Thread: Laser work

For student Projects:
Anyone know how to manipulate fonts in Google Sketchup so that i can add mounting holes to a font and have them laser cut in steel. Converting to DXF is no problem.
cheers
johnD

Why not make your own components?

Type out the alphabet in sketchup in the desired font - explode it, add the mounting holes to each letter in the desired locations then save each letter as a different component.

Then the go would be to type out your words in the original font. Lock that in place, and then move your modified component letters on top of that text and snap them into the desired locations. Finally delete the original text, leaving your modified letters in the correct font spacing. Pretty quick and easy if you're not doing heaps of text.

Alternatively, I think you will need to edit the font family itself which I believe will need different software (illustrator, fontlab, etc) . Cheers - Mick

Originally Posted by WelderMick

Why not make your own components?

Type out the alphabet in sketchup in the desired font - explode it, add the mounting holes to each letter in the desired locations then save each letter as a different component.

Then the go would be to type out your words in the original font. Lock that in place, and then move your modified component letters on top of that text and snap them into the desired locations. Finally delete the original text, leaving your modified letters in the correct font spacing. Pretty quick and easy if you're not doing heaps of text.

Alternatively, I think you will need to edit the font family itself which I believe will need different software (illustrator, fontlab, etc) . Cheers - Mick

Hi Mich,
Thanks for the great advice. I would love to use Google Sketchup with students and send off files to get Laser or Plasma cut. I have done this with proper CAD programs Formula-3-Laser-&-engineering.mp4 - YouTube but never with Sketchup. Do you know of anybody that has successfully CNC a file??
Cheers
johnD

Type out your text in a design program such as Adobe Illustrator, then use the "Convert fonts to outlines" option and save in a format that'll import into your CAD package such as DXF. This way the fonts stop being fonts and just become a vector outline.