Flower of Life

[KWiK]

I am trying to make a flower of life carving. Something along the lines of this https://all-free-download.com/free-vect ... 16823.html I want to Vcarve all the white area and leave the dark tall. I am probably approaching it all wrong, but short of drawing each and every white area, I am running into all kinds of overlapping or duplicate lines issues. Anyone have any suggestions on the best way to approach this design?

[Mike-S]

You can use the "chicken" (bluebird) icon to vectorize the line art, but you'll find that it puts a vector on both sides of each line.
Also you need to put a vector around ALL of your vectors to reverse the carve and make the black lines proud.

[highpockets]

Are you looking for something like this?

[Mike-S]

HP, How'd do du dat?

[highpockets]

You can use the "chicken" (bluebird) icon to vectorize the line art, but you'll find that it puts a vector on both sides of each line.
Also you need to put a vector around ALL of your vectors to reverse the carve and make the black lines proud.

Mike,

He doesn't have the chicken.

[Mike-S]

I always get in trouble trying to advise on V-carve.

[highpockets]

HP, How'd do du dat?

I found a high resolution image of the Flower of Life. Imported the bitmap. Used black and white trace and tweaked the trace.

Now comes the fun part, I created three separate vcarve toolpaths making sure not to select two vectors next to one another. I used a 1/2" 90° vbit.

[highpockets]

I always get in trouble trying to advise on V-carve.

Me too....

[Leo]

Ohhh - is that what that thing is? I didn't know that.

[KWiK]

The images I found weren't high enough quality apparently. The vector image I linked to wasn't accurate enough. So I was trying to draw it myself. I was mainly trying to use circular arrays but of course am ending up with all kinds of overlaps. Originally I was making it so the top came to a point at the lines. It did dawn on me that making the tops be a narrow flat would work better both carving and getting rid of some overlapping issues. I am going to keep trying to draw it before I give up and go back to the Chicken

[adze_cnc]

Given the colouring of the icon surely it's not a chicken but rather a pigeon...

[Adrian]

Problem with the vectors in your link is they weren't drawn for v-carving so there are open vectors where the software needs closed etc and gaps when you zoom right in. A common issue when taking vectors drawn for the human eye to look at rather than a program to try to machine from them. The advantage of using the auto trace on a nice clean black and white line drawing is that it generate vectors that are suitable for v-carving straight away.

It's not a chicken, it's a robin. Look at the wording on the picture.

[KWiK]

Shortly after I posted this morning, my wife walked in and asked what I was doing. She immediately told me what I was doing wrong, since she works with these kinds of patterns all the time in quilting. I now have it arrayed with no overlapping lines, just need to trim to the outer circle.

[Mike-S]

It's not a chicken, it's a robin. Look at the wording on the picture.

Clearly, it's a chicken named "Robin."

[ger21]

Here's a clean .dxf file I threw together.