Tutorial

Tutorial

We would like to congratulate you for buying CimaGraphi Product.

The CimaGraphi is in fact a package containing four modules.

In this tutorial we will introduce the basic tools of those programs.

We will start with the Trace:

TRACE, GRAPHICAD, P2P , MILL, RESULTS, HOMEPAGE.

General

CimaGraphi’s main purpose is to design and manufacture part with an artistic flavor. The design modules include Trace (Raster to vector conversion and graphic editing), GraphiCad (Drafting and text handling) and Picture To Part (P2P – 3D surface design and editing)). The manufacturing module is the Mill (CAM module). The following tutorial takes you through a step by step journey through Cimagraphi’s design tools leading up to the actual production of a part.

Start image -> end result

Trace:

In this tutorial Trace will be used to load a bitmap (raster) image and convert it into a vector image. This is required so as a machine will be able to produce the part. Once the conversion has been done, we will use several of the Trace modules basic editing tools to improve and modify the result.

Important issue – A high quality image will reduce dramatically the time required to edit, generate and eventually produce the part. Invest some time with an image editing software (PhotoShop) to clean up a poor image. A little effort in achieving a good quality image can save you a lot of time in the long run.

1. Open a picture … (example: Coat of Arms.bmp) open

2. We will make an Outline of the picture.
Press on Outline out

and in the Dialog box on OK

3. If we want to see only the Outlines we created
Press on Unshow Picture unshow

(Click on the icon to Show/Unshow the picture).
The original picture: The outlined picture:

coatbmp 1212

Like we saw in this picture it was quite easy. The outline we created is identical to the original picture because the quality of the picture was good enough.
However if the outline isn't clear enough or needs corrections we will have to use the editing tools as follows:
4. To start editing first we need to select a chain. Press on Edit Chain editch

(Select the Chain that you want to edit).
5. Select a chain by clicking with the mouse on it. Note that along the chain control points will be displayed. Square control points represent a corner, while round control points represent curves. Select a control point by clicking on it and dragging it (While the mouse is still pressed). Move the CP (Control Point) until the curve represents the image behind in the best way.
line

6. Use the SHIFT button and click on a CP to delete an unnecessary CP.
7. Click between to CP’s to add an additional CP

In Edit Chain mode you can: editch

- Select a Chain by clicking on it and then move with the mouse.

- Move Chain Points (click on the selected point and move it).

- Connect two chains (click on the edge of one chain and place it on the edge of another chain to unite them).

- Add points – Clicking between to control points will add a new control point.

- Delete points – Clicking on a control point while holding the SHIFT button pressed will delete the control point.

Another two buttons making life easier:

Line filter and Curve filter, they are combining between points, for

Instance If i need to make a straight line, I can use to Line/Curve filter,

I will mark the First point and another point in the relative middle,

And the last point will set the Line/Curve that we require.

break Brake Chain: broke Brake the Chain between the selected points,

Click on the selected point to break the chains connecting it.

del Delete Chain: Remove all the selected chain,

Click on a Point on the Chain and it will be erased.

(This option will delete everything on the chain)

8. Save the Changes … (Coat of Arms.con) save , when "Save Picture Background" prompted, click on yes

(Save picture background is the original picture we can choose not to save it and to save only the outlines).

9. Press on Edit edit now press on Mark All. mark . Or make sure no chain is selected (Press the ESC key)

10.Press on Copy. copy to transfer the outlines from the Trace. At this point the outline shape can be pasted into any of the

other Cimagraphi modules.

We will now going to copy the work we made in the Trace to GraphiCad,

And we will create from the original outlines different layers.

