Using Inkscape(?) or ? to outline an object

[myxpykalix]

I have a friend who has a legacy ornamental mill and i'm trying to help him make a template to try to make another one of these tables. I'm trying to create the outlines of the table, the inset lines and the center carving but i can't figure out what would be the appropriate application to try to do that.I tried using inkscape and got lousey results which included things outside the table as part of the vector rendering. Can anyone give me advice on what best app to use to copy the design of the table, and if its inkscape, the best settings to use? I have fooled with it for hours and gotten bad results and just lost at this point.


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[fleinbach]

Jack,

Like this I used Chief Architect and it took about 5 minuites.


8593

[ed_lang]

John,
I am working on a project right now that I have a logo from a customer, that is a scan of letter head. Talk about a bad file to work with! I would never try inkscape for this one. I bring it into Corel X3 on a layer and start drawing over it on a second layer. I can make changes as I need to and add lines as required.

The next line is not mean, in poor taste or pointed to hurt anyone! Just read it and keep the blood pressure down for a while. It is trying to help.

STOP trying to get someone or some software to do your work for you! You can either pay someone to draw everything for you and never have your own work or you can just roll up your sleeves and get dirty and design your OWN projects. YOU and everyone else CAN do it! I fell into the same trap for a long while. I am just now getting out of it and believe me, the feeling of doing something on your own is GREAT! Bill Young wrote a list of things to do, not do and think about in one of his articles. I suggest everyone read it and print it out.... I did. I look at it everytime I get to thinking I cannot do something.

Some of the things on the list I like best are;
Graph paper and pencil works great for preliminary work. Get familiar with the ShopBot language and some of it's features, Simpler is often better, and the best one is about the false precision and heart valves! For me, the most important one is "be willing to mess up on the first one of anything".

Now get off the Net and onto drawing your project.

[sam_harbold]

Jack

See if this is close enough.


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DXF file

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[rick_woodward]

Jack
If i remember right , you have artcam pro... ? If so, you dont need anything else for this. Open your pic in artcam pro Set the hieght or width. click ok. At the top of your window is a slider. Slide to the left to reduce the color of the pic. Then take your line tool and draw line around the outside. You dont have to be precise. Click a point in the "high" and low spots, connect at the end. Then use the "s" key to convert each point if needed, adjust the curve to match your outline. Do the same to your other "outlines" of features. Save it . You'll end up with as good a design as Sam's . Probably take 20 minutes.

[myxpykalix]

Sam,
your file, when clicked on only saves as an unk file and when i rename it with a .dxf extension I get a "invalid file" error message from my dxf viewer program. When i click on the file from here it comes up as a text file with code. Can you email it to me? Thanks for your efforts I appreciate it, and others who help.

My only problem with the suggestion to learn to do it myself is....have you heard the old saying:
"You can't teach an old dog new tricks"? lol

[sam_harbold]

Jack

You have mail.

Sam

[ed_lang]

John,
If the dog wants to learn, he will and can.

You have told me how much 3D animation you have done in the past, this should be easy! The next time you stop by the shop, if you will call ahead so I can make time, I'll show you a trick or two that will make it possible for you to do all of this on your own. I know you can.... if you want to.