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Left: No Reduce, Bottom-Right: Reduce, Top: Reduce and Smooth

Reducing

Smoothing is an aesthetic preference. Sometimes a polygon look is preferable, or maybe you want something even softer looking than what smooth produces. Reduce allows you to reduce the amount of data points that are used. Reduce is also in millimeters, but specifies the minimum deflection of the curve. Higher values are more reduced. Leave Reduce as 0 for no reduction.

Combining

Reduce is applied before smooth. For example, Reduce = 5, Smooth = 0.01, will first reduce the curves to 5mm deflection, and then smooth them to 0.01mm deflection, resulting in a very smooth, but inaccurate result. Aggressively reducing the data might result in bad laser cuts, with layers that dont stack properly. Experiment with different values and use the 3D-preview to verify how it will look!

Part separation

The nester now allows you to specify a minimum separation between parts. This can be useful in improving cut accuracy and finnish quality, as well as making the file more readable.

Nesting time

Cetopo now allows you to run the algorithm for much longer to improve nesting. There is a Quick Nest option in the Laser Cut settings which allows you to toggle the nesting duration between ~5sec and ~30sec.

Here is a fairly large laser cut, nested with a 1mm minimum part separation. Click here to view.

The 3D-preview of the same model as in the other image. Coffee cup for scale.Click here to view.

Preview size reference

It can be hard to judge how large something is when its floating in space on a computer screen. You can now add a reference coffee cup to the preview window. The coffee cup is 80mm tall and 80mm in diameter.

Preview visuals

The laser cut preview is rendered with a real "laser-cut-plywood" photo-texture. The texture is correctly scaled to your model size. You can almost feel the wood!

The problems

The new laser cut feature in Cetopo aims to solve all laser cutting related problems for the user.

1. Creating a beautifull, accurate, and structurally sound model
2. Visualize the result
3. Nesting the parts to minimize wasted material
4. Encode the nested parts in the correct format

Some of these problems have traditionally required lots of manual labor, while others have required lots of material.

“3D-models just don't capture slope as well as laser cuts” -Unknown Architect

One of the scaffolding parts is highlighted here. It provides support for the parts on it, as well as helping with the assembly chore.

The solutions

1: The laser cuts created by Cetopo use an advanced algorithm to generate scaffoldings for your models. This saves a lot of material without sacrificing looks or structure.
2: Cetopo now has an intuitive visualizer for its 3D-products. It allows you to make informed tweaks to the parameters, thus ensuring an optimal result with the first cut. Expect more features to be added to the visualizer in the future!
3: Cetopo uses its own NFP based algorithm to compute good nestings for your parts. This saves a lot of wasted material, and saves you the painstaking effort of nesting it manually!
4: Cetopo allows you to choose line colors to help you conform to demands set by professional cutting services. This reduces the risk of misunderstandings, as well as loss of information due to translation.

The scaffolding (3mm transparent acrylic) locks the parts (1mm plywood) in place thanks to small notches on their insides. This makes assembly a straightforward and fun process. To see the end result, please watch the Laser cut tutorial video