GeneK

Thanks. I don't need this mask, but I always enjoy viewing a good set! Gene K P.S. You may want to consider posting a thumbnail of the mask along with your posts/files.

Yes to what snigel said! There are good tutorials here on this site. A quick demo: I'm also interested in your laser cutter set up. Can you cut balsa with it? Gene K

Kev, is there a change log, and if so, is it worth a read? Gene K

Thanks. What material are you cutting? Gene K

Thanks, DBB. What program are you using to design your parts? Gene K

Works for me ... in most cases.👍 Gene K

Steve, I respectfully suggest you look at the forums outside of Introductions and sample all that this great site has to offer. For starters, besides the Q&A denders suggested, check out Tutorials here, and Hardware and Software here. There you'll find extensive info, are likely to get more responses, and what's posted there will be more readily available for others looking for info similar to what you are asking (rather than being somewhat "obscured" here in Introductions) . Also search YouTube for Cameo and Silhouette mask tutorials - plenty of good ones there, for example this. As for your wanting to do some simple USN text masks: Go here to learn about (and get) the USN Long Beach font, load it into Windows, and it will then be available for you to use in Silhouette. USAF Font is Amarillo. Gene K

The software is loaded onto the computer, of course, not the machine, so the seller may have given you a disc for the Basic Edition of the Studio software . If not, you can download and install the Basic software for free from here. As concerns the Designer Edition of Studio that Max suggested -- Silhouette had a Christmas Special Price of $25 (Regular $50), but that is expired. HOWEVER Appears you can get it for $25 here. Gene K

Thanks, Craig. I may have to buy the kit to fit your masks. Gene K

Go here to convert your Silhouette Studio file to an svg that can be used in other cutters. You could post your Studio file, and then also post the svg. Gene K

Tom, I meant to have included this very helpful RAF font post from Mike C that could be very useful to you: Gene K

Tom, Your "outlines" are a result of the method you used to trace. As it is, both sides of all lines were traced (except the two rectangles on the bottom left - you probably drew these two vice tracing them). If you zoom in on your roundels, for example, you'll see eight jagged concentric "circles" vice four. Your circles may appear smooth, but each jag requires the cutter to zig zag, so the cutter will seem to shudder as it negotiates all those turns. Youtube has explanations as to why the double lines happen - search "Silhouette Double Line Trace" - for example go to 9:47 in this old video. Also, your made your entire layout a compound path. You may have wanted to group them? To "fix": use the Select tool and right click on any part of your layout, and then press "Release Compound Path". That will allow you to select each individual line, so zoom in and select a path (outline) you don't want, and then hit Delete. Since you have many markings in your layout, this method will take some time. Important-- when done, be sure to group each individual marking, or group all, or Create Compound path. The Silhouette Studio trace feature is improving (slowly .. works "OK") but does not have a Centerline Trace. So if you can't download the required vector font or graphic, you could manually trace using the built in drawing tools. For example, all it takes for the roundels is drawing four circles and then aligning them. Alternately, you could use a program like Inkscape to do a Centerline Trace, save as as vector (like SVG or PNG) and import into Studio to have ready made cut lines. BUT ... much easier to manually trace in Studio!!! Gene K

Looking good so far, Paolo. If you can't drag the red nodes (dots) on top of one another to connect them, try this: Using the Select tool, highlight all the lines/objects at one time, then right click and press "Make Compound Path". After that, you can simply drag the red nodes onto one another to "connect the dots". (sorry, I don't speak Italian so have no idea of your program terminology) This is where you need to understand how to work with the nodes. Too long to cover here, but YouTube will explain if you'll search on "Silhouette point editing" as I suggested ... for example, here. You can start by clicking on a node to highlight it, and then you can delete it (Delete Key), or move it (Right press and hold) to smooth the trace. Ultimately, however, you'll have to learn about "node types" and how to use the node "handles" (Bezier curves). Sounds harder than it actually is!!! You're almost there so stick with it a little more. Gene K

