I am trying to figure out the best/most efficient way to cut & paint a 3d wavy flag. Specifically the union area around the stars with the end goal of having the union blue and the stars just the natural wood grain color from the cut (no paint).
My problem; I can’t figure out how to cut just the stars without the wave because the star curves with the wave in 3d and if I disable the wave portion on the model tab, the star ends up just being 2 dimensional on a flat plane.
My current thought is to run the 3d cut at a depth of about .15", paint the union blue and then come back again and do a pass at about .14" to get the stars cut out again, but that would leave the deepest part of the star blue at the very tip of the inside of the star.
Is there an easier way I am not thinking of? Below is an image of what I am talking about. I isolated just the union area as a separate file in case I needed to cut it separately from the rest of the flag.
Can you post the file?
Are you planning on painting the stars white after you paint the field blue?
Disable the Stars as a 3D element, cut as a 3D file, then paint blue, if desired, mask, then enable the stars, then cut a 3D roughing and 3D using the star geometry to limit where that is cut, then paint white, then remove the mask.
What Will said… Make sure you save off the wave toolpath before enabling the stars, as the toolpaths will automatically update to include the stars.
Nope. Keeping the woodgrain color.
Will, I’m not understanding something. What do you mean by “using the star geometry to limit where that is cut”. If I do the cut w/o the stars, paint blue, then mask it… wouldn’t my endmill just cut through the blue paint and masking I just applied? I guess that’s why you’re saying to limit it. I just don’t know how and still maintain crisp points in the star.
@ SD Guy - I tried to upload file, but it said it was 4MB and too big.
If you are going to use a 3D path to cut the stars you need to pick the boundary of each star to define the 3D path. Otherwise it would cut the field again and remove your paint/mask.
Do some testing with masking over paint. I have had some issues with the paint peeling up.
Cullen, I do select each star, but I can’t disable the ripple of the wave since the star is following that 3d path. Essentially the wave is what I lay the star on so when I disable the wave, the stars become 2d.
Use the star selection for a 3D Roughing and then 3D Finishing toolpath.
I have 2 commands in the model tab.The first one is a wave (or ripple as I called it for some reason in the file), which creates the 3d design or wave. (photo labeled #2 below)
Then overlaid on that is the 2nd element, the stars (which follow the wave of the 1st design element, the ripple. Which makes it look like this when in 3d viewing mode.
When I disable the 1st element (the ripple) it becomes a 2d image and no longer tracks with the wave. It looks like this below and comes up as a blank if I select to view it in 3d mode.
Essentially, I don’t know how to cut the stars following the ripple w/o again cutting the ripple and removing any blue paint I applied already. Unless I copy the exact same ripple element making it slightly above the current one so it cuts the stars and not the wave again. It’s a waste of cutting time, but the only way I can think to get it to work.
Disable the stars 3D element
Select the outer rectangle for the union (or the whole flag)
Create the 3D finish path to cut the wave/ripple (larger ball mill)
Save the toolpath
Now enable the stars 3D element
Select the star vectors
Create the 3D finish toolpath for just the stars modeled into the wave. (smaller ball mill & tight stepover)
Disable the toolpath for the wave
Save the toolpath for the stars