GraphiCAD

The GraphiCad module handles precision draft along with creative tools and text handling. In the following section we are going to use transformation tools to position the graphics in the correct place and split the design into layers

1. We will now begin by pasting the outline, press on Paste paste

2. Click on Edit edit

, click on Mark all mark

3. Now we are going to Center the outline to (0, 0).
Click on Transform trans

, Click on Move move

In the Move window on Action mark Move, the X: 0, the y: 0.
Another Important issue is the Anchor Sign anchor

The Mark of an anchor means
The relative position we wants in this example we want the center to be at (0, 0).

movediag

Click on

, the whole outline jumped to (0, 0)
4. Now we are going to create layers.
Select the "Out Coat" chain and Drag in to the Group Manager. (The Group Manager is located at the bottom left of the screen).

group

A new layer will be created, to rename the layer just right click on it and click on rename, Rename it as out coat

Tip: Use the to Show/Unshow the Layer, when it's open, you can see the layer, to close, click on it, it will appear,

It will be easier to mark other chains if you don't see the created layer

Tip: to select more than one Chain at the same time, click CTRL on your Keyboard.

5. Because Using different layers are important let's Practice it.
We will do the same that you have done:
Follow the table and drag the Chains as a different layers as followed by the Example under.

Because Using different layers are important let's Practice it.
We will do the same that you have done:
Follow the table and drag the Chains as a different layers as followed by the Example under.

In the end you'll see all the layers at the Group Manager the same as in the table
(The exact colors aren't needed), you can Click on Show all Layers

and You'll see every chain in a different layer color.

6. Now to see how simple it is, we will make an addition to the outline we made.
We will make a new layer for The circle, we will call the new layer In Circle.

tip: to do so, fist, create a new layer by clicking on in the window we will call the name as Inner Circle, Click Ok , now the new layer will appear at the layer list as , it means that the new geometry will be made at the marked layer.

Let's Make a Circle by using the Circle by Center and Radius

The Radius should be 100 and the X: 0 and y: 0.
7. Create a new Layer called Outer Circle; create a bigger circle with radius 125 in Position X: 0, Y: 0.

This is the result:

Now we are going to Add Text to the circles.
8. Go to Text Mode by Clicking on textmode

9. Create a New Layer, name it GraphiTech.
10. In Text Mode, click on font font

and Change the font to Arial Black Bold and click on ok2

.
11. Double Click in an empty space on the screen to Write without problems.
12. Write 'GRAPHITECH', all in Capital Letters.
13. Mark the Graphitech Layer and Select, from the Text Menu, Text Along the Curve .
14. Insert the Text by Two Curves

, proportional to the curves by selecting the point in the curve str

Now the program will require four relative points :
The First two points:

The first click on the left side of the out circle, as close to Y: 0 as possible

The second click on the Right side of the out circle, as close to Y: 0 as possible

The Seconds two points:

The first click on the left side of the in circle, as close to Y: 0 as possible

The second click on the Right side of the in circle, as close to Y: 0 as possible

045

17. Save the Changes … (Coat of Arms.gcd) save

18. Click on Edit edit

and on Mark all mark

19. Click on Copy copy

. Once again this makes the entire design available in all of Cimagraphi’s modules.

Picture to Part

Picture To Part is an artistic surface modeler. It provides tools to generate surfaces by embossing 2D shapes, surface manual sculpting, Shade analysis and more. Components designed in the P2P can be put together in an Assembly mode. This enables the re-use of design components in many jobs and with great freedom.

1. Click on Paste paste

2. In the P2P markings have a different meaning, the layer panel have five Columns: Color, Show, Include, and Exclude.

layer

Now let's unmark all the layers by pressing on their V on include.
3. Create a New Component by click on Component comp

and on New Component ncomp

Tip: The Components list can be see it at the bottom of the screen,
You can create a new component by clicking right to the component
Available on the bottom on the screen.

Like in this example you can see that we can give a name to our components,
To do so just right click on the component and click on Name.

