel?

[artisan]

No Rick, you can't do 3D in Corel....at least not the traditional type 3D. There is also a more accurate version out now called "Corel Designer"....I have both but use CoreDraw more often.... so far. You can create "false 3D" pieces in Corel by cutting slabs of material and stacking or laminating them together. I do this often with foam. I think you'll find Corel will get you very far with the Shopbot....after which you may want to purchase a 3D program. Shopbot also includes some 3D software with the purchase....D

[nehdad]

What file format do I need to save the design in using Corel v.10 for the shopbot to see it?

[kerrazy]

DXF autocad version 9 works well, with little clean up
Dale

[gerald_d]

Rich, do you have a raster image (many colours and pixels) or a vector image (point-to-point lines and arcs)? I don't know Corel, but I think that you have to define the raster/vector thing before you can get the right answer to your question. (Dale's DXF reply applies to vectors and not to rasters.)

[artisan]

Rich, in Corel, you have the option to save or export vector files as a DXF file. Corel Trace can convert many raster images to vector...with a little clean-up. If I am doing quick conversions, I save my vectored files as .cdr on the computer, then export them as .dxf to a disk. Then, using the Shopbot computer and UHX converter, I create .sbp files. This works well for simple projects where the depth of cut is constant and you are merely cutting out a part. For more complex projects, you'll definitely need to create toolpaths in a CAM software of your choice....D

[bjwat@comcast.net]

Darrell,
Just out of curiousity...what is a UHX converter?

-Brady

[nehdad]

Thanks Darrell but I too would like to know what a UHX converter is.

Thank you

Rich

[artisan]

It's what you call the Ux_dxf converter when your brain is too small to multi-task....ie. answer the phone, read emails, read the forum, type an answer and chew gum at the same time. I apologize for the typo....I meant the DXF converter (Ux_dxf) that comes with the Bot. I use this constantly when doing quick lettering jobs or cutting foam parts....D

[bjwat@comcast.net]

<Curly Voice> Ahh...shorthand! </Curly Voice>

[nehdad]

I just tried to use the converter after tracing a item in corel v 11 and the converter just hangs. I also tried the converter for the same picture in the demo of part wizard and it works.

Does anyone have any ideas here?

Also does anyone know if the partwizard will work on older machines?

[bjwat@comcast.net]

Rich,
I was running PW on a P1 120 with 32meg of RAM on 98SE...It limped along but it worked!
Since I replaced the shop computer with a 1.7GHz & 512 it rips...

-Brady

[artisan]

Rich, did you export the CDR file as a DXF file? The converter will only work with DXF files. Another trick is to select everything (all), left click on empty (the X at the top of the color bar) and then right click on black. This will let you see clearly all the lines in the tracing and any problems that need correcting. Conversely, you can left click on a color when doing vectored drawings to see if your lines are joined properly. If the piece does not "fill", then you still have work to do cleaning and editing your piece. Ultimately, this will become second nature and is very simple to do. The single biggest tip I can give you about Corel, is to set your page size, to the size of your material....96" by 48" for instance. This will make all your layout work and file conversion VERY simple.....D