Creating Digital Patterns

[BeefSupreme]

I'm looking to have a handful of clicker dies created and I want to design them myself digitally. Today I used an old copy of Adobe Illustrator to make a pattern, but this version doesn't have a dimensions feature. I'd really like the dimensions to show up on the PDF pattern I give to the die maker. Showing length/height in mm, radius of corners, diameter of the circles, etc.

How do you all create die patterns digitally? Are there any free tools you'd recommend?

[JayEhl]

You can try exporting the file to a different application.  I'm going to check out nanocad which is a free program which may could solve your problem.

Edited June 18, 2021 by JayEhl

[LatigoAmigo]

1 hour ago, BeefSupreme said:

I used an old copy of Adobe Illustrator to make a pattern, but this version doesn't have a dimensions feature.

I looked at an older version of Adobe Illustrator (CS4 from 2008), and see that you can view the width and height of the pattern in the "transform" window. From there you could simply type in those dimensions somewhere on the pattern, like across the bottom of the page. Does that make sense?

[BeefSupreme]

15 minutes ago, LatigoAmigo said:

I looked at an older version of Adobe Illustrator (CS4 from 2008), and see that you can view the width and height of the pattern in the "transform" window. From there you could simply type in those dimensions somewhere on the pattern, like across the bottom of the page. Does that make sense?

Yep, and that's what I've done so far. Just a text annotation. That's probably what I'll go with now to have the first die made, but long term, it's kind of a pain because that dimension text won't auto update as I make changes to the pattern. Another issue, as I add more details to a pattern, it becomes harder to describe which side/shape/line I'm talking about. For now I'll try to put the text as close as possible to the line it's describing.

Not sure if the die maker even needs the dimension lines, but it's nice to have the visual confirmation on the intended size.

Also, thank you JayEhl for the suggestions. I gave NanoCAD a try. It has a steep learning curve coming from the Adobe product line. It's been a hot minute since I've used AutoCAD, so basic tasks require research. I also tried exporting a PDF from Illustrator, and using the "Measure Tool" built into Acrobat Reader. Acrobat PDF Reader is pretty bare bones, it has a measuring tool exactly like I wanted, but it doesn't let you specify precision or edit the text labels after you draw a dimension line. I'm guessing they want $$$ for Acrobat Pro.

 

[Bert03241]

Inkscape, and sketchup  are to free programs you can design in. I use coreldraw I bought years ago

[caressofsteel]

I use LibreCAD for my templates. Although I don't use it; it has a built in dimensioning tool. It is free and open source. Online documentation seems to be pretty good, although I only use it for 2D templates.

[Hardrada]

On 6/18/2021 at 11:35 AM, BeefSupreme said:

Not sure if the die maker even needs the dimension lines, but it's nice to have the visual confirmation on the intended size.

This is best taken up with the maker himself. He might not need dimension cues at all. Sometimes makers modify the files you give them a bit to fit their process. Again, the maker is the best person to discuss this with.

Illustrator has options to print printer's marks when outputting to PDF. Basically, that's all the sizing cues a printer or maker needs.

This is said dialog box in version CS4:

Edited June 19, 2021 by Hardrada
Addenda

[BDAZ]

Simple. I 3D Print my own stamps almost daily. Paid for the printer the first week! I simply take a 2D Line graphic and then convert to an SVG file here:

https://image.online-convert.com/convert-to-svg

Then I read the SVG file in Tinkercad

www.tinkercad.com

Size as required and drop onto a "puck" of around 1/2" thick. Usually takes around  20 minutes to print:

This is my printer:

https://www.amazon.com/ELEGOO-Photocuring-Monochrome-Off-Line-5-1x3-1x5-9in/dp/B08L9JM11J/ref=sr_1_4?crid=XH1CJZBEE38F&dchild=1&keywords=elegoo+mars+2&qid=1624454347&sprefix=elegoo%2Caps%2C214&sr=8-4

Currently on sale at <$200. The resin for the stamp costs +-$2

Edited June 23, 2021 by BDAZ

[BDAZ]

This is the embossed leather. The whole process to create and print the stamp from the artwork took around 45 minutes.

 

Edited June 23, 2021 by BDAZ