4. Select the Text layer and Drag them to text Component on the Bottom right Side. (You can't drag layers except to components under the project itself)
Now let's move our layers to the components.
Here is a table of the components I made with those layers as followed:

Components:	Layers:
Circle	Inner circle Outer circle
Shield	Shield outline Shield inner line
Small crown	Small crown
Liz Flower	Liz flower upper Liz flower
Crown	Crown out Crown in Crown ruby Crown accessories
Text	Text

Now We are going to start embossing the components.
5. We will start on the circle component
6. Mark the Inner Circle and the Outer Circle layers
7. Click at the Emboss Icon emboss

, now you can check that the Layers that you want
To emboss are the correct ones at the Mark Box, Then click next next

group

8. Embossing Parameters:
Select: Ellipse; Detail Size: 0.2; Height: 7; Emboss Type ; Rubber,

073

Then click on

circle

Tip: Do not forget to Unmark after embossing a layer and before Marking

The Next layer.

9. Continue with the embossing according to the following table by components:

Component:	Mark Layer	Section	Detail Size	Height	Emboss type:
Circle	Inner Circle	Extrude	0.2	2	stretched
Shield	Shield outline	Circular arc	0.2	4	Rubber
Shield	Shield inner line	Circular arc	0.1	2	Rubber
Small crown	Small crown	Circular arc	0.05	1.5	stretched
Liz Flower	Liz Flower	Ellipse	0.05	2	stretched
Liz Flower	Liz flower Upper	Ellipse	0.05	1	Stretched
Crown	Crown out	Ellipse	0.05	2	Rubber
Crown	Crown in	Ellipse	0.05	1	Rubber
Crown	Crown accessories	Ellipse	0.05	0.5	Rubber
Crown	Crown ruby	Ellipse	0.05	0.75	Rubber
Text	Text	Extrude	0.1	1	Rubber

The example should be close to:

Component Circle:

circle filled

Component shield:

Component small crown:

small crown

Component Liz flower:

liz

Component crown:

crown

Component text:

text

Now after we finished working on all the components we need to assemble
All the components together, we will do so in the Assembly.
The question, "why we made several components and not only one or two" surely came up. The reason we made several components is to give more depth to the part we are creating. If we had only one or two parts then the embossing wouldn’t be accurate as we would like it to be, and in the assembly we have more options we can use. We can add components and adjust the components together.

What's left now is to assemble the components together.
In the P2P on the upper left we have the assemble icon.

10. Click on

Now we can see on the bottom left all our components,
We can also choose different material for each component that will reflect the different components with different colors.

To choose a material for a component we just need to click on the material and to choose which one we desire.
If we want to put a component above another component, its priority should be at a higher level. See on the example that the lower priority is the circle.
Above it is the shield. Another important issue is the material for color, Different colors or materials can prepare your work to be as close as you want To create it by a machine or as your final product.

assembly box

11. Now Mark the desire layer and Move it Forward or Backward updown

Until you'll receive the following:

full

The last thing we need to do is to create the 2 small crowns that we got rid of in the beginning, lets press on replications replica

a window will appear:

repbox

These are the correct settings it will create another 2 small crowns identical to the one we left.

Here is the example:

finished

12. Export to Mill clicking on output

13. When "Do you want to weld all the components together" prompted, click No,
There is no advantage in welding and it takes a long time.
14. Click on ase

then

15. Save the Changes … (Coat of Arms.p2p) save

16. Open Mill mill

Mill

1. Import the Surface from P2P sur

2. The Billet Setup opens automatically
3. Select the correct Billet elliptic

and then click on pick

and

circle

4. In this example the part was 250mm width so it's better if we scale it to a Smaller example (faster calculating time). First lets mark all the surfaces and Groups.
For Scaling let's click on the scale button scale

and the dialog box will appear:

scale box

We will change the width to 60 (all the other fields will adjust automatically), Press on OK, and our Object has been scaled as we desired.
5. Now we need to adjust the billet to our scaled surface. Let's press on the billet Button billet

we just need to click on pick

and

6. Now we can start making our tool path's, in this part I've made 5 different tool path, we will do here only 2 of them, just to get the idea. What we are going to do is to select a Tool to use choose the method we want it to operate.
1^st Tool path:

6.1. Click on mac

6.2. Let us Mark the Group Layer "Outer circle", and the surface we imported From the P2P.
tip: In this case, we will select the Surfaces that we have export from P2P and Mark it.