Cut Ready Tab

Cutting Speed Optimization

Many pattern generation programs output curves as polylines, a series of connected line segments. While the results may look acceptable, cutting systems have to reduce their speed to cut polylines. Smoother elements such as arcs, splines, and Bezier curves can be cut much faster.

Optimize Tool

The Optimize tool modifies a polyline pattern so it will cut more quickly and with smoother motion. It automatically breaks polylines at appropriate places and replaces them with smooth elements – lines, arcs, notches, and either splines or Bezier curves.

You also have access to this tool on the Patterns Tab. There, you can optimize a group of selected patterns or, if no patterns are selected, optimize your entire project at once.

Before you click the Optimize button, select the configuration that is right for your patterns from the dropdown.

PatternSmith comes with five pre-defined cleanup configurations: Default, ISO, AAMA1, AAMA Poly, CadShot Mobile, and Simple. You can also create your own configurations from the Setup button. After you have selected a configuration, click the Optimize button to replace all polylines with smoother elements.

Setup Dialog

To create a new optimize configuration, click the Setup button.

Click the New button to start the creation of a new configuration. Once clicked, you can Name the new configuration, and choose a Base Configuration to base it off of.

For each section to be active in the configuration, the box next to the name must be selected. Otherwise, that section will not be used.

Replace Notches

If notches are part of the polyline, they must be removed and replaced with separate notch elements before smoothing can occur.

If your patterns have notches built into the polylines, check the box on the Replace Notches tab. Enter the minimum and maximum length, width, and depth for your notches. It is very important that the notches in the patterns match the value you ask the program to search for.

Filters

The points in the polyline must be re-spaced to accurately reflect the curvature at each part of the
polyline.

Call Autometrix customer service for help with the right settings for your patterns.

Breakpoints

Polylines must be broken at corners and transitions before smoothing can take place. PatternSmith classifies breakpoints as Absolute, Hard, Soft, and Transitions. You can set the angles for each domain, as well as the parameters needed to determine breakpoints.

Call Autometrix customer service for help with the right settings for your patterns.

Smoothing

After polylines have been broken into consistent elements, each can be replaced with a smoother element, based on the tolerance values you enter.

Call Autometrix customer service for help with the right settings for your patterns.

Simple

Simple is the simplest optimization configuration. Simple will join any elements together, break at corners, change any polylines to splines, and lastly thin out any unnecessary points. Use simple when a project is made up of polylines. **NOTE** When Simple is active, all other sections will be deselected

Call Autometrix customer service for help with the right settings for your patterns.

Cleanup

Find Overlapping Elements

Find Overlapping Elements will select all elements that are overlapping. If two elements are different lengths, the element that is shorter will be selected. This can useful with imported files that have elements on top of each other.

Custom

Start Element

You can set the point where your cutter starts cutting the perimeter by clicking the Start Element tool, then clicking on the element you want to cut first.

You will see that element highlighted as shown below.

Plot Setup

PatternSmith will normally sort all internal (non-perimeter) elements in a pattern using a “nearest neighbor” within the sorting columns technique. To see the plot order, click the Plot Setup button.

When Plot Setup is active, you can assign elements a priority, either in order or by assigning multiple elements to one priority. When multiple elements are assigned to one priority, they are considered in the same group. PatternSmith will sort each group as it normally would and do that on each subsequent group.

There are two ways to set the priority of elements, Assign By Element Selection or Assign By Element Clicking. To use Assign By Element Selection, select the elements and click Apply To Selected Elements.

When Assign By Element Clicking is active, when you click on an element the priority will be set.

The priority will be set to the number shown next to Priority. To reset the priority value or set a new priority, click the hamburger button next to the number.

Reset Priorities On Selected Elements will remove all priorities from the selected elements.

Reset Priorities On All Elements will remove priorities from all elements.