The Definitive Guide to Cutting Pepakura with a Silhouette Cameo
- Thread starter Grenex
- Start date
NovaDom
New Member
I would have to say "it's dead on balls accurate".
yup, I really don't think I'd be more accurate by hand, that's for sure.
There's just one thing not to my liking yet and it has to do with the bend lines.
I was using at first the option to make small cuts on the bend lines to help with the actual bends, but I found that many of the tabs didn't have enough material left on them to be solid.. in fact, many tabs stayed on the cutting mat when I was removing parts.
So, I'm not using that "option" anymore..
but, I just had what could potentially be a GREAT IDEA! (if it works
)I'm at work right now, so I can't try it for myself, but I'm very excited to try it this weekend.
Here's what I'm thinking:
I don't use the "option" to make the small cuts on the bend lines
I load the page in the Cameo
I cut the whole page
The Cameo unload the page
I take the second cutting blade that came with the Cameo, and I set the depth at .. let’s say 1, or midway between 0 and 1
I load the same page in the Cameo
I change the line "profile" in Pepakura viewer so that the Cameo cut ONLY the bend lines
I "cut" the whole page, again
(this time, since the blade depth is not going thru the cardstock, it is in effect scoring every bend lines on the page)
I'm not sure if it would be better to cut first then score or score first then cut
Anyway, just an idea.. I'll try it for sure and let you know!
If somebody tried it already, I'd be glad to hear your comments!
Grenex,
I just wanted to thank you for putting together this great guide! After tinkering with it for about 4 hours last night I got mine working nearly 98%! The cuts are PERFECT up until about midway through the paper and the lines start to drift by about 1 mm by the end. This was the best I could get after adjusting the length and width registration mark distances by .5mm increments. Any suggestions? I really can’t adjust the length and width anymore without the top half of the page starting to drift so it seems like there is no sweet spot between the top and bottom cutouts (can’t get the whole page to cutout perfectly at the same time). Also, no pieces interfere with the registration marks and all 3 registrations marks are perfect and clear (just to clarify).
Oh and a few tips that I found helpful:
When adjusting the cutter over the registration mark, I found it helpful to slide in a silhouette sketch pen (instead of the cutter). It gives a definitive point to get the cutter directly in the center of the registration box. You can even gently press down the pen to have it contact the page while adjusting the cutting head to make registration simple.
Another super useful tip when testing/calibrating the silhouette is to use different colored sketch pens in the silhouette instead of the cutter (sold separately by silhouette). This allows you to make adjustments to your length/width or other settings and actually see the changes (with different colored pens). This allowed me to easily track and see how my changes were affecting my cuts without having to actually cut anything!
Thanks again for the guide!
I just wanted to thank you for putting together this great guide! After tinkering with it for about 4 hours last night I got mine working nearly 98%! The cuts are PERFECT up until about midway through the paper and the lines start to drift by about 1 mm by the end. This was the best I could get after adjusting the length and width registration mark distances by .5mm increments. Any suggestions? I really can’t adjust the length and width anymore without the top half of the page starting to drift so it seems like there is no sweet spot between the top and bottom cutouts (can’t get the whole page to cutout perfectly at the same time). Also, no pieces interfere with the registration marks and all 3 registrations marks are perfect and clear (just to clarify).
Oh and a few tips that I found helpful:
When adjusting the cutter over the registration mark, I found it helpful to slide in a silhouette sketch pen (instead of the cutter). It gives a definitive point to get the cutter directly in the center of the registration box. You can even gently press down the pen to have it contact the page while adjusting the cutting head to make registration simple.
Another super useful tip when testing/calibrating the silhouette is to use different colored sketch pens in the silhouette instead of the cutter (sold separately by silhouette). This allows you to make adjustments to your length/width or other settings and actually see the changes (with different colored pens). This allowed me to easily track and see how my changes were affecting my cuts without having to actually cut anything!
Thanks again for the guide!
Flexserve
Active Member
Same here. Tried and download link is dead.
azirithdorr
New Member
Just to chime in with my two cents. I can't download from the links either. I fresh like would be very appreciated if possible. Thank you!
Grenex
Active Member
SORRY GUYS! I changed the file structure on my file server and it screwed up the download. I have fixed the link on page one of this thread to get you the proper file
Here is the direct link for those that need it!
http://temp.grenexmedia.com/DefPepCameoGuide1.3.zip
azirithdorr
New Member
Hi Grenex,
Thanks very much for providing this guide - it's been indespensible for my first attempt at doing pepakura on the cameo.
