Newbie at a loss, help?

[SRM327 (Jason Gaines)]

Hi all!
I’m absolutely loving my Shapeoko and learning a lot within CC. I do have a problem that has me baffled. I am trying to mimic a rocking chair bottom rail on the software. I have taken a photo and uploaded it to Inkscape and gotten the file into CC without much problem. My issue is that I can’t seem to keep the same scale of the real world piece. I resize it while holding ctrl/shift but, it will not keep the proper radius at the ends of the rocker or proper width/radius anywhere else. Its very frustrating, just wondering if I’m missing something or is there a way to do this easier? Possibly an attachment that will probe the real world piece??

[WillAdams (William Adams (Carbide 3D))]

For this sort of thing see:

Carbide Create Photo Tracing: https://wiki.shapeoko.com/index.php/Carbide_Create_Photo_Tracing — placing the image on a grid (or at least including a ruler) and photographing it squarely (or using a scanner) helps a lot.

using a background image to trace objects or for a logo:

Carbide Create re-drawing

If one only has a pixel image: [image003] then one has three options: auto-tracing — EDIT: Carbide Create has since gained this feature: Carbide Create - Image Tracing using the pixel image using a tool such as MeshCAM or Carbide Create Pro’s texture feature re-drawing — this is a tutorial on this: Begin by going to Job Setup and setting the Stock Size and importing the image onto the background: [image]

Carbide Create drawing/tracing tutorial

@Bonch has a project which requires this very charming image: [WoodlandKidsLogo_BW] which is only available as a pixel image. Re-drawing it should be straight-forward: First, launch Carbide Create, create a stock area of the correct proportion, and import the pixel image and size it appropriately: [image] EDIT: Alternately, one could use the new Image Tracing feature:

or for Makita RT0701/0700 collet wrenches see:

Importing a file or a backgound image

I’ve searched, honestly, but I still can’t find out if the importing of images is fixed, or I’m just doing it wrong. Essentially, I drew around a spanner (wrench) with the intention of scanning it, editing the image in Affinity Photo, and then importing it as a background, to draw a vector over it, or as a vector. Except, it’s either the size of the Eiffel Tower: [Screenshot 2020-11-09 at 17.28.40] or the CN Tower in Toronto: [Screenshot 2020-11-09 at 17.29.38] Oh, and the stock size is …

[SRM327 (Jason Gaines)]

Thanks @WillAdams, I will look over the info you provided to see if it will lead me to finally getting this project right

[fenrus (Arjan van de Ven)]

maybe a silly suggestion, but as you take a picture, put a ruler with clear inch (or cm) marks on it in that same picture so that you can use those in CC to make sure the marks are to scale?

[SRM327 (Jason Gaines)]

Thanks for the help guys, I think I might have it! Now my only issue is when I do the tiling toolpaths for large work piece such as this, I do a pocketing path and I can’t add tabs to keep it from moving on the final pass…and tips? I don’t want to screw the piece to my spoilboard

[fenrus (Arjan van de Ven)]

btw you can tile gcode after the fact with
https://fenrus75.github.io/FenrusCNCtools/stl2nc/nctile.html

(see it in action with Mount Hood volcano in 4 tiles )