Yes, definitely once only!👍 Gene K

Phil, I always press a new mat against a T-shirt several times to tame the stickiness. You could also use a low stick mat, and if it's too anemic, tape the edges of the material to the mat with a few strips of masking tape. I do that when my mats lose the stick (before I re-spray the mat or just buy a new one). You could also try cutting without a mat as summarized here. I don't normally do this because, among other reasons, I usually use a mounted full sheet from which I cut sections over multiple sessions. Save that mat/sheet, and use another mat for other projects that may arise. Cheap, cheap. Gene K

YouTube is great for such tutorials. For starters search on "Silhouette trace" for guides on using the Trace feature ... and after you are comfortable with that, search for "Silhouette point editing" . Frustration will quickly turn into fun when you practice!! Gene K

Paolo. Looks like you narrowed it down to a "somewhat useable" trace, but you could still use more refining by going back to your original image (not the isolated pieces you made), and using the Trace dialog options (Threshold, Despeckle, etc) to refine the trace. That would give you a single line trace vice the double lines you created. After the trace is made, you can reduce the number of nodes by using the Top Menu ... Object/Simplify (Ctrl+J) . Then, overlaying the trace on your original jpg, you can further refine the trace by adjusting the nodes and adding or deleting others to get something like this (can even be further refined) So here's the final trace (not scaled). Let me know if you'd like the Studio file. Sounds like a lot of effort, right? So .. One of the very best things you can do to use Studio effectively is to learn to use the drawing tools to trace. Takes an investment in time, but well worth the effort in the long run. The Studio Trace feature is getting better, but manual tracing is much easier, quicker, and more precise. 👍 Gene K

Nice start, Shawn. For the white outline, just draw another circle of the correct radius. The mask for white is sprayed first, and then the red mask applied over the white. For tips on lining the masks up, see the Tutorial section. on this site. I like the parchment paper method as shown here. There are many other similar videos on YouTube. Gene K

The upgrade to the Designer Edition is currently on sale for $25. Good deal! https://www.silhouetteamerica.com/software/ss#upgrade Gene K

Kevin, If you are looking to move up from the Portrait 2-- Great deals abound on the Portrait 3 since the 4 is out. I sold my 3 and applied the funds to the 4 ... which I really like. Gene K

I had the original Curio and really liked it, but it was overkill for my needs (as was my Cameo). Also, it was kind of clunky with the stacked bed arrangement. The new model, however, is MUCH improved in all aspects, and I would have gotten one but for the large footprint the machine with/without the ES mat requires. There is no comparison of the the Portrait 2 to the original Curio - never was ... and is not now as regards the Curio 2 to the Portrait 4 (which I bought). Totally different classes as concerns diverse capability (as you said). If you have the room and want stupendous capability, the Curio 2 is a great buy! Gene K

I'm not familiar with the masking material you used, but the Portrait should certainly have done a sharper cut. In that regard, you can't set 1.5 depth on an autoblade (assuming you are using one), but in any event, you can/should play with the force/depth combination to dial in your particular material. For fine tuning, you can also "fiddle" with Line Segment Overcut, Track Enhancing, and Intelligent Path Technology (if you have a Portrait 4). As for Oramask, it will lose some stick (and shrink somewhat) as it ages, especially if not stored properly, but it sounds like your Portrait is new, so I assume your Oramask is also new. As for alternatives to Oramask, I've tried other masking materials, and have found Tamiya the best (but I "stick" with Oramask). Lastly, I assume your blade is new ... and that you've checked that there are no cutting fragments in the blade holder. Gene K

Sure , but why not just post the scale "for completeness" ... if the poster has the scale? Dan did in fact note that they are in 1/32! Thanks again, Dan. Gene K

Nice tracing, Mikeja. Too bad Arma Hobby didn't give us a vector pdf ... which would have generated the cut lines. Gene K

I came across this interesting playlist of ten videos today: Great for beginners since he covers all the basics .... plus some. There are "alternate" ways to do many tasks in Studio other than as shown in this series (of course). For example, instead of Copy and then Paste, merely click on object, then press Alt key to drag a copy to a new location. That feature is particularly handy to place and cut a new copy of an object close to the original -- saves material. Gene K