I'm wondering if you might have any wisdom in one matter I'm having: I've followed the guide through including custom measuring the registration marks and such for a Halo helmet ( the particular one I used was the 'normal' detail level by Robogenesis ). I've been able to proceed through all the steps including reading the registration marks with errors and 'printing' the pattern pieces. Each time, however, I'm consistantly approx. 2mm off to the left on my width axis - it's the same distance across the entire page, and has been across multiple printings. I've gone back and triple-checked my settings and such and all seems well. My registration marks show up full on my print preview and on the page itself in a good, dark tone.
Anyways, it would work perfect for me except that 2mm shift to the left. Might you have any suggestion on how to make the entire cut shift slightly?
Thanks you very much.
Thanks very much for providing this guide - it's been indespensible for my first attempt at doing pepakura on the cameo.
I'm wondering if you might have any wisdom in one matter I'm having: I've followed the guide through including custom measuring the registration marks and such for a Halo helmet ( the particular one I used was the 'normal' detail level by Robogenesis ). I've been able to proceed through all the steps including reading the registration marks with errors and 'printing' the pattern pieces. Each time, however, I'm consistantly approx. 2mm off to the left on my width axis - it's the same distance across the entire page, and has been across multiple printings. I've gone back and triple-checked my settings and such and all seems well. My registration marks show up full on my print preview and on the page itself in a good, dark tone.
Anyways, it would work perfect for me except that 2mm shift to the left. Might you have any suggestion on how to make the entire cut shift slightly?
Thanks you very much.
azirithdorr
New Member
No worries on the response time!
They are starting off like that - from the first cut on, they are off around 2mm and stay constant throughout the page cut.
They are starting off like that - from the first cut on, they are off around 2mm and stay constant throughout the page cut.
Grenex
Active Member
Have your tired using a different file to see if other pepakura is also offset? Perhaps it is something with that specific file?
azirithdorr
New Member
No, I haven't ( though I should have! ). I'll give that a try and see what happens.
Hooray! I finally got time to do some more tests with my Cameo and I figured out my blade depth and why it was missing lines and all that. I bought the Pepakura Designer for Silhouette and followed Grenex's pdf (THANK YOU SO MUCH) and it's cutting beautifully and perfectly! But now I have another question...
How do I print and cut pieces that are too big to fit on an 8.5x11 sheet of paper? It seems that if ANY lines are outside the boundaries of the registration marks, it screws up the entire page when cutting.
Edit: Nevermind! Got it! Figured out how to cut pieces in half and rotate.
How do I print and cut pieces that are too big to fit on an 8.5x11 sheet of paper? It seems that if ANY lines are outside the boundaries of the registration marks, it screws up the entire page when cutting.
Edit: Nevermind! Got it! Figured out how to cut pieces in half and rotate.
To add to this, I found that it may depend on the quality of the unfold file. I have a couple pieces in the Pacific Rim jaeger pilot helmet I downloaded that just never cut properly and need to be cut by hand, because something may have gone a bit wonky during the unfold but was ignored because majority of people cut manually anyway. It's something you wouldn't know about unless you were using a Silhouette.
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mdb
Sr Member
Hi, I am glad this thread has been replied to recently. I just got a brother Scan n Cut and so far have really just been testing to see if it will cut sequin sheeting (it does) as I'm going to want to use it for cutting thin card and plastic as templates for armour making. ANd vinyl for decorations etc.
I was wondering if anyone has experience and input or would be interested in a guide on how to use this machine as an alternative. And whether to add that info to this post or start a new one?
I was wondering if anyone has experience and input or would be interested in a guide on how to use this machine as an alternative. And whether to add that info to this post or start a new one?
mdb
Sr Member
Fair enough There are a few home scale cutters (as well as smaller plotter cutters) I think as time goes on and they get more in use there will be more of a need for a single launch point (reviews so people can choose which machine).
Meanwhile heaps of cool info in here- especially discussions of pros and cons of using the cutter for fold lines.
There are a few home scale cutters (as well as smaller plotter cutters) I think as time goes on and they get more in use there will be more of a need for a single launch point (reviews so people can choose which machine).Meanwhile heaps of cool info in here- especially discussions of pros and cons of using the cutter for fold lines.
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