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CP design -> build strategies
Chris G:
I'm curious how you experts go from CP design-mode to CP build-mode.
I ended up designing in Visio. First I tried printing it out on multiple sheets of letter paper and taping them together. That didn't work very well. Then I found out that my wife has access to a plotter at work, so I was able to take advantage (I'm mean that in a negative way - I feel bad) of that opportunity to print a full-size version. From there, I attached the printout to the wood and simply poked holes through the paper to mark the various control locations.
So for my (inevitable) next cabinet, I'm wondering if there's a better way. I've heard some people take their stuff to Kinkos, which I'd like to avoid. Any other printing solutions? Any other strategies that don't even involve printing?
Thanks,
Chris
Kaytrim:
I use a program called CP Sketcher. It allows me to place most basic controls on a rectangle CP. then you can export the measurements from the upper left corner and use them to draw on your full size CP. You can also export a normal or high res bitmap image. Below is a sample CP I created in less than 5 min. The other attachment is the txt file created.
RobotronNut:
if you have access to adobe illustrator, i have a procedure that successfully implements the "tape the sheets together" strategy. i haven't used visio in years, but i assume you can export to at least one of the following file types for opening in illustrator: .AI, .PS, .PDF
* in illustrator, under "document setup", choose "tile imageable areas".
* in the tool palette, click and hold the hand tool, then choose the page tool. click in the image to set where the tile boundaries go.
* print to printer "Adobe PDF". this creates a separate PDF file for each page. if you care to, you can reassemble these into one multi-page PDF with Adobe Acrobat.
* print these pages using adobe reader, with "Page Scaling" set to "None" and "Auto Rotate and Center" NOT checked.
* the resulting pages can be simply taped together as-is, with no trimming required, yielding a single large piece of paper with all dimensions correct.
this may sound laborious, but, in practice, it only takes a few minutes and yields great results.
for an example, visit the web page linked in my signature and scroll to the "download" section at the bottom.
Tahnok:
--- Quote from: Kaytrim on May 04, 2007, 01:48:42 pm ---[...]then you can export the measurements from the upper left corner and use them to draw on your full size CP. [...]
--- End quote ---
The measurements are from the center of the part. Generally, it's where you're going to want to drill for the part (always check first though).
CP Sketcher can be downloaded here:
http://www.tahnokgames.com/Applications/CPSketcher/applications_cpsketcher.htm
Chris G:
CP Sketcher looks cool, but seems like it might take a while to draw out all the locations from the measurement list. I'll give it a shot, though. If I ever get the cash for Illustrator, I'll give that a try too. Thanks for the feedback, guys.
Chris
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