New user, want to try cutting out an outline

Projects
1

Hey guys. For my first project I’d like to try cutting out an outline. I chose something random that I thought would be simple (this car outline: http://troyfrey.com/scion/scionxdoutline640.jpg), but I’m having a lot of trouble with it. First, I converted the image to .SVG using an online converter and imported it into Illustrator because I wanted to add tabs to keep the windows and the outside line together. I’m also new to Illustrator, so I’m not sure if I was doing it correctly, but I used the line tool to connect the pieces of the image together. I grouped all of the objects before saving and tried importing it into Easel, but the objects scale independently (unless I select them all, of course). Also, Easel wants to cut out the actual line and not the negative space. So I have two main questions:

  1. How do I edit an .SVG file correctly so that when I save/export it, Easel sees it as one piece?

  2. How do I get Easel to cut out the actual outline of the car and not the negative space? I assume there’s some sort of inversion I have to do at some point in this process?

Thanks!

Chris

2

I’m not dead sure how to do it in illustrator, but you will need to make an object out of the negative space. I did it recently in Inkscape and could probably replicate it.

Currently what “exists” in your SVG is lines, you need to make the “panels” in the SVG before importing them into Easel. Does that make sense/help?

3

A little late to the party but…
You will have to make all of the windows separate pieces.
Make sure you create outlines before you turn it into a .SVG file.
I use Black as carving area and white as not carving.
So you will need to go to edit>edit colors>invert colors
then you can select to cut on path and not fill.

You may find when opening it up in easel, it will throw the windows all over the place, you will need to realign them.
Peter