{"id":11481,"date":"2010-08-01T22:40:44","date_gmt":"2010-08-02T05:40:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ponoko.com\/blog\/?p=11481"},"modified":"2020-08-26T19:47:40","modified_gmt":"2020-08-27T02:47:40","slug":"how-to-combine-shapes-in-inkscape-for-laser-cutting-with-ponoko","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ponoko.com\/blog\/ponoko\/how-to-combine-shapes-in-inkscape-for-laser-cutting-with-ponoko\/","title":{"rendered":"How to combine shapes in *Inkscape* for laser cutting with Ponoko"},"content":{"rendered":"

In three easy steps<\/strong><\/p>\n

Two weeks ago I posted a video tutorial for combining shapes in Illustrator for laser cutting, and I wanted to make sure that our large number of Inkscape users had the same technique available to them…<\/p>\n

If you’ve watched the Illustrator video, you may experience a sense of deja vu – the main difference here in what commands to use in Inkscape, and where they can be found.<\/p>\n

Below is a transcript of the video:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hi \u2013 this is Josh from Ponoko \u2013 and today I want to show you how to combine shapes in Inkscape for laser cutting.<\/p>\n

To do this, we\u2019ll be using two key menu commands:<\/p>\n

* the first is Path > Combine
\n* the second is Path > Union<\/p>\n

Before we look at this process in greater detail, lets check out an example of shapes in Illustrator which have been combined incorrectly for laser cutting with Ponoko.<\/p>\n

At first glance, this looks perfect for laser cutting. There is a thin blue line which traces around the letters on the top, and a rectangular base on the bottom. However \u2013 if we change our view mode using View > Display Mode > Outline \u2013 you can see that all is not what it seems.<\/p>\n

This \u2018Outline View\u2019 reveals the true vector content of a file \u2013 and lets us know what will actually be made. In this case, what it has revealed is that these letters and this rectangle are not truly connected.<\/p>\n

What I have done instead is place white fills over the blue lines in my design that I do not want cut out \u2013 which unfortunately would not have worked. When it comes to cutting lines and vector engraving lines, the laser cutter will cut or engrave them anywhere they are present in the design \u2013 even if they are covered by something else. The white fills I placed over these cutting lines would be ignored, and the lines underneath them would still be cut.<\/p>\n

So let\u2019s combine these shapes correctly.<\/p>\n

The first thing we do is select all of the shapes we want to combine together. We then use the Path > Combine command \u2013 which combines these shapes into a single unit.<\/p>\n

Finally, we use the Path > Union command to turn all of these separate shapes into a single path running around the outside of them, and to remove all the lines which would otherwise separate them.<\/p>\n

Now when we change to View > Display Mode > Outline, we can see that these letters and the rectangle below are truly a single vector object. Once again, this a true representation of what will be laser cut \u2013 and this time it\u2019s what we want.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s go through this process one last time. We\u2019ll open a new Ponoko template \u2013 and create a collection of overlapping shapes which are formatted for laser cutting with Ponoko\u2026<\/p>\n

So now we have something vaguely arty \u2013 let\u2019s turn it into a single object for laser cutting. First, we\u2019ll select all the shapes that we\u2019ve laid over each other. Now we use the Path > Combine command, followed by the Path > Union command.<\/p>\n

All of these shapes have now been combined into a single object ready for laser cutting with Ponoko. We\u2019ll do a final double check by using the View > Display Mode > Outline command, and it\u2019s definitely correct.<\/p>\n

So that\u2019s all there is to it. I hope this technique might be helpful to you in the future \u2013 for making new exciting projects with Ponoko.<\/p>\n

Thanks!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In three easy steps<\/strong><\/p>\n

Two weeks ago I posted a video tutorial for combining shapes in Illustrator for laser cutting, and I wanted to make sure that our large number of Inkscape users had the same technique available to them…<\/p>\n

If you’ve watched the Illustrator video, you may experience a sense of deja vu – the main difference here in what commands to use in Inkscape, and where they can be found.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11481","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-how-to-make","category-ponoko"],"yoast_head":"\nHow to combine shapes in *Inkscape* for laser cutting with Ponoko<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ponoko.com\/blog\/ponoko\/how-to-combine-shapes-in-inkscape-for-laser-cutting-with-ponoko\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" 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