How to pre-process an image for Vector Engraving

1) Took an image from this web page:

https://www.royaldesignstudio.com/collections/trellis-stencil/products/macedonia-damask-wall-stencil

(Did this by making image as large as possible and them used the standard Windows Snipping Tool - found under "All Programs", "Accessories".)

...saving the image as a PNG - a format with no compression - this gave the following:

 

first - many shapes, colour png

...right click on the above image to download and save it.

2) Opened in standard Windows Paint (again in the Accessories section of the Windows programs) and resaved as a monochrome bitmap...

[image 2 below]

 

second - monochrome bitmap may shapes

Click here to download the above image in BMP format.

3) Then in Paint resaved as just one section of the above for an easier test (still a monochrome bitmap)...

[image 3 below]

 

third - monochrome bitmap one shape

Click here to download the above image in BMP format.

4) Then used this online site to detect the edges in the above image (note on the site I used the options "Laplacian" and "3 by 3" - these relate to the mathematical instructions used by the site to work out where the edges are)...

http://pinetools.com/image-edge-detection

...resaving result as a PNG...

[image 4 below]

 

fourth - edges only png

...right click on the above image to download and save it.

5) Finally I then converted this PNG image to a DXF file (a file containing just the lines, which can be read in by the laser cutting software) using this website:

https://convertio.co/png-converter/

The DXF file can be downloaded here, though you may need a specialist page to view it...all Dyson Centre machines have such software installed, and all Engineering Department members are able to log on to these machine with their Teaching System password.

Rich, 23 May 2018